Bend Fire Department responded to an early morning deck fire at 583 NW Greyhawk Ave today. The fire was reported by the home owners. The fire was quickly extinguished and prevented from spreading to the interior of the home. Damages are estimated at $10,000. The owners were able to remain in their home after fire crews cleared. 

The fire was caused by embers from a smoker landing in dry bark mulch below the deck. The bark ignited and spread to the wooden deck support and then up the side of  the house. Bend Fire Department reminds everyone that keeping bark away from combustible construction can help prevent these types of fires. Bark mulch will always ignite, but if you can keep the bark away from your home you can help prevent your home from catching fire as a result of the bark. Whether it be from BBQ embers, smoking materials or embers from an advancing wildfire; keeping a separation between combustible ground cover (bark) and combustible construction can save your home. Create a break between the bark and your home with decorative rock, pavers/walkways or simply dirt. National standards now call for as much as 5 feet of separation but getting at least some separation is better than none. This way if the bark ignites it has little chance to spread to your home. Bend Fire Department offers FREE home consultations to help identify ways you can help protect your home from the threat of fire, both inside and outside your home. Call 541-322-6386 to schedule a visit. 

Photo – the fire started at the base of the column supporting the deck and spread up to the main deck above.

Incident: Drug Crime and Warrant Arrest

Case Number: 2021-00020914

Date and Time: April 17, 2021 at 9:46pm

Location: 1900 NE 3rd Street

Suspect: Lee Eston Hyatt           36 year old              Bend resident

Narrative:

On April 17th, 2021 at 9:46pm, an officer with the Bend Police Department saw an individual they recognized as Lee Hyatt. The officer found that Hyatt had an active warrant for his arrest.

The officer saw Hyatt get into a white 2002 Jeep Cherokee located near the businesses in the parking lot of 1900 NE 3rd Street. The officer made contact with Hyatt and he was taken into custody without incident.

Officer Rob Pennock and his K9 partner, “Ladybug,” arrived to assist with the investigation. “Ladybug” alerted to the odor of controlled substances in the vehicle Hyatt was located in. As the investigation continued, officers located over 23 grams of heroin and over 23 grams of methamphetamine. 

Hyatt was transported to the Deschutes County Jail, where he was lodged on his Parole Warrant, Possession of a Controlled Substance-Heroin (Felony) and Possession of a Controlled Substance-Methamphetamine (Felony).

End of Release

Released by: Sergeant Jayson Janes

Date: April 19, 2021

Arrested: Justin Dean Merritt, 39 year old male, Sisters

Charges: Attempt to Elude (felony), Reckless Driving, and Interfere With a Police Officer

Vehicle: 2004 GMC Yukon

On April 18, 2021 at approximately 11:15 AM, a Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office deputy was driving in the area of Hwy. 20 and S. Pine St. in the City of Sisters. The deputy observed a 2004 GMC Yukon on S. Pine St.  The registration for the vehicle showed to be expired. There was also history of this vehicle being associated with a subject the deputy knew was currently wanted on pending criminal charges.  

The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle and it immediately turned onto a dirt road and continued driving in an attempt to elude the deputy. The deputy pursued the vehicle for a short distance until it turned back toward the City of Sisters. The deputy discontinued the pursuit due to safety concerns. A deputy later observed the vehicle driving on Fryrear Rd. toward Hwy 126. The deputy followed the vehicle from a distance, advising other deputies of their location. Another deputy observed the vehicle near Buckhorn Rd. and Hwy 126. That deputy was able to successfully tag the vehicle with a Star Chase GPS dart. Deputies discontinued following the vehicle, and began tracking it remotely.

The GPS tracker showed the vehicle was stationary on BLM land off of Buckhorn Rd. Deputies located the vehicle and made contact with the only occupant of the vehicle. The subject later identified as Justin Merritt refused to obey commands to exit the vehicle. Deputies worked to de-escalate the situation and negotiated with Merritt for close to an hour before he agreed to exit the vehicle.

Merritt was taken into custody without incident and lodged in the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Jail on the above mentioned charges.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is a full service agency that oversees the adult jail, provides patrol, criminal investigations, civil process and search and rescue operations. Special units include SWAT, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with six K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today led by your duly elected Sheriff L. Shane Nelson, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office serves over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 259 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 191 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.

Released by:      Dep. Kyle Joye, Assistant Search and Rescue Coordinator

Occurred:           4-18-21      1301 hours 

Location:            Smith Rock State Park

Rescued:           Marks, Raili 36 year old female            Seattle, Washington

  NARRATIVE:

On 4/18/21 at about 1:01 PM, Deschutes County Dispatch received a 911 call from an injured hiker at Smith Rock State Park.  The hiker, Raili Marks, had injured herself while hiking on Misery Ridge.  It was reported that Marks was near the Misery Ridge overlook and could not walk without assistance.  Ten Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue volunteers, along with one Deputy, and members of the Redmond Fire Department responded to the scene.

Redmond Fire Department medics arrived on scene, hiked up to the patient and began to provide medical care while SAR volunteers responded to assist with extrication.  SAR volunteers hiked up to Marks location where she was loaded into the wheeled litter and transported down the Misery Ridge Trail to a waiting ambulance.  Marks was transported by ambulance to St. Charles Medical Center in Redmond for further medical treatment. 

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is a full service agency that oversees the adult jail, provides patrol, criminal investigations, civil process and search and rescue operations. Special units include SWAT, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with six K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today led by your duly elected Sheriff L. Shane Nelson, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office serves over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 259 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 191 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.

MEDIA RELEASE  

Driver arrested for DUII

Released by: Lt. Don Manning

Release Date: 04/17/21

Location: Bend Parkway near Murphey Road

Arrested: Jamie Caron-Clarkson 44 years old          

Charges: DUII

NARRATIVE:

On 4/16/21 at approximately 2300 hours, the Bend Police Department responded to a motor vehicle crash on the Bend Parkway near Murphy Road.  Once Bend Police Officers were on scene and rendering aid, it was learned that one of the drivers was Jamie Caron-Clarkson. Jamie Caron-Clarkson is a non-sworn, staff member of the Bend Police Department.  It was believed Caron-Clarkson may be impaired so the investigation was immediately relinquished to the Oregon State Police and Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office conducted a DUII investigation on Jamie Caron-Clarkson and arrested her for DUII via cite in lieu of custody at Saint Charles Medical Center in Bend. The crash is being investigated by the Oregon State Police.  An internal affairs investigation will be conducted to determine if Jamie Caron-Clarkson violated any policies of the Bend Police Department.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is a full service agency that oversees the adult jail, provides patrol, criminal investigations, civil process and search and rescue operations. Special units include SWAT, Street Crimes, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with six K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today led by your duly elected Sheriff L. Shane Nelson, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office serves the nearly 190,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 230 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 187 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.

The crash investigation is still ongoing by OSP, no further information will be released at this time.

## End of Release ##

The FBI will always honor and protect your First Amendment rights, and we will do everything we can to protect your ability to gather peaceably, to speak, and to demand the change that you want. As we head into the days and weeks before us, we ask that you join together, using this time to help shape a future for all our children that is safe, free, and just.

At the same time, our community faces the risk of allowing those focused only on violence to steal the moment for their own. The small groups of rioters causing destruction, committing arson, and engaged in other serious crimes on a nightly basis, continue to target Portland and elsewhere in Oregon.  Their violence and threats to tear down our community, must not be tolerated. We - along with our local, state, and federal partners - continue to work to make sure they are held accountable for the destruction they leave behind. Unlike us, those bent on violence don't believe that you should have a voice in the future that we share. 

The days before us bring great promise - and great concern. We, collectively, have the chance to move our shared community forward. This once-in-a-generation opportunity should allow us to work together to build a more just society that both respects our differences and reflects our common values.

###

Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. Today: Building a digital defense against the dangers of posting COVID-19 vaccination information online.

Last week, we talked about fraudsters who are selling fake vaccination cards on the internet. One way they get those realistic images of cards to sell is by stealing them off legitimate people’s social media pages.

For that reason, once you have received your COVID-19 vaccine, the FBI is asking that you do NOT post a photo of your CDC vaccination card online.

There is more than just the problem of bad actors re-selling images of your card, though. They can also use your post to harvest lots of personal information – which can include your name, date of birth, patient number, and location where you received your vaccine. Once a fraudster has these details, he can steal your identity and do all sorts of damage to your financial health.

If you have already posted a photo of a vaccine card, consider removing it and update your profile picture with a banner or a sticker saying that you got your shot. Some social media platforms have frames or graphics you can use – or you can download stickers from www.cdc.gov.

Finally – if you feel that you have been a victim of identify theft, contact your financial institutions immediately and monitor your credit reports.

You should also report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or call your FBI local office.  

###

On Monday, April 19, 2021 at approximately 6:00 P.M., Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a vehicle crash on Hwy 97 near milepost 52.

Preliminary investigation revealed a Honda Civic, operated by Jesus Lopez (39) of Pasco, WA., was northbound when it left the roadway and struck a tree. 

It is believed the crash happened sometime around 4:00 A.M., on April 19 but was not reported until 6:00 P.M.

Lopez sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased.

OSP was assisted by ODOT.

On Saturday, April 17, 2021 at approximately 11:51 P.M., Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to the report of a pedestrian that had been struck on Hwy 101 near mile post Z49.

Preliminary investigation revealed a pedestrian, Quinten Hoptowit (23) of Warm Springs, was laying in the roadway when he was struck by a northbound vehicle.  The vehicle described as a dark color crew cab pickup with a short box, open bed, and inoperative passenger side tail light - left the scene.

Hoptowit sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased.

OSP was assisted by Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office, Rockaway Beach Fire Department, Rockaway Beach Police Department and ODOT.

If you have any information regarding this incident or the described vehicle OSP requests you call the Oregon State Police Northern Command Center at 1-800-442-0776 or OSP and leave information for Trooper Jace Huseby - case # SP21-100770.

On Friday, April 16, 2021 at approximately 10:30 P.M., Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a vehicle collision on Hwy 95 near milepost 98.

Preliminary investigation revealed a Subaru Tribeca, operated by Heidi Dunn (51) of Spokane Valley, Washington, was northbound passing in a no passing zone and collided with a southbound Toyota Tacoma operated by Hugh Moyes (19) of Battle Mountain, Nevada.

Moyes sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased.

Dunn and a juvenile passenger were transported by air to a hospital.  Five other passengers were transported by ground to a hospital.    

OSP was assisted by Jordan Valley Ambulance, Humbolt County NV. EMS,  Life Flight, and ODOT.  

On Friday, April 16, 2021 at approximately 11:00 P.M., Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a two vehicle crash on Hwy 97 near mile post 141.

Preliminary investigation revealed that a Subaru Legacy, operated by Tomas Fraley (25) of Bend, was southbound and a collision occurred with an also southbound Jeep Grand Cherokee operated by Jamie Caron-Clarkson (45) of Bend. 

Fraley was transported to St. Charles in Bend.

Caron–Clarkson, along with passengers Deanna Black (58) of CA. and Brett Cold (43) of Meridian, ID., were transported to St. Charles in Bend.     

OSP has received information that a black pickup was in the area at the time of the crash, stopped at the crash scene, and left before emergency personnel arrived.  The black pickup continued south on Hwy 97.  OSP would like to talk to the occupants of this vehicle.

If you witnessed the crash or any of the events, involving a black pickup, prior to the crash you are asked to call the Oregon State Police at 1-800-442-0776 and leave information for Sergeant Caleb Ratliff reference case #SP21-099724.     

On Friday, April 16, 2021 at approximately 8:40 P.M., Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a two vehicle crash on Hwy 99E at the intersection of Quail St, approximately one mile south of Brooks.

Preliminary investigation revealed a Ford F150 pickup, operated by Lazaro Gutierrez-Velasco (46) of Salem, was southbound and turned left into the path of a Honda Civic causing a collision. 

Gutierrez-Velasco was transported to the Salem Hospital. 

The operator of the Honda sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased.  The name will be released when appropriate. 

After being released from the Salem Hospital, Gutierrez-Velasco was transported to the Marion County Jail where he was lodged for DUII, Manslaughter, Assault, Reckless Endangering, Reckless Driving, and Criminal Mischief .

OSP was assisted by the Marion County Sheriff's Office, Marion County Fire and ODOT.

SALEM, Ore. - Oregon National Guard Citizen Soldiers and Airmen have now vaccinated nearly 300,000 people since being activated by Governor Kate Brown on Jan. 8, assisting the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and regional medical partners distribute the COVID-19 vaccine.

In addition to military medical vaccination support, Guardsmen have been trained to assist 211 Information, a local community information call center that helps connect people with health and social service organizations. Since being call-up on Feb. 5, the Guardsmen have now handled approximately 80,000 phone calls, providing information about testing, vaccinations, appointments and other community resources stressed by the lingering pandemic.

On April 19, President Joe Biden announced, “As of today, everyone is eligible to get the vaccine. We have enough of it, you need to be protected.” 

With a waiting line outside the Oregon Convention Center doors to receive the vaccine on April 19, the latest CDC reports confirm that 2,549,201 total doses had been administered in Oregon with 1,600,343 total people vaccinated, and of those, 1,033,175 have completed their series. The number of vaccinated Oregonians continues to rise on a daily basis, as more doses have become available.

The 7-day average for new infections in the State of Oregon is currently on the rise at 650 new cases per day and in total, has claimed the lives of more than 2,450 Oregonians since the initial outbreak in mid-March of 2020. Having the military members support the vaccine efforts will help increase distribution of the vaccine to everyone who now wants to receive the vaccine. 

In addition to the Oregon Guardsmen working at the largest mass vaccination site located at the Portland Convention Center, 16 members of the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River are currently helping provide administrative support. 

