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The INDEPENDENT, October 17, 2002
Carry a tasty, nutritious and safe lunch
Health Notes
ByAudeen Wagner
New employees at clinic
In September, two new staff members
were hired at Providence Family Medicine-
Vernonia:
Marla Rethwill has recently been hired
as the new Patient Relations Representa
tive, and will be working at the front desk.
Marla is a five-plus year resident of Ver
nonia, and brings to the clinic years of office
skills and experience, having worked in var
ious offices where she has met with the public.
Marla graduated from Wasco County Union High School in
Maupin, and attended Eastern Oregon University, where she met
her husband, Scott. They came to Vernonia when Scott was hired
by the City of Vernonia to work for the Public Works Department,
a job which came about because of the flood of ‘96, but worked
into a permanent job for Scott.
Marla and Scott have one daughter, Amy, a fifth grader. Amy
shares a hobby with her mother, they are both tap dancers, and
perform frequently with their dancing group. The family also en
joys biking and outdoor activities, including white-water rafting.
She and her husband both help out with local sports, in volunteer
coaching and related duties.
Marla sees Providence as a company which “invests in its em
ployees” - she already feels the support and concern of a very
caring group. “I also find working so close to home a huge asset,”
she says.
Dawn Anderson is the new Medical Assistant, and will work
with Jeanette in patient care. Dawn received her Medical Assis
tant certificate from Concord Career College in Portland in August
of 2001. As part of her training, she was assigned to the Vernon
ia clinic for her externship, which was a real help in getting orient
ed into her job now. Also, she is now in training to become a Cer
tified X-ray Technician. She worked for the Northwest Women’s
Clinic in northwest Portland before accepting the Vernonia job.
“While I enjoyed my job there,” she says, “It is wonderful not to
commute such a distance every day.”
Dawn grew up in Vernonia, is a single parent, mother of Stacia,
age 13. She and her daughter share many hobbies: hiking, gar
dening, sports, and especially reading. Their house is very quiet
in the evening, when they both love to read.
“I feel a strong need to give back to my community," Dawn
says. “I feel that it is important to give every patient the very best
care possible."
Next Mammovan Visit: The mammovan will be in Vernonia on
October 23. Call the local clinic (503-429-9191) to schedule a
mammogram.
Some people “brown bag”
their lunches because they
don’t have time to go out; oth
ers prefer homemade foods
and some kids don’t like to eat
in the school cafeteria. Whatev
er the reason, with a little ad
vance planning, lunch can be
tasty, nutritious and safe.
• Always keep it clean. Make
sure hands, food preparation
surfaces and utensils are
clean. Use hot, soapy water to
effectively get rid of bacteria.
Teach children to wash hands
before eating. Also wash fruits
and vegetables before packing.
• Keep hot foods such as
soup, chili or stew hot by using
an insulated bottle. Fill the bot
tle with boiling water and let it
stand for a few minutes. Empty
the bottle and fill it with piping
ding and canned fruits or meats
and fish. It is safe to take Ched
dar cheese and yogurt out of
the refrigerator in the morning
and leave them at room tem
perature until lunch time. Pack
aged foods that are sold unre
frigerated, such as applesauce
and pudding, can also be in
cluded.
• Freeze single size juice
packs overnight and place the
frozen drink in the lunch. The
juice will thaw by lunch time
and keep the rest of the lunch
cold.
• Sandwiches made the
night before should be kept in
the refrigerator until morning.
Freezing sandwiches helps
keep them cold, but lettuce,
mayonnaise and tomatoes
don’t freeze well.
Prescription drugs topic of public forum
Oregon has undertaken a
rigorous public process to iden
tify the best drugs at the best
possible price for the Oregon
Health Plan. The state will ask
physicians to refer to the lists of
most effective and least costly
drugs, and will have an excep
tion process to ensure that pa
tients and physicians retain
control of treatment decisions.
A series of 20 forums about
both the scientific process and
changes for Oregon Health
Plan enrollees will be held
across the state, including Port
land and Seaside, October 15
through November 20.
“The costs of prescription
drugs are increasing faster
than any other part of the Ore
gon Health Plan,” says John
Santa, M.D., administrator of
JO AN’S RECO RD
Joan fights hard for children, seniors,
working families, and for our
transportation needs. Let’s keep her
working for us.
Strong, Decisive Leadership
Foi
Paid for by Friends of Joan Dukes
P.O. Box 1125
Astoria, OR 97103
hot food. Keep closed until
lunchtime.
• Cold foods should stay
cold. Invest in a freezer gel
pack and an insulated lunch
box. Freezer gel packs keep
foods cold until lunchtime, but
are not recommended for all
day storage. Perishable food
should be discarded.
• Use the refrigerator at
school or work, if available. If
not, make sure the lunch is
kept out of direct sunlight and
away from radiators, base
boards and other heat sources
found in offices and class
rooms.
• Keep a supply of shelf sta
ble foods for easy packing. In
clude fresh fruits and vegeta
bles, crackers, bread and
peanut butter, packaged pud-
R e -E le c t
Joan Dukes
S tate Senator - District 1 6
the state Office for Oregon
Health Policy and Research,
“Cost and effectiveness is im-
portant to both consumers and
taxpayers. Our findings confirm
that most costly does not al-
ways equal most effective.”
For information, go to
www.hr.state.or.us or call 503-
947-5050.
Please come to the...
Jennings McCall Center
SEASONAL SAMPLER
and Holiday Bazaar
Sat., Nov. 2, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
~ FEATURING ~
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• Distinctive Crafts St Ornaments
• Q u ilt and A r t Shows with
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• Food, Wine Tasting
• Clowns St Face Painting
• Entertainment
Jc cnmngs McC,n
CENTER
Call: (503) 357-4133
2300 Masonic Way
Forest Grove, Oregon