LA GRANDE â The Grande Ronde Hospital Foundation wrapped up its fundraising year in April with a livestream event that showcased the organizationâs efforts and brought in about $6,000.
Foundation Manager Patrick Flynn said the online happening on the evening of April 16 went better than he had hoped, and the 80-minute video has drawn at least 1,100 views, so the Foundationâs message continues to get out. Going to a livestream event, he said, was due to COVID-19.
âAs with everyone this last year, COVID kind of blew everything up. We normally have our gala in mid- to late March and that event is our largest fundraiser,â Flynn said.
PENDLETON â The pandemic spurred on a surge of telemedicine options, and some medical providers are hoping that trend continues after it is over.
Cheryl Pearce, director of physician clinics for St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton, said the hospital had used telehealth in some cases in the past, including for its stroke recovery program. But the clinics were limited on what telehealth they could provide.
Rural clinics were unable to be reimbursed for telehealth appointments for Medicare patients in their home, for example.
Once the pandemic hit, the Trump administration waived those rules, allowing clinics to continue seeing patients even when everything was shut down.
1950-2021 ⢠La Grande
Eileen Christine Berry, 71, of La Grande, died April 24 at Grande Ronde Hospital after a long battle with cancer. A celebration of her life will take place at the American Legion at a later date.
Eileen was born April 24, 1950, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Roy and Eula (Helmer) Donahoe. She was raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, and graduated from Lincoln High School. She married Glendon Berry and they moved to La Grande in 1990.
Eileen retired from D&B Supply after working many years in shipping and receiving. She loved gardening, fishing, camping, picking huckleberries, carpentry and sewing. She could make anything look new again.
BAKER CITY â The Baker County Health Department has hundreds more doses of COVID-19 vaccine than it has residents interested in being inoculated.
âThe level of interest has certainly decreased this past week,â Nancy Staten, the departmentâs director, said on Friday morning, April 30.
Less than a month ago the health department was scheduling bi-weekly clinics at Baker High School where more than 600 people received either their first or second dose of the Moderna vaccine.
But as of Friday, the department didnât have a single person on a waiting list for a vaccination, Staten said.
Residents continue to call occasionally asking about vaccines, and Staten said the department is making appointments for people as soon as possible, usually within a few days.
Wednesday, April 21
6:10 a.m. â A person waived down a La Grande police officer on the 2700 block of Bearco Loop to report a suspicious person. The officer checked out the situation and determined the person was a resident.
11:17 a.m. â A caller reporting finding drug paraphernalia on the 700 block of Palmer Avenue, La Grande. An officer made contact and resolved the situation.
11:59 a.m. â La Grande police received a complaint about a theft on the 1100 block of Frontier Court. An officer made contact and took a report.
12:08 p.m. â La Grande police responded to the 800 block of Spring Avenue on a report of a domestic disturbance. Police arrested Christina Marie Shelley, 32, of La Grande, for fourth-degree domestic violence assault.