Since March of 2020, Oregon National Guardsmen have been activated to support the state’s COVID-19 Pandemic response, distributing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) throughout the state, establishing contingency hospitals areas, assisted with the largest wildfire season on record last summer, and helped protect lives and property during civil disturbances.

-30-

Photos and B-Roll images:

Still Photos:

210419-Z-CH590-0045 - Oregon National Guard Airman 1st Class Yvette Rascon, assigned to the 173rd Fighter Wing, administers the COVID-19 vaccine during a mass vaccination clinic at the Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Ore., April 19, 2021. On April 6, President Joe Biden announced that all American adults would be eligible for a coronavirus vaccine by today’s date, as Oregon Guardsmen have now administered nearly 300,000 vaccinations since being activated. (National Guard photo by Master Sgt. John Hughel, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs) 

210419-Z-CH590-0194 - Oregon Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Ryan Kill, assigned to Headquarters-Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment (left) and Oregon Air National Guard Capt. Daniel Vawter, assigned to the 142nd Wing CERFP (right) discuss the current operational status for the COVID-19 mass vaccination clinic at the Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Ore., April 19, 2021. On April 6, President Joe Biden announced that all American adults would be eligible for a coronavirus vaccine by today’s date, as Oregon Guardsmen have now administered nearly 300,000 vaccinations since being activated. (National Guard photo by Master Sgt. John Hughel, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs) 

210419-Z-CH590-0036 - An Oregon Army National Guard medic administers the COVID-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination clinic held at the Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Ore., April 19, 2021. On April 6, President Joe Biden announced that all American adults would be eligible for a coronavirus vaccine by today’s date, as Oregon Guardsmen have now administered nearly 300,000 vaccinations since being activated. (National Guard photo by Master Sgt. John Hughel, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs) 

Additional still photos:

https://www.dvidshub.net/image/6606918/oregon-national-guard-continues-support-covid-19-vaccinations-across-state

https://www.dvidshub.net/image/6499805/oregon-national-guard-assist-with-covid-19-vaccine-distribution

B-Roll: 

https://www.dvidshub.net/video/791410/oregon-national-guard-continues-support-covid-19-vaccinations-across-state

https://www.dvidshub.net/video/781417/oregon-national-guard-supports-lane-county-health-and-human-services-with-covid-19-vaccinations

Related Story:  https://www.dvidshub.net/news/390513/oregon-guardsmen-expand-covid-19-vaccinations-support-efforts-statewide

Portland, Ore. – Registered anglers fishing near the Tri-Cities, Washington, can fish and turn in northern pikeminnow beginning April 19 as part of an early opening trial of the 2021 Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery.

The early season opener is only available to anglers registered at the Columbia Point registration station near Richland, Washington, fishing within program boundaries above McNary Dam. The regular northern pikeminnow sport reward program begins May 1.

As in previous years, the program pays registered anglers $5 to $8 for each pikeminnow that is at least nine inches long. The more fish an angler catches, the more each pikeminnow is worth. And some fish have an even bigger payout. State fish and wildlife biologists have released specially tagged northern pikeminnow into the Columbia and Snake rivers, each worth $500.

Northern pikeminnow are voracious eaters, consuming millions of young salmon and steelhead each year. Since 1990, anglers paid through the program have removed nearly 5 million pikeminnow from the Columbia and Snake rivers. The program is funded by the Bonneville Power Administration and administered by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission in cooperation with the Washington and Oregon departments of fish and wildlife. It has reduced predation from pikeminnow on young salmon and steelhead by approximately 40% since it began.

If the early opener proves productive, additional stations may be considered for early opening in 2022, said Eric Winther, project lead with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“Historically, large numbers of northern pikeminnow congregate near the mouth of the Yakima River early in the year,” said Winther. “We believe this early opener may provide anglers with some great harvests before those fish disperse from the area later in the season.”

Winther noted there have been several changes to station locations and operating hours for the 2021 season.

In addition to the eighteen full-time stations that operate during the five-month season, six new satellite stations will offer anglers additional pikeminnow harvest opportunities in areas with good fishing during short windows of time. These satellite stations will open at different times throughout the season. Interested anglers are encouraged to get the most up-to-date information on the program website, www.pikeminnow.org, before heading out.

Details on how to register for the program and applicable state fishing regulations are also available on the program website. Anglers will find resources on the site to help boost their fishing game, including maps, how-to videos and free fishing clinics.

For more information about the 2021 Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery visit www.pikeminnow.org, or call 800-858-9015.

About BPA

The Bonneville Power Administration, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is a nonprofit federal power marketer that sells wholesale, carbon-free hydropower from 31 federal dams in the Columbia River Basin. It also markets the output of the region’s only nuclear plant. BPA delivers this power to more than 140 Northwest electric utilities, serving millions of consumers and businesses in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana and parts of California, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. BPA also owns and operates more than 15,000 circuit miles of high-voltage power lines and 261 substations, and provides transmission service to more than 300 customers. In all, BPA provides nearly a third of the power generated in the Northwest. To mitigate the impacts of the federal dams, BPA implements a fish and wildlife program that includes working with its partners to make the federal dams safer for fish passage. It also pursues cost-effective energy savings and operational solutions that help maintain safe, affordable, reliable electric power for the Northwest. www.bpa.gov  

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — The Bureau of Land Management has released a funding opportunity inviting new public and private partners to help support the agency’s mission to manage and protect wild horses and burros on public lands. The funding opportunity is open to a variety of organizations, including local and state governments, Native American tribes, other federal agencies and non-profit organizations, among others.

“The BLM has a long history of partnering with national and community-based organizations to help manage and protect wild horses and burros,” said Nada Culver, BLM Deputy Director for Policy. “We are excited to announce this new, simpler and more streamlined process to partner with the BLM on projects to improve the conditions for our nation’s wild horses and burros. I encourage all those who are interested in supporting the well-being of America’s Living Legends to submit a proposal.”

Partnerships formed through this funding opportunity will support critical activities important to the management of wild horses and burros. Proposed projects could include activities such as establishing training programs for wild horses and burros, facilitating the placement of excess animals into private care or assisting with management efforts on public lands, including fertility control application and building range improvements. Applications to care for excess wild horses and burros in off-range facilities, as well as proposals to fund research, are not eligible under this funding opportunity.

Applicants may propose to partner with BLM field, district and national offices. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact the BLM subject matter expert in the relevant office where the proposed work would take place to discuss the type of projects that are available, and whether they meet the requirements under this funding opportunity.

To learn more or for instructions on how to submit a proposal, visit the Notice of Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov. The deadline to submit a proposal is 5 p.m. Eastern Time on May 28, 2021.

-BLM-

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The agency’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. Diverse activities authorized on these lands generated $111 billion in economic output across the country in fiscal year 2019—more than any other agency in the Department of the Interior. These activities supported more than 498,000 jobs.

Follow the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program on Facebook and Twitter

PORTLAND, Ore.—Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug announced today that a North Bend, Oregon, man has been charged with sexually exploiting a minor female victim.

On April 15, 2021, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned a three-count indictment charging Shannon Stacey Weatherbee, 47, with sexual exploitation of children.

According to the indictment, beginning around July 2017, Weatherbee is alleged to have knowingly coerced a minor female to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct. These visual depictions were transmitted online.

On April 16, 2021, investigators arrested Weatherbee while executing a search warrant on his North Bend residence.

Weatherbee made his initial appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. He was arraigned, pleaded not guilty, and ordered detained pending a jury trial scheduled to begin on June 22, 2021.

This case is being investigated by the FBI with assistance from the North Bend Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Jeffrey S. Sweet, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Anyone who has information about possible crimes committed by Weatherbee, or the physical or online exploitation of any children, are encouraged to call the FBI at (503) 224-4181 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

If a child discloses an incident that did happen to him or her, or that they observed happen to someone else, the parent should not ask the child detailed questions about the incident. Instead, please contact your local law enforcement agency or the FBI immediately.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

# # #

PORTLAND, Ore.—Two known Hoover Criminal Gang members have been arrested in Portland after being charged with illegal firearm possession, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug.

On April 6, 2021, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a two-count indictment charging Samuel Deoshay Marquise Mason, Jr., 24, and Cocoa Dalonta Taplin, 26, both residents of Portland, with illegally possessing firearms after previous criminal convictions.

According to court documents and testimony, law enforcement obtained several images of Mason posing with numerous firearms, leading investigators to obtain and execute a search warrant on his residence. Investigators located an assault rifle and 9mm pistol with an obliterated serial number. Both firearms were fully loaded with rounds in the chamber. A subsequent search of Mason’s mobile phone revealed photos of Taplin holding and posing with two firearms three days prior to the search. Mason confessed to possessing the seized firearms. He also admitted to being shot at the week prior and firing one round in return from a third unknown gun.

Mason and Taplin made their initial appearances in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. They were arraigned and pleaded not guilty.

This case was investigated by the Portland Police Bureau, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Gresham Police Department, and FBI. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

# # #

Firearms connected to defendant and accomplice linked to 17 Portland-area shootings

PORTLAND, Ore.—Aumontae Wayne Smith, 27, a known Hoover Criminal Gang member and resident of Portland, is facing federal drug and gun charges for his role in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug.

On April 6, 2021, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Smith with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents and testimony, Smith and an unnamed accomplice conspired with one another to distribute fentanyl disguised as oxycodone pills in and around Portland. Smith advertised selling the fake oxycodone pills and guns via Snapchat posts that were observed by law enforcement. Investigators seized six firearms from Smith and his accomplice and, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Further investigation revealed Smith purchased 16 firearms since 2019 that linked to 17 different shootings in the Portland area between April and December 2020.

Smith voluntarily surrendered to law enforcement today and made his initial appearance in federal court before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. He was arraigned and pleaded not guilty. A three-day jury trial is scheduled to begin on June 15, 2021.

This case was investigated by the Portland Police Bureau, FBI, and ATF. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

# # #

EUGENE, Ore.—Susan Tranberg, 62, of Eugene, Oregon, was sentenced to federal prison today for defrauding her former employer, the Weyerhaeuser Company, out of more than $4.5 million, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug.

Tranberg was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, beginning as early as June 2004 and continuing to January 2019, Tranberg defrauded Weyerhaeuser out of more than $4.5 million by submitting fraudulent invoices for payment to a fake vendor she created. Tranberg had worked for Weyerhaeuser in Springfield, Oregon in various positions for more than 40 years. A financial analysis determined that the vast majority of the money was used to fund a lavish lifestyle of expensive dinners, vacations, six-figure wedding expenses, and shopping sprees.

At some point in or before June 2004, Tranberg created a fake timber contract between the company and a vendor she named after her mother, who was unaware of the scheme. Over the next 10 years, Tranberg would use her positions in the company’s accounting and finance departments to request cashier’s checks, which she then cashed into her own bank account. During this time period, Tranberg requested and received more than $2.6 million.

In June 2014, Weyerhaeuser transitioned to a new payment processing system. To continue her scheme, Tranberg set up a fake vendor account in the new system and attached a letter purportedly from her mother describing the documentation provided to set up the account. This documentation included a Form SSA-1099 Social Security Statement and a forged Form W-9 Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification. At the time Tranberg sent the letter and documentation, Tranberg’s mother had been deceased for five years.

After setting up the fake vendor account, Tranberg continued her scheme by forging colleagues’ signatures on check requests and using her colleagues’ computer login credentials without authorization to create requests and approve fraudulent payments. All requested cashier’s checks were sent via private or commercial interstate carrier directly to Tranberg. During these final five years, ending in January 2019, Tranberg requested and received nearly $1.9 million.

On January 29, 2020, Tranberg was charged by superseding criminal information with mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, and tax evasion. On January 30, 2020, she waived indictment and pleaded guilty to all three charges.

During sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. McShane also ordered Tranberg to pay more than $5.3 million in restitution, to include $775,984 to Weyerhaeuser, $3,805,223 to the Crime Victims Fund, and $807,033 to the IRS.

This case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and FBI, and prosecuted by Gavin W. Bruce, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

# # #

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Washington County, Oregon man pleaded guilty today for using stolen bank checks and debit cards to defraud local residents and illegally possessing distribution quantities of methamphetamine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug.

William Anthony McCormack, Jr., 39, pleaded guilty to a superseding criminal information charging him with one count each of bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, between June and September 2020, McCormack devised a scheme whereby he would steal bank checks and debit cards from community mailboxes, primarily in Washington County, and use them to make unauthorized withdrawals from victims’ bank accounts. On at least five separate occasions, McCormack deposited stolen checks into victims’ Rivermark Community Credit Union accounts and immediately made unauthorized withdrawals from the same accounts.

On September 29, 2020, during a traffic stop for speeding and driving with a suspended license, a Tualatin Police officer arrested McCormack pursuant to a federal arrest warrant. At the time of his arrest, McCormack possessed 30 small plastic baggies containing at least 5 grams of methamphetamine and two 9mm handguns in the glove compartment of his vehicle. Officers also found several driver’s licenses, U.S. passports, and pieces of mail that did not belong to him in McCormack’s trunk and hotel room.

McCormack faces a maximum sentence of 72 years in prison, a $6.25 million fine, and five years’ supervised release. He is subject to a mandatory minimum prison sentence of seven years. McCormack will be sentenced on July 27, 2021 before U.S. District Court Judge Anna J. Brown.

As part of his plea agreement, McCormack has agreed to pay restitution in full to his victims as ordered to the court.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. It is being prosecuted by Meredith Bateman and Scott Bradford, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

If you or someone you know are the victim of or witness a mail-related crime, please contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by visiting www.uspis.gov/report.

# # #

The Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) is pleased to announce the graduation of its 406th Basic Police Class.

The Basic Police Class is 16-weeks in length and includes dozens of training areas including survival skills, firearms, emergency vehicle operations, ethics, cultural diversity, problem solving, community policing, elder abuse, drug recognition, and dozens of other subjects.

Basic Police Class 406 will graduate during a private ceremony at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem, Oregon on Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 1:30 p.m.

Due to the COVID 19 pandemic and the need for social distancing the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training regrets that this ceremony will be closed to the public. However, we would like to publicly congratulate Basic Police #BP406 on their successful completion of basic training

Graduating members of BP 406:

Police Officer Jeremy Baker

Umatilla Tribal Police Department

Deputy Sheriff Jorddon Braaten

Josephine County Sheriff's Office

Deputy Sheriff Izach Brown

Hood River County Sheriff's Office

Deputy Sheriff Lance Brown

Lake County Sheriff's Office

Police Officer Melissa Cortez

Salem Police Department

Police Officer Stephen Craig

Warm Springs Police Department

Deputy Sheriff Abigail Curtis

Crook County Sheriff's Office

Deputy Sheriff Justin Darnell

Lane County Sheriff's Office

Deputy Sheriff Michael Dolan

Washington County Sheriff's Office

Deputy Sheriff Jack Douglas

Washington County Sheriff's Office

Police Officer Scott Fromherz

Corvallis Police Department

Police Officer Jacob Harmon

Brookings Police Department

Deputy Sheriff Lex Harrold

Lane County Sheriff's Office

Deputy Sheriff Kendall Hazel

Washington County Sheriff's Office

Police Officer James Iverson

Salem Police Department

Police Officer Lucas Koester

Albany Police Department

Police Officer Robert Lowrance

Stanfield Police Department

Police Officer Ustin Luna

Salem Police Department

Deputy Sheriff Michael Muro

Multnomah County Sheriff's Office

Deputy Sheriff Ross Neill

Washington County Sheriff's Office

Police Officer Jose Orozco

Tigard Police Department

Police Officer Jordan Parado

Springfield Police Department

Police Officer Chino Pumpelly

Tigard Police Department

Deputy Sheriff Magali Quintero

Clackamas County Sheriff's Office

Police Officer Cort Read

Salem Police Department

Deputy Sheriff Nicholas Reinecker

Washington County Sheriff's Office

Police Officer Brett Shields

Salem Police Department

Deputy Sheriff David Sloboda

Washington County Sheriff's Office

Deputy Sheriff William Strubel

Lane County Sheriff's Office

Deputy Sheriff Anthony Tillman

Washington County Sheriff's Office

Deputy Sheriff Benjamin Tinnell

Hood River County Sheriff's Office

Deputy Sheriff Tyler Watkins

Lincoln County Sheriff's Office

Police Officer Brian Weber

Astoria Police Department

Police Officer Matthew Zoll

Springfield Police Department

## Background Information on the DPSST ##

The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) operates the Oregon Public Safety Academy which spans more than 235 acres in Salem. The Academy is nationally recognized for its innovative training programs and active stakeholder involvement.  Jerry Granderson serves as the Director, and Darren Bucich, Chief of McKenzie Fire & Rescue, serves as the Chair of the Board. The department implements minimum standards established by the Board for the training and certification of more than 40,000 city, tribal, county and state law enforcement officers, corrections officers, parole and probation officers, fire service personnel, telecommunicators, emergency medical dispatchers and private security providers.

DPSST provides training to more than 25,000 students each year throughout Oregon and at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem: certifies qualified officers at various levels from basic through executive; certifies qualified instructors; and reviews and accredits training programs throughout the state based on standards established by the Board.

For Immediate Release                                                         

April 19, 2021

Contact:          Theresa Janda
                        (503) 373-1553

NOTICE OF REGULAR MEETING

The Board on Public Safety Standards and Training will hold a regular meeting at 9:00 a.m. on April 22, 2021.  The meeting will be held in the Boardroom at the Oregon Public Safety Academy located at 4190 Aumsville Hwy SE, Salem, Oregon.  The meeting location is closed to the public, due to the current pandemic, however, this meeting will be live-streamed on the DPSST Facebook page – see below. 

Administrative Announcement

This is a public meeting, subject to the public meeting law and it will be recorded. Deliberation of issues will only be conducted by Board members unless permitted by the Chair. Individuals who engage in disruptive behavior that impedes official business will be asked to stop being disruptive or leave the meeting. Additional measures may be taken to have disruptive individuals removed if their continued presence poses a safety risk to the other persons in the room or makes it impossible to continue the meeting.

The meeting will be live-streamed on the DPSST Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/DPSSTOregon/

Agenda items:

1.   Introductions

Welcome new Board members, Jeff Auxier, Carol Dishion, Terry Rowan, and Chris Skinner.

2.  Minutes

Approve minutes from the January 28, 2021 Meeting

3.  Fire Policy Committee

     a.  Fire Policy Committee Update – Jim Oeder, Chair

     b.  Consent Agenda (The following items to be ratified by one vote)

         A.Proposed Rule change – OAR 259-009-0005, OAR 259-009-0062 and OAR 259- 009-0065 – Approve

             NFPA Fire Officer – Adopt 2020 Edition of NFPA 1021

            Unanimous vote to recommend to the Board by the FPC on February 24, 2021

        B.  Proposed Rule change – OAR 259-009-0005 and OAR 259-009-0062 – Approve

            NFPA Marine Based Fire Fighter for Land-Based Fire Fighters – Adopt 2020 Edition of NFPA 1021

           Unanimous vote to recommend to the Board by the FPC on February 24, 2021

        C. Nathan Smith DPSST#12671 (West Side RFPD) – Revoke

          Unanimous vote to recommend to the Board by the FPC on February 24, 2021.

4.  Criminal Justice Policy Committees

    a. Police Policy Committee Update – John Teague, Chair

    b. Telecommunications Policy Committee Update – Linsay Hale, Staff

    c. Corrections Policy Committee Update – Nadine Purington, Chair

    d. Consent Agenda (The following items to be ratified by one vote)

         A. Proposed Rule change – OAR 259-008-0085

          Updating Current Versions for Two Field Training Manuals.

          Unanimous vote to recommend to the Board by the CPC on February 9, 2021.

         B. Proposed Rule change – OAR 259-008-0100 and OAR 259-080-0005

         Oregon Fallen Law Enforcement Memorial Eligibility Criteria

         Unanimous vote to recommend to the Board by the CPC on February 9, 2021, Unanimous vote to recommend to the Board by the PPC on February 18, 2021.

         C. Proposed Rule change – OAR 259-008-0290, OAR 2599-008-0300 and 259-008-0310

         Moral Fitness Standards Relating to Discrimination

         Unanimous vote to recommend to the Board by the CPC on February 9, 2021, Unanimous vote to recommend to the Board by the PPC with revisions on February 18, 2021, Unanimous vote to recommend to the Board by the TPC on February 3, 2021.

         D. Seth Collins DPSST#50235 (Cannon Beach Police Department) – Revoke

         Unanimous vote to recommend to the Board by the PPC on February 18, 2021.

         E. Ryan Dews DPSST#46380 (Columbia County Sheriff’s Office) – Revoke

         Unanimous vote to recommend to the Board by the PPC on February 18, 2021.

         F. Christopher Hanson DPSST#30677 (Rogue River Police Department) - Revoke

         Unanimous vote to recommend to the Board by the PPC on February 18, 2021.

         G. Brian Lister DPSST#36594 (Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office) - Revoke

         10/2 vote to recommend to the Board by the PPC on February 18, 2021.

         H. Robert Obenauf DPSST#32107 (Washington County Sheriff’s Office) – No Action

         7/5 vote to recommend to the Board by the PPC on February 18, 2021.

         I. Christian Powell DPSST#33913 (McMinnville Police Department) – Revoke

         Unanimous vote to recommend to the Board by the PPC on February 18, 2021.

         J. Douglas Treat DPSST#29837 (Lake Oswego Police Department) – No Action

         Unanimous vote to recommend to the Board by the PPC on February 18, 2021.

         K. Jimmy Yeager DPSST#13084 – No Action

         Unanimous vote to recommend to the Board by the PPC on February 18, 2021.

         L. Brian Davis DPSST#25612 – Revoke

         Unanimous vote with one recusal to recommend to the Board by the CPC on February 9, 202

         M. David Duwelius DPSST#46066 (Department of Corrections/Two Rivers Correctional Institution) – Revoke

         Unanimous vote to recommend to the Board by the CPC on February 9, 20210.

         N. Desteni Felton DPSST#45595 (Baker County Sheriff’s Office) - Revoke

         10/4  vote to recommend to the Board by the CPC on February 9, 20210.

         O. Spencer Higgins DPSST#48698 (Jackson County Sheriff’s Office) – Revoke

         Unanimous vote to recommend to the Board by the CPC on February 9, 2021.

         P. Chris Keyser DPSST#35121 (Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office) - Revoke

         Unanimous vote with one recusal to recommend to the Board by the CPC on February 9, 2021.

         Q. James Mahoney DPSST#43650 (Department of Corrections/Powder River Correctional Facility) - Revoke

         Unanimous vote with one recusal to recommend to the Board by the CPC on February 9, 2021.

         R. Amyr Motlagh DPSST#58470 (Lane County Sheriff’s Office) – Revoke

         12/1 vote with one recusal to recommend to the Board by the CPC on February 9, 2021.

         S. Loren Peters DPSST#55373 (Department of Corrections/Deer Ridge Correctional Facility) – Revoke

         13/1 vote to recommend to the Board by the CPC on February 9, 2021.

         T. Committee Appointments

         Corrections Policy Committee Appointments

•      Kevin Marhsall – Reappointment to the CPC; 2nd term effective 4/22/21

     e. Parole &Probation Field Training Manual (FTM)

     presented by Chris Enquist

     f. Proposed Rule Change OAR 259-008-0080

     Grounds to Deny or Revoke Instructor Certification – Jennifer Howald

5.  Private Security/Investigator Policy Committee

     a. Private Security Investigator Policy Committee Update – Thomas Thomas, Chair.

     b. Consent Agenda (The following items to be ratified by one vote)

         A. Committee Appointments

         Private Security Investigator Policy Committee

•         Helena Snyder – Appointment to the PSIPC, 1st term effective 4/22/21 – replaces Myron Sanders representing the Oregon State Bar.

6.  Director's Quarterly Reports

7.  Next Meeting Date:  July 22, 2021

For Immediate Release                                        

Mona Riesterer

Contact:    mona.riesterer@state.or.us
                 (503) 378-2431

Notice of Regular Meeting

The Public Safety Memorial Fund Board will hold a WebEx meeting on April 22, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. at the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training located at 4190 Aumsville Hwy SE Salem, Oregon. For further information, please contact Linsay Hale at (503) 378-2427 or via email at linsay.hale@state.or.us

Teleconference Information:

Dial-In: 888-273-3658

Participant Code: 4711910

 ?1. January 28, 2021 Meeting Minutes

Approve minutes

2. Stanley Burdic (DPSST #08185) – Douglas County Sheriff’s Office; Preliminary Application for PSMF Benefits

Presented by Linsay Hale

3.  Next meeting – TBD

Administrative Announcement

This is a public meeting, subject to the public meeting law and it will be recorded. Deliberation of issues will only be conducted by Public Safety Memorial Fund Board members unless permitted by the Chair. Individuals who engage in disruptive behavior that impedes official business will be asked to stop being disruptive or leave the meeting. Additional measures may be taken to have disruptive individuals removed if their continued presence poses a safety risk to the other persons in the room or makes it impossible to continue the meeting.

For Immediate Release                                        

April 15, 2021

Contact:  Mona Riesterer

               503-378-2431

Notice of Meeting Postponed

The Private Security/Investigator Policy Committee meeting scheduled for May 18, 2021 has been postponed until further notice.

(Salem) – Oregon OSHA has fined Lowe’s Home Improvement stores in Redmond and Albany more than $35,000 for violating standards designed to protect workers from the coronavirus disease. Both sites potentially exposed employees to the disease by willfully failing to ensure that all customers inside the retail stores wore a mask, face covering, or face shield to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The citations, totaling $35,600 in fines, resulted from inspections of the Southwest Canal Boulevard and Ninth Avenue Southeast locations in Redmond and Albany, respectively. The inspections were initiated in response to multiple complaints.

Through employer and employee interviews, and an examination of records, the inspections determined supervisors at the stores were fully aware of the requirement to ensure customer use of facial coverings and yet intentionally decided against carrying out their responsibilities.

The stores’ purposeful infractions illustrate failures to account for reasonable and established measures to help prevent the potential spread of COVID-19 through customer-to-employee transmission.

“It is not enough to leave the protection of employees in the hands of cooperative customers,” said Michael Wood, administrator for Oregon OSHA. “As most employers recognize, they must take appropriate steps to ensure that the rules in place are actually followed. When an employer is not prepared to take such steps, we can and will use our enforcement tools to address the issue.”

Altogether, the inspections documented three violations of workplace health and safety standards at the Lowe’s in Redmond and one at the store in Albany. The citations and penalties – all issued under Oregon OSHA’s temporary rule addressing COVID-19 risks in the workplace – were as follows:

• Both stores chose to disregard Oregon Health Authority requirements to ensure customers (older than age 5) who are inside the establishments wore a source control device, such as a mask, face covering, or face shield. Oregon OSHA issued willful citations, each carrying a $17,500 penalty.
• The Redmond store was also cited for two serious violations. The employer did not develop and implement a complete risk assessment to identify potential employee exposure to the virus. The employer also failed to develop and implement an infection control plan. A penalty of $300 was imposed for each violation.

In addition to its enforcement activities, Oregon OSHA offers employers and workers a variety of consultation, information, and education resources addressing COVID-19. Those resources include an advisory memo, including best practices, for employer enforcement of facial-covering requirements. It is available in English and Spanish.

Employers have 30 days to appeal citations.

###

Oregon OSHA, a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, enforces the state’s workplace safety and health rules and works to improve workplace safety and health for all Oregon workers. For more information, visit osha.oregon.gov.

The Department of Consumer and Business Services is Oregon’s largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. For more information, go to www.dcbs.oregon.gov.

An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody, Nikolaus Sean Heifner, died on the evening of April 14, 2021. Heifner was incarcerated at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility (CCCF) and passed away at a local hospital. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified, and the Medical Examiner will determine cause of death.

Heifner entered DOC custody on April 1, 2021, from Multonmah County with an earliest release date of March 3, 2024. Heifner was 29 years old. Next of kin has been notified. No other details are available at this time.

DOC takes all in-custody deaths seriously. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 12,600 individuals who are incarcerated in 14 institutions across the state. While crime information is public record, DOC elects to disclose only upon request out of respect for any family or victims.

CCCF is a multi-custody prison located in Wilsonville accommodating 1,260 adults in custody. The prison has cell and dormitory housing, work programs, skills training, treatment programs, health services, religious services, physical plant, a central records unit, and administrative areas. CCCF participates in prison industries with Oregon Corrections Enterprises, including a contact center, auto CAD, and document scanning. In addition, CCCF houses the state’s intake center, which provides intake and evaluation of all individuals committed to state custody by the courts. The intake center houses approximately 400 adults in custody. CCCF’s minimum facility opened in 2001, and the medium facility opened in 2002.

####

An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody who walked away from a South Fork Forest Camp (SFFC) work crew is back in custody. Jedaiah Lunn walked away from a work crew near Gales Creek Campground at approximately 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 14, 2021.

Oregon State Police and Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office arrested Lunn on Sauvie Island at approximately 10:37 p.m., Wednesday, April 14, 2021.

####

An adult in custody walked away Wednesday, April 14, 2021, from South Fork Forest Camp (SFFC) in Tillamook. Jedaiah Lunn walked away from a work crew near Gales Creek Campground at approximately 2:30 p.m.

Around the same time in the same area, a carjacking occurred. Two victims were assaulted and their blue 2015 Subaru Legacy four-door sedan with license plate 799HSW was stolen. 

Lunn, 35, is a white male, 6 ft. 4 in., weighing 260 lbs. with blue eyes and brown hair. He was last seen wearing blue jeans with the word "inmate" stenciled on the knee in orange, a blue T-shirt, sweatshirt, and coat similarly stenciled.

Lunn entered DOC custody on August 24, 2020, on one count of robbery in the second degree out of Multnomah County. His earliest release date was October 15, 2023.

The Oregon Department of Corrections Fugitive Apprehension Unit and the Oregon State Police are investigating. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts should contact the Oregon State Police at 1-800-452-7888, the non-emergency number of their local police department, or the Oregon Department of Corrections Fugitive Apprehension Unit at 503-569-0734. The public is asked to call 911 if they see Lunn or the vehicle mentioned above. Do not approach the vehicle or the individual.

SFFC is minimum-security work camp that houses approximately 200 adults in custody who are within four years of release. Part of SFFC's mission is to supply a ready work force to combat forest or wild fires throughout the state. Crews provide critical support for statewide fire operations, recreation, and reforestation; as well as provide support for special projects such as sign making, metal fabrication, and tool or equipment repair. SFFC was established in 1951 and is a satellite facility to CRCI and managed jointly with the Oregon Department of Forestry. It is located approximately 28 miles east of Tillamook, just off of Highway 6 along the Wilson River in the Tillamook Forest.

####

SALEM, Ore. — As part of Oregon Arbor Month – the celebration of trees and their benefits extended to a full month for the first time this year by Gov. Kate Brown – the Oregon Department of Forestry has created an online guide to all 69 Tree City USA communities in the state.

The storymap can be viewed here.

Kristin Ramstad, manager of the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Program, said the map is a way for any Oregonian to see how Tree City USA communities have strengthened their urban forestry programs.

“Each city was asked, ‘What does earning Tree City USA recognition mean to your city?’,” said Ramstad. “With this information, my colleague Katie Lompa worked with Michael Lathrop, ODF’s ArcGIS expert, to create an inspiring and engaging story, combining images, text, and an interactive Oregon map showing the location of each Tree City USA in the state.

Ramstad said the answers reveal wide recognition from small towns to large cities of the many ways in which trees enrich lives of urban Oregonians. “We hear from many of these communities how their urban forests serve as vital green infrastructure for everything from flood control and buffering of air and noise pollution to moderating urban heat. The Tree City USA program provides a framework for cities to focus their urban forestry efforts.”

The storymap also lists the number of Heritage or Peace trees the city has, with a link to that information, added Ramstad.

Besides giving the number of years a community has been recognized as a Tree City USA community, Ramstad said the storymap also indicates other recognitions from the Arbor Day Foundation. ODF administers the program in Oregon on behalf of the Foundation.                                

                                                                        # # #

The Oregon Board of Forestry’s new chairperson will welcome three new members at the April 21, 2021, board meeting.

Governor Kate Brown recently named Jim Kelly as the chair of the Oregon Board of Forestry. He replaces Tom Imeson, who served as the chair for more than eight years.

“With climate change and increasing wildfire, and the other critical forestry-related concerns Oregon is facing, the Board of Forestry’s work is more important than ever,” Kelly said. “My goal as the chair is to ensure the board is fulfilling its obligation to the people of Oregon, and that we provide the State Forester with both the direction and support needed for the Department of Forestry to be successful.”

“In my role as the board secretary, I work closely with the board, especially the chair,” explained State Forester Peter Daugherty. “I am looking forward to supporting Jim, and the board as a whole, as they build their team and work through the many complex forest policy issues that come before the board.”

Additionally, the board’s April 21, 2021, meeting will be the first for the new board members. Karla Chambers, Ben Deumling, and Chandra Ferrari will join Chair Kelly, Joe Justice, and Brenda McComb, nearly completing the Board of Forestry’s roster. There is one position still vacant.

The public is invited to watch the meeting online starting at 9 a.m. Board materials and a link to the livestream are available at https://www.oregon.gov/odf/board/pages/bofmeetings.aspx.

                                                                                        ###

Biographies

(Photographs are available at https://www.oregon.gov/odf/board/pages/aboutbof.aspx)

Jim Kelly, of Kimberly, joined the board in September 2018. He owns and manages a grass-fed beef ranch in rural Grant County. Previously he founded Rejuvenation Inc., a hardware and lighting company. He co-founded the Oregon Business Association and served on its board for 17 years. Kelly also co-founded the North Star Civic Foundation, a small Oregon non-profit involved with public policy issues. He has also served on the boards of 1000 Friends of Oregon, the Portland Housing Authority, and Business for Social Responsibility.

Karla Chambers, of Corvallis, has spent her career in food and agriculture, and her farming operation was the first in the U.S. to be third-party certified sustainable. She has served on the Oregon Board of Agriculture, the Portland Branch and Head Office of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Board, the Ford Family Foundation, and the Governor’s Council on Wildfire Response. She currently serves on the Hampton Resources Board. Chambers earned degrees in agriculture and resource economics and finance from Oregon State University.

Ben Deumling, of Rickreall, manages the family-owned Zena Forest, a 1,300-acre tract of forest in the heart of the Willamette Valley and has been actively engaged in forest policy matters for many years. He also runs Zena Forest Products, which is an onsite sawmill and millwork shop that processes hardwood logs into high-quality lumber and flooring. Deumling earned his bachelor's degree in natural resource policy in the western U.S. from Whitman College.

Chandra Ferrari, of Salem, is a senior policy advisor and attorney for Trout Unlimited (TU), where she specializes in the implementation and development of legal and policy reforms to protect and restore water quality and fish and wildlife habitat throughout Oregon. Previously, she was TU’s California Water Policy Director where she worked with diverse coalitions to enhance instream flows, promote multi-benefit projects and preserve recreational opportunities. She also worked as an attorney for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, specializing in endangered species listing and permitting matters. Ferrari earned her bachelor’s degree in animal science and management from the University of California - Davis and her law degree from the University of Pacific School of Law.

PRINEVILLE, Ore. – The Oregon Department of Forestry is putting to work in central Oregon some of the $5 million it was granted in January by the Oregon Legislative Emergency Board (E-Board) for reducing wildfire risk. Of 37 total projects statewide, the agency has seven in Deschutes, Jefferson, and Grant counties totaling $442,000. The projects rely on partnerships to improve community resilience to wildfire and restore and maintain healthy, resilient forests. Three of the projects are in conjunction with national forests – Deschutes, Malheur, and Ochoco.

"The funds from the Emergency Board provide the state with an incredible opportunity to bring together public and private groups to complete some critical fuels mitigation work in advance of the 2021 fire season," said Oregon State Forester Peter Daugherty. "This is shared stewardship in action. When we work together we can treat more acres across ownership boundaries and have a greater impact on fire resiliency in communities and forests throughout the state."  

Partners in the department’s efforts include forest collaboratives, watershed councils, the Northwest Youth Corps, OSU, private landowners, counties, federal agencies, and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde.  

After receiving the funds in January, ODF put out a call for proposals and received 93 applications totaling over $20 million. The 37 projects were chosen from among those applications.

Some 35 projects involve direct treatments on the land. ODF and its partners will employ various fuel treatment methods ranging from ODF fuel crews, landowner cost shares and rebates and/or contracted equipment services.

ODF expects that the projects collectively will result in:

• Over 7,000 acres being treated for fuel reduction, including use of prescribed fire
• 1,400 hours of volunteer work
• 750 trees felled during fuel reduction projects repurposed as logs for in-stream habitat restoration
• 500 hours of young adult training
• 20 miles of right-of-way fuel mitigation treatments
• 10 miles of hiking trails repaired after being damaged by Labor Day wildfires
• 1 post-fire effects study

In addition to funding fuel-treatment projects, ODF is directing investments to increase its organizational capacity, including equipment and full-time staff.

ODF Partnership and Planning Program Manager Jeff Burns said the funding will also allow ODF to increase its organizational capacity through equipment and adding a few full-time staff. “We’re hiring six field-based positions to address local capacity needs and two Salem administrative positions, which will support field operations. This is important given the increasing complexity of cross-boundary programs with multiple partners and funding sources.”

Burns said the field positions allow ODF to keep seasonal firefighters engaged outside of peak fire months. “That’s already paid off in central Oregon because we had trained firefighting staff doing fuels treatment work when a large wildfire was reported in late March. They were able to join the response, adding to our initial attack capability even as they reduce potential fire intensity with their fuels treatment.”

Burns added that ODF leverages significantly more federal funds than it receives in state general funds. Modest and consistent investment in forest restoration has resulted in considerable federal funding entering the state through grant programs, Good Neighbor Authority agreements and conservation partnerships.

                                                                        # # #

LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Oregon Department of Forestry is putting to work in northeast Oregon some of the $5 million it was granted in January by the Oregon Legislative Emergency Board (E-Board) for reducing wildfire risk. Of 37 total projects statewide, the agency has one in Wallowa County, one in Wheeler County, and one in multiple counties including the previous two and Umatilla, Union and Grant.  Total funding for the three projects is $427,000. The projects rely on partnerships to improve community resilience to wildfire and restore and maintain healthy, resilient forests.

The project in Wheeler County is on the Umatilla National Forest and is a continuation of a habitat improvement and wildfire reduction that involves the USDA Forest Service, Sustainable Northwest, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, with Sustainable Northwest as the partner project lead.

Another project with the USDA Forest Service is on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. A third project is with My Blue Mountains Woodland Partnership, the federal Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the USDA Forest Service.

“The funds from the Emergency Board provide the state with an incredible opportunity to bring together public and private groups to complete some critical fuels mitigation work in advance of the 2021 fire season,” said Oregon State Forester Peter Daugherty. “This is shared stewardship in action. When we work together, we can treat more acres across ownership boundaries and have a greater impact on fire resiliency in communities and forests throughout the state.”

Partners in the department’s efforts include forest collaboratives, watershed councils, the Northwest Youth Corps, OSU, private landowners, counties, federal agencies, and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde.  

After receiving the funds in January, ODF put out a call for proposals and received 93 applications totaling over $20 million. The 37 projects were chosen from among those applications.

Some 35 projects involve direct treatments on the land. ODF and its partners will employ various fuel treatment methods ranging from ODF fuel crews, landowner cost shares and rebates and/or contracted equipment services.

ODF expects that the projects collectively will result in:

• Over 7,000 acres being treated for fuel reduction, including use of prescribed fire
• 1,400 hours of volunteer work
• 750 trees felled during fuel reduction projects repurposed as logs for in-stream habitat restoration
• 500 hours of young adult training
• 20 miles of right-of-way fuel mitigation treatments
• 10 miles of hiking trails repaired after being damaged by Labor Day wildfires
• 1 post-fire effects study

In addition to funding fuel-treatment projects, ODF is directing investments to increase its organizational capacity, including equipment and full-time staff.

ODF Partnership and Planning Program Manager Jeff Burns said the funding will also allow ODF to increase its organizational capacity through equipment and adding a few full-time staff. “We’re hiring six field-based positions to address local capacity needs and two Salem administrative positions, which will support field operations. This is important given the increasing complexity of cross-boundary programs with multiple partners and funding sources.”

Burns said the field positions allow ODF to keep seasonal firefighters engaged outside of peak fire months. “That’s already paid off in eastern Oregon because we had trained firefighting staff doing fuels treatment work when a large wildfire was reported in late March. They were able to join the response, adding to our initial attack capability even as they reduce potential fire intensity with their fuels treatment.”

Burns added that ODF leverages significantly more federal funds than it receives in state general funds. Modest and consistent investment in forest restoration has resulted in considerable federal funding entering the state through grant programs, Good Neighbor Authority agreements and conservation partnerships.

                                                                        # # #

WHO:              David Gerstenfeld, Acting Director, Oregon Employment Department

WHEN:            Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 1 p.m. PT

WHAT:            Oregon Employment Department Acting Director David Gerstenfeld will hold a video conference media briefing to share updates on economic and workforce-related trends, unemployment claims processing, claimant resources and more on April 21 at 1 p.m. PT.

WHERE:         Via Zoom video conference: Members of the media must RSVP for call information by emailing OED_Communications@oregon.gov by 12 p.m. PT on April 21. Video conference information will be provided to all reporters who RSVP.

OTHER:          The Oregon Employment Department is updating a claims processing progress data dashboard daily. Visit this link for weekday updates. A recording of the video conference will be emailed to reporters attending the briefing after the briefing concludes.

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Equal Opportunity program — auxiliary aids and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Contact: (503) 947-1794. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, call 711 Telecommunications Relay Services.

April 20, 2021

Contact:OHA External Relations, phd.communications@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board – Research Subcommittee meets April 29

What: A public meeting of the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board, Research Subcommittee.

Agenda: TBD

When: Thursday, April 29, 1-2 p.m. No public comment period available.

Where: Via Zoom Meeting: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/16018821728

Meeting ID: 160 1882 1728

Background: Established by Ballot Measure 109 (2020), the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board makes recommendations to OHA on available scientific studies and research on the safety and efficacy of psilocybin in treating mental health conditions, and makes recommendations on the requirements, specifications and guidelines for providing psilocybin services in Oregon.

The Board will also develop a long-term strategic plan for ensuring that psilocybin services will become and remain a safe, accessible and affordable therapeutic option for all persons 21 years of age and older in this state for whom psilocybin may be appropriate; and monitor and study federal laws, regulations and policies regarding psilocybin.

# # #

Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:

• Sign language and spoken language interpreters.
• Written materials in other languages.
• Large print.
• Audio and other formats.

If you need help or have questions, please contact Nic Riley at 971-673-0404, 711 TTY, or iley@dhsoha.state.gov">nic.riley@dhsoha.state.gov, at least 48 hours before the meeting.

You are subscribed to Oregon Health Authority News Releases. View all OHA news releases.

April 20, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 580 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 1 new death

PORTLAND, Ore. — There is one new COVID-19 related death in Oregon, and the state’s death toll remains at 2,460 because of a data correction from a previously reported death, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 580 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 176,157.

Updates to indoor sports metrics, effective April 23

Recognizing the importance of athletics for the physical and mental health of Oregon’s youth athletes and at the direction of the Governor’s Office, OHA has updated Oregon’s metrics for allowing the resumption of indoor full-contact sports. Sports organizations are required to follow health and safety measures for indoor full-contact sports to lessen the risk of COVID-19 infection. Additional guidance for indoor full-contact sports from OHA is forthcoming.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 26,051 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 17,762 doses were administered on April 19 and 8,289 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on April 19.

The seven-day running average is now 34,935 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered a total of 1,349,485 doses of Pfizer, 1,135,323 doses of Moderna and 88,696 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, 1,044,211 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. There are 1,615,363 who have had at least one dose.

Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize because providers have 72 hours to report doses administered and technical challenges have caused many providers to lag in their reporting. OHA has been providing technical support to vaccination sites to improve the timeliness of their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).

To date, 1,645,605 doses of Pfizer, 1,360,500 doses of Moderna and 215,500 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 255, which is 12 more than yesterday. There are 58 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is one more than yesterday.

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Cases and deaths

Note: Reported case counts and electronic laboratory report (ELR) totals are lower than expected today due to unexpected downtime of Opera, Oregon’s COVID-19 case database, which occurred during business hours yesterday. This downtime paused the processing of ELRs received yesterday, and OHA expects that all delayed ELRs will be processed today. OHA anticipates case counts and ELR totals to be higher than expected tomorrow due to this delay.

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Benton (20), Clackamas (47), Clatsop (1), Columbia (3), Coos (6), Crook (11), Curry (4), Deschutes (42), Douglas (8), Gilliam (1), Grant (8), Harney (7),  Hood River (3), Jackson (47), Jefferson (1), Josephine (12), Klamath (47), Lake (1), Lane (67), Linn (13), Malheur (2), Marion (21), Morrow (2), Multnomah (86), Polk (7), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (15), Union (2), Wallow (1), Wasco (3), Washington (81), Wheeler (1) and Yamhill (9).

Note: On April 7, OHA reported in error Oregon’s 2,434th COVID-19 death as a 48-year-old man from Union County who tested positive on Nov 11. The man is not dead, and the number of COVID-19 deaths in Oregon has been adjusted to accommodate this error.

Oregon’s 2,460th death is an 82-year-old man from Sherman County who tested positive on Jan. 11 and died on Jan. 27 at Yuma Regional Medical Center in Yuma, Arizona. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon updates vaccine waste disclosure1,2,3

1Updated: 04/20/21 

2Data source: ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS) 

3Data is preliminary and subject to change.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations? 

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage (English?or?Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information

April 20, 2021

Contact:

Philip Schmidt, 503-383-6079, philip.schmidt@dhsoha.state.or.us (media inquiries)

Tara Chetock, 971-304-9917, a.a.chetock@dhsoha.state.or.us">tara.a.chetock@dhsoha.state.or.us (webinar information or accommodation)

Oregon Health Policy Board meets for an educational webinar April 27 via Zoom

What: A public meeting of the Oregon Health Policy Board.

When: April 20, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

Where: Virtual meeting only. The public can join remotely via Zoom or a conference line.

To join via Zoom: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1619133290?pwd=NlRGdG5oamxBcStRS1VxVUFaWkkyZz09   

One tap mobile: +16692545252,,1619133290#,,,,377821#

Purpose: This educational webinar will update the Oregon Health Policy Board and members of the public about a collaborative effort to develop and implement measures of the health sector's role in kindergarten readiness to drive transformative and cross-sector collective action to support children's health and kindergarten readiness. The webinar will provide details about a new Social-Emotional Health metric developed by the Oregon Pediatric Improvement Partnership and Children's Institute in partnership with the Oregon Health Authority, being proposed for inclusion in the 2022 CCO Incentive Measure Set.

This educational webinar is for informational purposes only. Board member attendance is optional, and no official business will be conducted.

For more information and meeting materials, please visit the OHPB meeting webpage at https://www.oregon.gov/oha/OHPB/Pages/OHPB-Meetings.aspx

# # #

Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:

• CART (live captions)
• Sign language and spoken language interpreters
• Written materials in other languages
• Braille
• Large print
• Audio and other formats

If you need help or have questions, please contact Tara Chetock at 971-304-9917, 711 TTY, a.a.chetock@dhsoha.state.or.us">tara.a.chetock@dhsoha.state.or.us, at least 48 hours before the meeting.

What: A public meeting of the Strategic Data Plan Subcommittee of the Public Health Advisory Board.

Agenda: Discuss subcommittee charter; discuss goals and vision for a public health strategic data plan.

When: Wednesday, April 28, 2-3:30 p.m. A public comment period is offered at the end of the meeting.

Where: Via Zoom meeting. Members of the public may join remotely by phone at 669-254-5252; meeting ID 161 872 7536; or by computer, tablet or smartphone by launching this Zoom link: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1618727536?pwd=b25pTzZFWFBFRlRGbmpFRjU3dTk4QT09.

Background: Oregon’s Public Health Advisory Board provides guidance for Oregon’s governmental public health system and oversees the implementation of public health modernization and Oregon’s State Health Improvement Plan. The Strategic Data Plan subcommittee develops recommendations for a plan that is grounded in equity and centers community values and experiences. 

For more information, see the board's website.

Program contact: Cara Biddlecom, a.m.biddlecom@state.or.us">cara.m.biddlecom@state.or.us, 971-255-6370

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Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:

• Sign language and spoken language interpreters
• Written materials in other languages
• Braille
• Large print
• Audio and other formats

If you need help or have questions, please contact: Cara Biddlecom at 971-255-6370 711 TTY, or a.m.biddlecom@state.or.us">cara.m.biddlecom@state.or.us at least 48 hours before the meeting.

What: The regular public meeting of the Oregon Health Authority’s All Payer All Claims Technical Advisory Group.

When: April 21, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Where: By webinar and conference line only. The public may join remotely through a webinar and conference line:

• Join the webinar at

https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1603635275?pwd=SHkydnpRcUM4TGt3djFKK2F2SGVKUT09

• Conference line: 669-254-5252, Meeting ID: 160 363 5275, Password: 220017.

Agenda: General updates: APAC Vendor Transition, Follow up on validation rules changes, Rulemaking in 2021, Data Submitter webpage; Public Comment; adjourn

For more information, please visit the committee's website at https://www.oregon.gov/oha/HPA/ANALYTICS/Pages/All-Payer-All-Claims-TAG.aspx.  
 

# # #

Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:

• Sign language and spoken language interpreters.
• Written materials in other languages.
• Large print.
• Audio and other formats.

If you need help or have questions, please contact Brian Toups at, 503-385-6542, 711 TTY, rian.m.toups@dhsoha.state.or.us">brian.m.toups@dhsoha.state.or.us at least 48 hours before the meeting.

What: A public meeting of the Accountability Metrics Subcommittee of the Public Health Advisory Board.

Agenda: Discuss subcommittee charter; review statutory requirements for public health accountability metrics and work to date.

When: Wednesday, April 21, 8-9:30 a.m. A public comment period is offered at the end of the meeting.

Where: Via Zoom meeting. Members of the public may join remotely by phone at 669-254-5252; meeting ID 160 4901 866; or by computer, tablet or smartphone by launching this Zoom link: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1604901866?pwd=MzEwUDJvVTlPOEZUT1hFZ2lWTHlKdz09.

Background: Oregon’s Public Health Advisory Board provides guidance for Oregon’s governmental public health system and oversees the implementation of public health modernization and Oregon’s State Health Improvement Plan. The Accountability Metrics Subcommittee develops recommendations about public health quality measures for the board's consideration.

For more information, see the board's website.

Program contact: Sara Beaudrault, 971-645-5766, a.beaudrault@state.or.us">sara.beaudrault@state.or.us

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Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:

• Sign language and spoken language interpreters
• Written materials in other languages
• Braille
• Large print
• Audio and other formats

If you need help or have questions, please contact: Sara Beaudrault at 971-645-5766, 711 TTY, or a.beaudrault@state.or.us">sara.beaudrault@state.or.us at least 48 hours before the meeting.

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are no new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, so the state’s death toll remains at 2,460, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 473 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 175,592.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 25,474 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 17,649 doses were administered on April 18 and 7,825 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on April 18.

The 7-day running average is now 35,522 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered a total of 1,333,009 doses of Pfizer, 1,126,590 doses of Moderna and 88,547 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, 1,033,175 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. There are 1,600,343 who have had at least one dose.

Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize because providers have 72 hours to report doses administered and technical challenges have caused many providers to lag in their reporting. OHA has been providing technical support to vaccination sites to improve the timeliness of their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).

To date,1,535,625 doses of Pfizer,1,318,100 doses of Moderna and 215,500 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 243, which is 28 more than yesterday. There are 57 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is nine more than yesterday.

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

OHA publishes two data dashboards on COVID-19 vaccination

OHA has launched two new dashboards on its public Tableau site which highlight the state’s progress on COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

The first dashboard, Tracking the COVID-19 Vaccination Effort, shows the percent of people living in Oregon who have been vaccinated at both the state and county level. The dashboard also shows how many people still have to receive another dose of vaccine to be fully vaccinated and how many have completed their vaccination series.

This information is broken down by age group at the state and county level, as well as by race and ethnicity at the state level. Future versions of this dashboard will include race and ethnicity at a regional level. For people who received either a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, the dashboard shows the percentage of people who completed the series by the number of weeks between their first and second doses.

As of today, 37% of Oregonians have received at least one dose of any COVID-19 vaccine, while 13.1% are in progress to be completely vaccinated and 23.9% are fully vaccinated.

Lincoln, Hood River, Benton and Deschutes counties are leading the way in the vaccination effort. Vaccination estimates for these counties show that more than 40% of their population have received at least one dose.

The second dashboard is the Daily COVID-19 Vaccine Update, which is helpful for state planning purposes because it provides a snapshot each morning of vaccine  administration, allocation and delivery data. This information has previously been distributed by email each morning and will continue to be available in Tableau format. Please be aware that COVID-19 vaccine deliveries are commonly re-distributed throughout the state between locations and do not reflect future inventory at each location.

Cases and deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (3), Clackamas (63), Clatsop (4), Columbia (6), Coos (3), Crook (1), Deschutes (44), Douglas (2), Hood River (2), Jackson (15), Jefferson (3), Josephine (3), Lane (65), Lincoln (3), Linn (15), Marion (65), Multnomah (135), Polk (16), Tillamook (1), Wasco (8), Washington (1) and Yamhill (15).

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations? 

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage (English?or?Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.

# # #

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are three new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,460 the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 888 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today bringing the state total to 174,501.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 44,308 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 27,728 doses were administered on Apr.16 and 16,580 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Apr.16.

The 7-day running average is now 37,507 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered a total of 1,292,612 first and second doses of Pfizer, 1,109,671 first and second doses of Moderna and 88,104 single doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.

Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize because providers have 72 hours to report doses administered and technical challenges have caused many providers to lag in their reporting. OHA has been providing technical support to vaccination sites to improve the timeliness of their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).

To date, 1,535,625 doses of Pfizer, 1,318,100 doses of Moderna and 215,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 200, which is one more than yesterday. There are 47 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is five fewer than yesterday.

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Cases and Deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (6), Benton (7), Clackamas (96), Clatsop (8), Columbia (7), Coos (2), Crook (10), Curry (2), Deschutes (94), Douglas (16), Gilliam (1), Grant (2), Harney (1), Jackson (58), Jefferson (6), Josephine (13), Klamath (45), Lane (75), Lincoln (5), Linn (37), Malheur (2), Marion (79), Morrow (1), Multnomah (161), Polk (12), Tillamook (4), Umatilla (15), Wasco (3), Washington (103), Yamhill (17).

Oregon’s 2458th COVID-19 death is a 66-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Mar. 26 and died on Apr. 15 at Legacy Mt Hood Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 2459th COVID-19 death is a 68-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Apr. 13 and died on Apr. 15 at Legacy Mt Hood Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 2460th COVID-19 death is a 58-year-old man in Yamhill County who tested positive on Feb. 19 and died on Apr. 7 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

1 This includes cases confirmed by diagnostic testing and presumptive cases. Presumptive cases are those without a positive diagnostic test who present COVID-19-like symptoms and had close contact with a confirmed case. County of residence for cases may change as new information becomes available. If changes occur, we will update our counts accordingly.

2 For additional details on individuals who have died from COVID-19 in Oregon, please refer to our press releases

ELRs received 04/16/2021

Cumulative ELRs

Stay informed about COVID-19:

Oregon response: The Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Office of Emergency Management lead the state response.

United States response: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leads the U.S. response.

Global response: The World Health Organization guides the global response.

# # #

April 16, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 704 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 2 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are two new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,457, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 704 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 173,626.

Information from today’s media briefing

Here is a link to the recording and a link to the talking points from this morning’s media briefing, led by Gov. Kate Brown and the Oregon Health Authority.

More than 1.5 million Oregonians have received first dose of COVID-19 vaccine  

Today, OHA reported that 47,407 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 28,146 doses were administered on April 15 and 19,261 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on April 15.

The seven-day running average is now 38,239 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered a total of 1,268,433 doses of Pfizer, 1,089,987 doses of Moderna and 87,666 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, 988,584 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. There are 1,542,429 who have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize because providers have 72 hours to report doses administered and technical challenges have caused many providers to lag in their reporting. OHA has been providing technical support to vaccination sites to improve the timeliness of their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).

To date, 1,513,395 doses of Pfizer, 1,313,100 doses of Moderna and 215,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 199, which is four more than yesterday. There are 52 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is one fewer than yesterday.

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Cases and deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (9), Benton (7), Clackamas (79), Clatsop (3), Columbia (6), Coos (6), Crook (15), Curry (3), Deschutes (59), Douglas (7), Grant (25), Hood River (3), Jackson (54), Jefferson (3), Josephine (29), Klamath (43), Lake (2), Lane (57), Lincoln (6), Linn (20), Malheur (1), Marion (63), Morrow (5), Multnomah (88), Polk (13), Tillamook (3), Umatilla (9), Union (2), Wallowa (1), Wasco (6), Washington (69) and Yamhill (8).

Oregon’s 2,456th COVID-19 death is a 45-year-old man in Columbia County who tested positive on April 12 and died on April 15. Location of death and presence of underlying conditions are being confirmed. 

Oregon’s 2,457th COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old man in Klamath County who tested positive on April 8 and died on April 12 at Sky Lakes Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Note: Due to a delay in laboratory reporting, OHA received roughly 4,400 electronic laboratory reports (ELRs) on April 15, 2021 from Josephine County. The reports are from Dec. 2020 to April 2021. As a result, daily ELR totals are higher and percent positivity is lower for April 15 than anticipated for Josephine County.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations? 

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage (English?or?Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.

April 15, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 733 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 6 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are six new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,455, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 733 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 172,931.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 44,971 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 29,445 doses were administered on April 14 and 15,526 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on April 14.

The seven-day running average is now 38,728 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered a total of 1,242,066 doses of Pfizer, 1,069,417 doses of Moderna and 87,339 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.As of today, 966,834 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. There are 1,492,658 who have had at least one dose.

Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize because providers have 72 hours to report doses administered and technical challenges have caused many providers to lag in their reporting. OHA has been providing technical support to vaccination sites to improve the timeliness of their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).

To date, 1,499,355 doses of Pfizer, 1,301,500 doses of Moderna and 215,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 195, which is five fewer than yesterday. There are 53 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is one more than yesterday.

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Cases and deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (16), Benton (18), Clackamas (63), Clatsop (3), Columbia (10), Coos (9), Crook (5), Curry (3), Deschutes (53), Douglas (10), Grant (1), Hood River (6), Jackson (34), Jefferson (5), Josephine (13), Klamath (46), Lane (74), Lincoln (6), Linn (23), Malheur (2), Marion (56), Morrow (1), Multnomah (120), Polk (22), Tillamook (3), Umatilla (9), Union (3), Wasco (8), Washington (98) and Yamhill (13).

Oregon’s 2,450th COVID-19 death is a 93-year-old woman in Clackamas County who tested positive on Jan. 14 and died on April 9 at her residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 2,451st COVID-19 death is a 71-year-old woman in Baker County who tested positive on April 7 and died on April 14 at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 2,452nd COVID-19 death is a 62-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on March 22 and died on April 5 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 2,453rd COVID-19 death is a 52-year-old man in Jackson County who tested positive on March 24 and died on April 14 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 2,454th COVID-19 death is an 82-year-old man in Linn County who tested positive on March 24 and died on April 8 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 2,455th COVID-19 death is an 89-year-old man in Polk County who tested positive on March 31 and died on April 13 at Salem Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Testing event at “The Cut” is a step to building trust with folks living on the street

A lot of people camp out and live along a bike path in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland. The area is informally known as “The Cut.” In March, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) worked closely with grassroots activists and community organizations to test 49 people living there for COVID-19. 

It was an event that required careful planning to establish trust. “This is a population where we need to be especially mindful,” says Mehera Christian, regional testing coordinator at OHA. “These are individuals with complex physical and mental health issues. There is a lot of fear and mistrust. We work with community partners who know and serve the community to help connect with sensitivity and compassion.” 

Every Saturday, grassroots activists and organizations go to a central location along the path with services and supplies. People who live there go to get food, blankets and socks, or to recycle their bottles and cans to get money back.  

A couple weeks ahead of the testing event, OHA staff went out with trusted community partners to introduce themselves and spread the word about the upcoming testing event.  

“We were able to find out what some of their concerns were before the day of testing. They heard about the event and could ask questions, and then they knew some of our faces when we came back,” says Christian. 

One key partner was Portland People’s Outreach Project (PPOP). The all-volunteer organization has been doing emergency and outreach work directly along The Cut for two years. To reduce risk, they provide clean syringes, Naloxone (Narcan) and other supplies directly to users.  

That part of town, says PPOP volunteer Sam Junge, is especially short on low-barrier health services. The testing event, he says, was a start to establishing trust and affirms the need for health services in this area going forward. Junge also added that “it’s a testament to the importance of serving and investing in people who use drugs.” 

OHA staff brought a mobile lab to The Cut and tested 49 people in two hours using rapid results tests.   

“We were set up for motel referrals and had transportation arranged if people tested positive,” says Junge.   

But there were zero positive tests.  

“It’s just a big relief for people,” says Christian. “They’re aware of the risks and, of course, being on the street, they’re especially vulnerable. If we make it past the trust issue and people see you’re there and caring and wanting to help, there’s a real gratitude.” 

April 14, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, phd.communications@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board’s Training Subcommittee meets April 23

What: A public meeting of the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board, Training Subcommittee.

Agenda: TBD

When: Friday, April 23, 1-3 p.m. No public comment period available.

Where: Via Zoom Meeting:

https://www.zoomgov.com/j/16051729334

Meeting ID: 160 5172 9334

Background:

Established by Ballot Measure 109 (2020), the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board makes recommendations to OHA on available scientific studies and research on the safety and efficacy of psilocybin in treating mental health conditions, and makes recommendations on the requirements, specifications and guidelines for providing psilocybin services in Oregon.

The Board will also develop a long-term strategic plan for ensuring that psilocybin services will become and remain a safe, accessible and affordable therapeutic option for all persons 21 years of age and older in this state for whom psilocybin may be appropriate; and monitor and study federal laws, regulations and policies regarding psilocybin.

# # #

Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:

• Sign language and spoken language interpreters.
• Written materials in other languages.
• Braille.
• Large print.
• Audio and other formats.

If you need help or have questions, please contact Nic Riley at 971-673-0404, 711 TTY, or iley@dhsoha.state.gov">nic.riley@dhsoha.state.gov, at least 48 hours before the meeting.

April 14, 2021

Contact: Jonathan Modie, 971-246-9139, PHD.Communications@state.or.us

Nurse Staffing Advisory Board’s quarterly meeting to be held virtually April 28

What: The Nurse Staffing Advisory Board is holding its quarterly meeting.

Agenda:

• Review minutes from January 2021 NSAB meeting
• Membership updates
• Status updates
• Committee updates
• Open Action Items
• Program Improvement
• Emerging issues in nurse staffing
• Public comment

The agenda will be available on www.healthoregon.org/nursestaffing

When: April 28, 1-5 p.m.

Where:

ZoomGov meeting; dial: 669-254-5252

Meeting ID: 161 091 4984

Passcode: 013800

Background: The Nurse Staffing Advisory Board advises Oregon Health Authority on the administration of Oregon’s nurse staffing laws; identifies trends, opportunities and concerns related to nurse staffing; makes recommendations to OHA based on those trends, opportunities and concerns; and reviews the enforcement powers and processes under Oregon’s nurse staffing laws.

Program contact: Kimberly Voelker erly.n.voelker@dhsoha.state.or.us">kimberly.n.voelker@dhsoha.state.or.us

###

Everyone has a right to know about and use the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:

• Sign language and spoken language interpreters
• Written material in other languages
• Braille
• Large print
• Audio and other formats

If you need help or have questions, please contact Kimberly Voelker, MPH at 971-803-0914, 711 TTY or erly.n.voelker@dhsoha.state.or.us">kimberly.n.voelker@dhsoha.state.or.us at least 48 hours before the meeting.

April 14, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 816 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 3 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are three new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,449, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 816 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 172,206.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 39,326 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 24,097 doses were administered on April 13 and 15,229 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on April 13.

The 7-day running average is now 38,392 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered a total of 1,215,804 doses of Pfizer, 1,052,206 doses of Moderna and 86,624 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, 945, 453 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. There are 1,492,658 who have had at least one dose.

Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize because providers have 72 hours to report doses administered and technical challenges have caused many providers to lag in their reporting. OHA has been providing technical support to vaccination sites to improve the timeliness of their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).

To date,1,499,355 doses of Pfizer,1,289,900 doses of Moderna and 215,500 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 200, which is three more than yesterday. There are 52 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is unchanged from yesterday.

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Weekly COVID-19 reports

The Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 Weekly Report, released today, shows a third consecutive week of surging daily cases, higher hospitalizations and higher deaths than the previous week.

OHA reported 3,722 new daily cases of COVID-19 during the week of Monday, April 5 through Sunday, April 11. That represents a 26% increase from the previous week.

New COVID-19 related hospitalizations rose to 156, up from 150 last week.

There were 47 reported COVID-19 related deaths, which is the highest weekly total in five weeks.

There were 103,928 tests for COVID-19 for the week of April 4 through April 10. The percentage of positive tests was 4.4%.

People 70 years of age and older have accounted for 40% of COVID-19 related hospitalizations and 76% of COVID-19 related deaths.

Today’s COVID-19 Weekly Outbreak Report shows 24 active COVID-19 outbreaks in senior living communities and congregate living settings, with three or more confirmed cases and one or more COVID-19 related deaths.

Cases and deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (14), Benton (25), Clackamas (97), Clatsop (2), Columbia (13), Coos (4), Crook (2), Curry (3), Deschutes (84), Douglas (8), Grant (32), Harney (1), Hood River (8), Jackson (50), Jefferson (3), Josephine (19), Klamath (27), Lane (49), Lincoln (6), Linn (23), Malheur (2), Marion (83), Morrow (1), Multnomah (126), Polk (18), Sherman (1), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (9), Union (2), Wasco (8), Washington (86) and Yamhill (9).

Oregon’s 2,447th COVID-19 death is a 66-year-old woman in Tillamook County who tested positive on March 17 and died on April 13 at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital. She had no underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 2,448th COVID-19 death is an 88-year-old woman in Union County who tested positive on February 22 and died on March 15. Location of death is being confirmed. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 2,449th COVID-19 death is a 56-year-old man in Klamath County who tested positive on March 1 and died on April 7 at Sky Lakes Medical Center. He had no underlying conditions.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations? 

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage (English or Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.

April 14, 2021

Media contact: Jonathan Modie, 971-246-9139,

PHD.Communications@dhsoha.state.or.us

OHA seeks input on which Oregon beaches to monitor in 2021

OHA invites public comment on proposed beach locations through April 26

PORTLAND, Ore.—Oregon Health Authority’s Beach Monitoring Program invites public comment on a list of beaches it is proposing to monitor this summer.

The OHA Oregon Beach Monitoring Program (OBMP) works with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to pick beaches that need monitoring based on established criteria. These criteria include pollution hazards present; previous beach monitoring data that identify water quality concerns; type and amount of beach use; and public input.

As part of a flexible sampling plan, beaches and sampling locations are routinely re-evaluated to ensure available resources best protect public health. Based on OBMP’s evaluation criteria, the following list contains the proposed beaches for 2021 monitoring season; a copy of DEQ’s beach evaluation is available upon request:

• SEASIDE BEACH  – Seaside, Oregon – Clatsop County
• CANNON BEACH  – Cannon Beach, Oregon – Clatsop County
• TOLOVANA SP BEACH – Cannon Beach, Oregon – Clatsop County
• SHORT SAND SP BEACH – Arch Cape, Oregon – Tillamook County
• ROCKAWAY BEACH – Rockaway, Oregon – Tillamook County
• TWINS ROCKS BEACH – Twin Rocks, Oregon – Tillamook County
• NESKOWIN SP BEACH – Neskowin, Oregon – Tillamook County
• D RIVER SP BEACH – Lincoln City, Oregon – Lincoln County
• BEVERLY BEACH – Newport, Oregon – Lincoln County
• AGATE SP BEACH – Newport, Oregon – Lincoln County
• NYE BEACH – Newport, Oregon – Lincoln County
• SEAL ROCK  SP BEACH – Seal Rock, Oregon – Lincoln County
• HECETA BEACH  – Florence, Oregon – Lane County
• BASTENDORFF BEACH – Coos Bay, Oregon – Coos County
• SUNSET BAY SP BEACH – Coos Bay, Oregon – Coos County
• HUBBARD CREEK BEACH – Port Orford, Oregon – Curry County
• HARRIS BEACH SP – Brookings, Oregon – Curry County
• MILL BEACH – Brookings, Oregon – Curry County

The proposed list includes some of the most frequently visited beaches in Oregon, beaches where the program has found bacteria present, or beaches for which local partners and the public have requested monitoring due to potential pollution concerns.

OHA and DEQ use available resources to monitor as many beaches as possible. However, with more than 360 miles of coastline, more than 90 beaches and just one full-time sampling technician, not all beaches can be monitored.  

OBMP will accept public comments and suggestions on the proposed 2021 beaches through April 26, 2021. Contact OBMP by email at each.Health@state.or.us">Beach.Health@state.or.us or call 971-673-0400 to submit input.

April 13, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, phd.communications@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board meets April 28

What: A public meeting of the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board.

Agenda: TBD

When: Wednesday, April 28, 1-4 p.m. No public comment period available.

Where: Via Zoom meeting https://www.zoomgov.com/j/16051729334

Meeting ID 160 5172 9334

Background: Established by Ballot Measure 109 (2020), the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board makes recommendations to OHA on available scientific studies and research on the safety and efficacy of psilocybin in treating mental health conditions, and makes recommendations on the requirements, specifications and guidelines for providing psilocybin services in Oregon.

The Board will also develop a long-term strategic plan for ensuring that psilocybin services will become and remain a safe, accessible and affordable therapeutic option for all persons 21 years of age and older in this state for whom psilocybin may be appropriate; and monitor and study federal laws, regulations and policies regarding psilocybin.

# # #

Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:

• Sign language and spoken language interpreters.
• Written materials in other languages.
• Braille.
• Large print.
• Audio and other formats.

If you need help or have questions, please contact Nic Riley at 971-673-0404, 711 TTY, or iley@dhsoha.state.gov">nic.riley@dhsoha.state.gov, at least 48 hours before the meeting.

NOTE: The Oregon Lottery has our updated logos uploaded below and also in a press kit here: https://www.oregonlottery.org/about/lottery-news/  

April 16, 2021?- Salem, Ore.?– Christmas in … April?

Five lucky winners across Oregon are celebrating Second Chance Lottery wins thanks to their 2020 Holiday Scratch-its.

Prizes ranged from $1,500 to $150,000 depending on the value of the original Scratch-it top prize. Winners included:

• Carrie T. of Florence who won $150,000 playing Holiday Party
• Leeanne R. of Central Point who won $75,000 playing Reindeer Riches
• Eric T. of Springfield who won $50,000 playing Winter Magic
• Cheryl C. of Prospect who won $10,000 playing Deck the Halls
• Christopher Z. of Cave Junction who won $1,500 playing Merry Slothmas

The Second Chance Drawing gives players an additional opportunity to win a top prize on their favorite Scratch-its. Players can register for a MyLottery account where they can enter their non-winning Scratch-its using the Oregon Lottery mobile app, or by entering them manually on the Lottery’s website at https://www.oregonlottery.org/my-lottery/second-chance/

Players can see when the Second Chance drawing will take place, how many entries have been registered for each Scratch it. After the drawing winners are notified of their win.

Draw dates for each game are determined by when the specific Scratch-it is pulled from the market. 

Players who have winning tickets of $50,000 or more, will need to make an appointment to come to the Oregon Lottery office in Salem. Call 503-540-1000 for assistance. The Lottery also offers a drop box at the Lottery office in Salem. Players can use the drop box to submit prize claims and will receive their winnings in the mail once the claim has been processed.  

Lottery officials recommend that you always sign the back of your tickets with each Oregon Lottery game you play, to ensure you can claim any prize you may win. In the event of winning a jackpot, players should consult with a trusted financial planner or similar professional to develop a plan for their winnings. 

Since the Oregon Lottery began selling tickets on April 25, 1985, it has earned more than $12 billion for economic development, public education, Outdoor School, state parks,?Veteran?Services and watershed enhancements. For more information on the Oregon Lottery visit?www.oregonlottery.org? 

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The Oregon State Marine Board approved a construction grant for Westport County Park, a cost increase for the Port of Arlington, and Maintenance Assistance Program grant rules, in addition to a slow no-wake zone on Crescent Lake, during their quarterly Board meeting held virtually on April 14.

The Board conditionally approved, subject to legislative approval of the agency’s 2021-23 budget, $379,825.25 in Boating Facility Grant funds, $100,000.00 in Waterway Access Grant funds, and $200,000 in federal Boating Infrastructure Grants for Westport County Park. This amounts to a total of $679,825.25 from the 2021-23 Cycle One Boating Facility Grant funding which will be matched by $1,595,921.75 in cash and administrative match for a total project cost of $2,275,747.00. The Westport County Park facility upgrade includes a new two-lane concrete boat ramp, boarding docks, short-term tie-up docks, a nonmotorized launching dock system, paved parking, and flush restrooms. The facility construction is anticipated to begin this summer and be completed before the end of the year. The next closest facility upstream is Rainier at river mile 67.5 and downstream is Aldrich Point at river mile 30 and Port of Astoria East Basin at river mile 15.

The Board also approved a grant cost increase of $37,500 for the Port of Arlington to complete their previously approved grant for the replacement of the flush restroom, adding showers, renovating the parking area, adding sidewalks, enhancing nonmotorized boating access, and creating single car parking to serve the access and walking trail users. The Port has been working with a contractor to identify cost savings without reducing the scope of work and successfully reduced the cost by approximately half.

The Board also approved proposed rules to the Boating Facilities Maintenance Assistance Grant Program (MAG) to reflect a more streamlined and less burdensome administrative process for facility operators and agency staff. The MAG program offers financial assistance to facility owners/operators for routine maintenance of a boating facility, including small repairs and supplies. The Boating Facilities Section will be offering virtual training on how to apply for MAG funding soon.

In their final action, the Board approved a slow no-wake zone in a small cove, referred to as Tranquil Cove, on Crescent Lake in Klamath County, OAR 250-020-0204. The rules go into effect May 1, 2021.

To view meeting materials and a replay of the virtual meeting, visit the agency’s Public Meetings page.

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The Oregon Office of Emergency Management has posted the Oregon Wildfire Recovery Update for April 14, 2021, to the Oregon Wildfire Resources page. See today's Wildfire Recovery update here.

Photo Captions:

White City, Ore. - April 1, 2021 - Grass grows and trees bloom at Willow Estates in White City, Ore., where survivors in Jackson County have a temporary place to stay while they recover from the devastation caused by the 2020 Oregon wildfires. Eligible displaced families will be moved into manufactured homes and RV trailers as part of FEMA's direct temporary housing program for wildfire survivors. (Photo by FEMA)
File: DSC00356

Oregon Office of Emergency Management Wildfire Recovery Logo: Oregon Rising - Stronger Together.
File: OEM RISING LOGO JPG

With a recent spike in debris fires, it is a good time to get familiar with safe burning practices. (Image courtesy Oregon Department of Forestry)
File: Burning Safety Tips

Efforts to stabilize Oregon’s landscape continue as land management agencies work together toward fire recovery. 
Hazard tree felling helps remove threats as work to recover fire impacted lands continue.

SALEM, Ore. – The devastation from Oregon’s 2020 wildfires left more than a million burned acres across 9 counties. As communities and land managers look toward recovery and restoration, the first critical step is to remove remaining hazards, especially, weakened trees along roadways and popular recreation sites, threatening the safety of people, structures and infrastructure.  

Oregon’s wildfire recovery goals continue to prioritize human life and safety while striving to restore and recover the state’s natural and cultural resources across a broad landscape. Hazard tree removal is a top priority – these dead, dying or fire-weakened trees are likely to fall onto roadways, properties and recreation areas where people travel, live, or gather. Regardless of the jurisdiction, removing this danger is paramount to Oregon’s safe and successful long-term recovery. 

“The 2020 wildfires left behind a scope of damage unlike anything the state has experienced before,” said Andrew Phelps, Director of Oregon Office of Emergency Management. “Ensuring we stabilize the landscape and mitigate risk – both immediate and long-term – is imperative to getting Oregonians home safely, keeping our roadways secure for travel and removing barriers for infrastructure and emergency response functions. I continue to be impressed by the collaboration and partnership among federal, state, public and private partners striving to balance life safety with preserving our state’s natural landscape.”   

The State’s Debris Management Task Force, led by the Oregon Department of Transportation, is primarily focused on removing hazard trees along state highways and public roads near private residences, parks, schools, utilities, and around destroyed home sites.  

Federal and state land management agencies, including the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, are evaluating and removing hazard trees along roads, trails, parks and other popular recreation sites. 

Certified arborists assess each tree, then mark weakened or dead trees posing a threat to human life and safety following strict criteria and referencing field guides developed by federal and state agencies. The stability and health of a tree is difficult to judge from external damage so every marked tree goes under several rounds of inspections and evaluations from different arborists to avoid conflicting determinations. The goal is to mitigate risk by removing only hazard trees while leaving up as many strong, living trees as possible within the million-acre fire perimeter. 

Close collaboration with fish, wildlife and water quality experts help identify where felled trees can be left for protection of essential drinking water sources and native habitat restoration. Local agencies, communities and environmental partners also help define what recovery could entail, especially as it pertains to community safety and habitat restoration. 

Once hazards are removed and the landscape is stabilized, other recovery and restoration work such as hand planting or aerial reseeding can get safely underway. Post-fire planting usually begins one to two years after a fire, but a national seedling shortage has private landowners struggling to find enough supply for replanting. ODF is working with nurseries and others to increase supplies and fulfill long-range demand as reforestation progresses.  

The 2020 wildfires left behind damage unlike anything the state has experienced before. The road to recovery is long. It will be decades before forests grow back fully. Until then, land managers, communities, recreation enthusiasts and Oregonians will continue working together to restore natural areas and working forests while preserving Oregon’s landscape.  

For general information on the state’s recovery efforts, contact fire.info@state.or.us or visit https://wildfire.oregon.gov/ 

# # #

Primary Contact: Jo Niehaus, Natural and Cultural Resources Recovery Task Force PIO, jo.niehaus@oregon.gov, 503-580-9210

Released: April 14, 2021

DETROIT — Limited camping at Detroit Lake State Recreation Area will reopen April 20 after being closed since September 2020 due to damage from the Santiam Canyon wildfires, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) announces. Visitors will be able to reserve some campsites up to six months in advance starting at 6 a.m. April 19 for all stays April 20 and beyond.

Sites will open according to the following timeline:

• April 20: Loops F & G
• May 28: Loops A, B, and part of Loops C and D
• June 18: Loops E, H and the rest of C Loop

Some sites are still closed to public use.

Reservations can be made from one day to six months in advance starting at 6 a.m. April 19 through OPRD’s partner site, oregonstateparks.reserveamerica.com, or by calling 800-452-5687.

Detroit Lake State Recreation Area was in the eye of the Santiam Canyon wildfires, but the park sustained far less damage than the nearby resort town of Detroit.

“For the most part, visitors won’t notice anything different from previous years,” said Park Manager Bob Rea.

The park remained closed while staff cleared burned vegetation and repaired a damaged water tank. Rea plans to replace the tank in the fall.

“Restoring drinking water soon as possible was our top priority,” he said. “I’m confident our water tank will carry us through the busy summer season.”

Located in the Cascade Mountains, Detroit Lake State Recreation Area offers nearly 300 campsites on the shore of a forest-ringed reservoir. More information about the park is on the Oregon State Parks official website at stateparks.oregon.gov.

Visitors should continue to follow COVID-19 safety protocols while visiting state parks: limit the size of gatherings, wear face coverings, give space to others and wash hands often. For more information on what to expect while visiting state parks during the pandemic, visit the Oregon State Parks COVID-19 FAQ page.

KNOW WHAT’S BELOW, CALL 811 BEFORE YOU DIG
April is National Safe Digging Month

SALEM, Ore. – In honor of National Safe Digging Month, Oregon’s Public Utility Commission (PUC) reminds Oregonians to call 811 at least two business days before digging to have underground utility lines marked to avoid life-threatening injuries and prevent damage to necessary services.  

“With the continuation of the pandemic into 2021 and the return of nice weather, we recognize more people may be spending time doing yard-improvement projects, so we want to remind homeowners and contractors to call 811 before any digging is done to reduce the risk of striking an underground utility line,” said Megan Decker, PUC Chair. “This is essential to ensure utility services are not interrupted for community members as we continue to deal with COVID-19, as well as to avoid costly repair bills.”

The Oregon Utility Notification Center, who operates the free 811 one-call center, notifies the utility companies that serve the area of the planned project. Utility personnel then visit the project site to mark the approximate location of the underground lines, pipes and cables in the planned digging area at no cost to the homeowner. 

“Never assume a digging project is too shallow and won’t hit a utility line,” added Decker. “Whether planting a tree or a shrub, building a deck, or installing a fence, always call 811 at least two business days ahead to have your lines located. This is the only way to know what’s below.”

Statistics show that a majority of line strikes occur during the warmer months when excavation and construction work is being done. In 2019 an estimated 453,766 line strikes occurred nationwide, 22 percent of which were due to insufficient notice to the 811 service.

Call 811 or visit digsafelyoregon.com to submit a locate request or to learn more about safe digging practices.

# # #

Four new in-store branches will open in late-April and early-May 2021

PORTLAND, Ore., April 15, 2021 – As part of the largest branch and service area expansion in its history, OnPoint Community Credit Union announced today it will open four more of its 20 new Fred Meyer branches in April and May. Two of the new branches will serve Northeast Portland in Fred Meyer's Hollywood store, located at 3030 NE Weidler Street, and its Glisan store, located at 6615 NE Glisan Street. The two additional new branches will serve Beaverton in Fred Meyer's Walker Road store, located on SW 158th Avenue and Walker Road, and in its Beaverton Town Square store, located at 11425 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Highway. With these four openings, OnPoint will operate 44 branches in communities across Oregon and Southwest Washington. OnPoint plans to open 12 additional branches within Fred Meyer locations in the coming months.

"Opening new branches across the region allows us to cultivate deeper relationships with our members and our community," said Rob Stuart, President and Chief Executive Officer, OnPoint Community Credit Union. "Being able to work with members face-to-face on financial wellness strategies builds a connection difficult to replicate virtually. Since the pandemic began, people have needed financial advice to navigate challenges quickly. Our new locations in Beaverton and Northeast Portland help us meet this need in a way that truly fits into the lives of our members."

Each in-store OnPoint branch will offer members a complete suite of financial services, including membership enrollment, consumer and commercial lending, mortgages, financial planning, ATM and notarization. OnPoint's new branches will offer existing and new members special grand opening offers through the end of the year, including a $200 bonus for new members.

With the opening of these four branches, OnPoint will create a total of 28 new jobs across these local economies. Visit the Careers section of OnPoint's website to learn more about becoming part of the OnPoint team at one of the new in-store branches.

Hollywood Branch, 3030 NE Weidler St., Portland, OR 97232

Opening April 28, 2021

Hannah Lewis has been with OnPoint since 2007 and will serve as the Branch Manager of the Hollywood Branch. Lewis has more than 14 years of experience in financial services. She lives in Northeast Portland with her two Labradoodles.

OnPoint will donate $2,500 to African American Alliance for Homeownership (AAAH), a non-profit and HUD Approved Housing Counseling Agency working to increase homeownership and economic stability for African Americans and other underserved individuals. AAAH's housing fairs, counseling, and classes help prepare prospective homeowners for the home buying process. It also partners with the VIDA collaborative through Casa of Oregon to provide matched savings accounts for first-time homebuyers.

67th & Glisan Branch, 6615 NE Glisan St., Portland, OR 97213

Opening April 30, 2021

Chris Dennett will serve as the Branch Manager of the 67th & Glisan Branch. Dennett has 10 years of experience in financial services. He and his wife Letty live in the Gresham area with their three kids and their dog.

OnPoint will donate $2,500 to the Sunshine Division, which has provided emergency food and clothing relief to Portland families and individuals in need since 1923. Whether due to the loss of a job, domestic crime, illness, or victims of fire or disaster, the Sunshine Division quickly and efficiently mobilizes to assist distressed Portlanders. It offers emergency food assistance six days a week at its North Portland warehouse and 24/7 through a partnership with the Portland Police Bureau, which stores food boxes at each precinct to be dispatched to people in need at any time. Besides food relief, it also offers new and gently used clothing to those in need at its North Portland facility.

158th & Walker Branch, 15995 SW Walker Rd., Beaverton, OR 97006

Opening May 5, 2021

Karmen Knutsen has been with OnPoint since 2016 and will serve as the Branch Manager of the 158th & Walker Branch. Knutsen has more than eight years of experience in financial services. She has lived in Beaverton for 13 years.

OnPoint will donate $2,500 to Oregon Friends of Shelter Animals (OFOSA), a non-profit working to provide the best possible outcome for healthy, happy animals and a successful adoption. OFOSA transports hundreds of animals every year out of overcrowded high kill shelters from as far away as California. It also has skilled and trained medical staff with a fully functioning spay and neuter clinic, providing hundreds of surgeries per year. With the help of its adoption partners, PetSmart, Petco and Fido's, along with its corps of dedicated volunteers, OFOSA has provided homes for over 99% of its rescued animals.

Beaverton Town Square Branch, 11425 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy., Beaverton, OR 97005

Opening May 7, 2021

Gabriel Casas will serve as the Branch Manager of the Beaverton Town Square Branch. Casas has more than 19 years of experience in financial services. Throughout his career, he has also served as a Teller, Banker, Teller Operations Specialist and Assistant Manager. Casas and his wife enjoy spending time with their two dogs, traveling the coast and watching all the local sports events.

OnPoint will donate $2,500 to Beaverton Library Foundation, which supports the activities and services of Beaverton City Library. Its annual Summer Reading program reaches more than 7,500 children and teens to help them retain their reading skills while school is out. The Beaverton Library Foundation also offers an annual scholarship to a graduating high school senior who volunteers at the library. Its literary contests for teens attract more than 500 submissions. Click here to read contest winners' writings on the foundation's blog.

ABOUT ONPOINT COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION

OnPoint Community Credit Union is the largest credit union in Oregon, serving over 432,000 members and with assets of $8.2 billion. Founded in 1932, OnPoint Community Credit Union's membership is available to anyone who lives or works in one of 28 Oregon counties (Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Crook, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Morrow, Multnomah, Polk, Sherman, Tillamook, Wasco, Washington, Wheeler, and Yamhill) and two Washington counties (Skamania and Clark) and their immediate family members. More information is available at www.onpointcu.com or 503-228-7077 or 800-527-3932.

To qualify, individuals must open a new membership with a personal checking account and receive direct deposit of at least $500 to that account within 60 days of the open date. A bonus of $200 will be credited to their checking account approximately 60 days after new account is opened. Accounts must be open and in good standing at time of payout to receive bonus. As of 2/1/21, APY (annual percentage yield) for Interest Checking is 0.05%. APY is subject to change. $500 minimum balance for Interest Checking; no minimum balance for OnPoint Checking. When Interest Checking average monthly balance falls below $500, a $7 monthly service fee applies. Fees may reduce earnings. Bonus will be included on a 1099-INT for tax purposes. Cannot be combined with other offers for opening a new membership, such as OnPoint Savers or Refer a Friend. Offer only available at OnPoint Fred Meyer Branches. Offer valid through 12/31/21 and subject to change. Business bonus: To qualify, a new membership must be opened with a business checking account and receive $500 in deposits to that account within 60 days of the open date. A bonus of $200 will be credited to their business checking account approximately 60 days after new account is opened. Accounts must be open and in good standing at time of payout to receive bonus. Bonus will be included on a 1099-Int for tax purposes. Cannot be combined with other offers for opening a new membership, such as OnPoint Savers or Refer a Friend. Offer only available at OnPoint Fred Meyer Branches. Offer valid through 12/31/21 and subject to change.

April is National Volunteer Month – an ideal time to renew and refresh a commitment to volunteering, especially virtual volunteering.

Throughout the U.S., volunteers work with nonprofits, charities, congregations, and schools to support vital community needs. Individuals and employers alike are realizing that the community benefits of volunteering also extend to health and wellness.

The positive impacts of volunteering, including virtual volunteering, extend beyond communities to one’s own mental and physical health. Volunteering is found to reduce stress, improve bonding with others, and even extend lifetimes, according to the Longitudinal Study of Aging.

“Spring, especially this year, is a time of renewal that can spark both community-care and self-care,” said Umpqua Bank’s Caitlin Back, VP, Corporate Responsibility director. “For us at Umpqua Bank, it’s an important time to come together in renewed support of our communities, continuing to foster a culture of service that elevates our associates’ sense of purpose and meaning.”

Any size business can rally employees to contribute to the greater good, while attracting and retaining talent. First, gauge employee interest in volunteering, then, structure volunteer opportunities that can be flexible and done remotely and as a team.

Umpqua Bank is in its the 18th year of its Connect Volunteer Program through which associates receive 40 hours of paid volunteer time annually. The Bank’s internal Community Action Hub serves as a resource to find virtual volunteer opportunities available across the Bank’s five-state footprint.

While much volunteering is still in-person, virtual volunteering options have expanded significantly. Now, thanks to virtual volunteering, potential volunteers with geographic or time constraints have new opportunities to help make a positive impact in their communities.

The following organizations are just a few of those that provide virtual volunteer opportunities:

FROM ANYWHERE – Catch a Fire, WeHero, Project Helping’s Kynd Kits, Operation Gratitude, MicroMentor by Mercy Corps, VolunteerMatch and others.

OREGON – Children’s Book Bank, Portland Rescue Mission, and Hands on Greater Portland of the United Way of the Willamette Valley

WASHINGTON - United Way of King County, Serve Washington’s Get Connected statewide platform connecting volunteers and organizations

Additional virtual volunteer information and resources are available on Umpqua Bank’s blog.

Spring into Action this April during National Volunteer Month with Umpqua Bank @UmpquaBank #VirtualVolunteer #SpringIntoAction. Learn more about Umpqua Bank’s commitment to community at www.UmpquaBank.com/community.

(Springfield, Ore.) April 16, 2021—PacificSource announces that it will extend its special COVID-related benefit provisions for its commercial plan members to the end of 2021. PacificSource initiated special COVID-related benefit provisions in the spring of 2020 to support its members and providers during the initial phases of the pandemic.

“This expansion of these provisions serves as a critical means of support for our members as we continue to battle the pandemic,” said Ken Provencher, president and CEO of PacificSource. “While great strides towards mitigating the spread of COVID have been made with the introduction of several safe and effective vaccines, we recognize that it will take some time for everyone to get their vaccinations and therefore extended support for our members is still very much needed.”

The following is a summary of PacificSource benefit provisions that are currently in place for PacificSource’s commercial plan members and will be extended through the end of 2021 (There are no changes for Medicaid or Medicare members at this time):

• PacificSource will continue to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 testing and testing-related visits for our members at out-patient care sites (including primary care, urgent care, and emergency rooms). Further treatment may be subject to additional cost shares depending on the benefit plan.

• PacificSource will continue to allow members a one-time early refill for prescription drugs. (COVID vaccinations are offered at no cost to members.)

• PacificSource will continue to waive all copays for Teladoc visits for members who have Teladoc as a plan option.

• PacificSource providers have been instructed to not collect copay/coinsurance or deductibles for testing and testing-related services.

• Self-funded employers will have the option to opt-in to the provision that waives member out-of-pocket costs. For self-funded employer groups electing to extend these benefits, a plan amendment will be issued.

• PacificSource is reaching out by phone to all high-risk members who have not yet received their vaccines and assisting them with locating a clinic or resources within their county, as well as taking them through the steps of pre-registering for their vaccine as needed.

PacificSource is continuing to follow standards and recommendations from the state health authorities in addressing all issues surrounding COVID-19 and recommends that Members visit the Oregon Health Authority’s website at https://covidvaccine.oregon.gov/ for updates on the latest vaccination guidelines.

About PacificSource Health Plans: PacificSource Health Plans is an independent, not-for-profit community health plan serving the Northwest. Founded in 1933, PacificSource has local offices throughout Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Washington. The PacificSource family of companies employs more than 1,500 people and serves over 523,700 individuals throughout the Greater Northwest. For more information, visit PacificSource.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                Media Contact:

April 19, 2021                                                                                          Stephanie Hooper, president, AGE+

503-348-3633, shooper@ageplus.org

Ageless Awards Honor Oregonians Who Redefine Age

9th Annual AGE+ Event to be held April 22

Four honorable Oregonians will be celebrated for their inspiring contributions later in life during a free, public, virtual celebration Thursday, April 22, 12-1 p.m. (Pre-show at 11:30).

The only event of its kind in Oregon, the 9th Annual Ageless Awards recognizes remarkable people 75 and older who redefine societal expectations; live with purpose; and serve their communities. 

This year, AGE+ proudly honors Gary Maffei of Lake Oswego, Judith Ramaley of Portland, Major General R. Fred Rees of Helix, and Kathleen Saadat of Northeast Portland.

This inspiring event is free to join with pre-registration required at www.AgePlus.org.

“Every person, regardless of age, has the capacity to contribute to their community. This year’s Ageless Award honorees make the best of the gift of long life and generously share it in service to others,” says AGE+ founder and CEO, Keren Brown Wilson.

Oregonians are living longer. In less than a decade, people aged 65+ will outnumber those 18 and younger, according to the March 2021 population forecast by Portland State University's Population Research Center.

The Ageless Awards were founded in 2013. Previous honorees include Sec. Bev Clarno (2020), Bernie and Bobbie Foster (2019), Gert Boyle (2018), Governor Ted Kulongoski (2018), Senator Margaret Carter (2017), Rabbi Joshua Stampfer (2017), Governor Barbara Roberts (2016), Gerry Frank (2015), and Kathryn Jones Harrison (2015), among others.

ABOUT AGE+

AGE+, an Oregon-based nonprofit is a leader in forging innovative solutions to improve the lives of older adults, their families, and their communities. In doing so, AGE+ empowers communities of all ages to value and care for older adults, especially those who are isolated, low-income and underserved. Learn more at www.AgePlus.org.

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