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FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022
VOL. 130, NO. 43 Serving the Lower Columbia Region since 1891
Isolation takes toll on seniors ZOE GOTTLIEB chronicle2@countrymedia.net
As our communities attempt to rebuild from the pandemic, one group appears to have gotten lost in the shuffle. The senior community has weathered the COVID-19 pandemic with a near-total ban on communal gatherings, fewer visitors, and scarce opportunities for socialization. “As far as activities go, everything came to a screeching halt,” Rainier Senior Center President Jan Rich said. “I can’t imagine (that) the isolation requirements to stay in your home hasn’t taken a toll on people.” Rainier Senior Center, located on 47 Seventh Street, was a central gathering place for local seniors up until the COVID-19 outbreak. Under pressure from state and local public health authorities, nursing homes across the country, including Rainier Senior Center, shut down many services to prevent mass hospitalizations and deaths. Rich said she and her staff of mostly volunteers have tried to bridge the gap by routinely checking in on seniors that lost access to the center for two years. Their efforts include checking in with seniors over the phone and delivering meals to their homes. “We make sure they have masks and hand sanitizer, and all of the food that we deliver are in bags,” Rich said. “The driver will go sit in their car and wait for the individual to get to the door and take the food. If they don’t, then we take the food back,” adding, “The rules and regulations that we have to work under are very strict.”
As Oregonians, comforted by high vaccination rates and promising data, begin to venture out and lead what resembles their pre-pandemic lives, seniors, on the other hand, have reason to be cautious. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates immune response decreases substantially in the six months following vaccination among the immunocompromised and the 65 and older subgroup.
Many times, you walk away with tears in your eyes. ~ Jan Rich, Rainier Senior Center
Additionally, the risk of death or hospitalization from COVID-19 increases fivefold for seniors ages 65-74 and eightfold among those ages 75-84, according to the National Institute for Health Care Management. Federal mandates dictate seniors are unlikely to experience the benefits of changing guidelines on indoor masking and social distancing. “Our center isn’t guided by the state mandates,” Rich said. “It’s guided by the Agency on Aging mandates, which is federal. Even though Governor Brown is dropping inside mask mandates, that
doesn’t apply to the senior center, which is really disappointing, but that’s what we have to abide by to keep our funding.” What’s been particularly difficult for Rich is seeing the impact of isolation on those in their final life stages. “It’s troubling for everybody,” she said. Rich described one example of a frequent center guest who experienced isolation after being transferred to a memory care unit across the Columbia River. “To visit him, we have to let the building know that we’re coming, and then they wheel him to a window (where) we can talk through the window,” she said. “That’s hard on him. It’s hard on us. Many times, you walk away with tears in your eyes.” The Rainier Senior Center has also suffered a loss of volunteers. “I know one lady who isn’t coming back because she doesn’t like the mask mandates,” she said, clarifying, “We don’t have a say (in that).” According to Rich, the Rainier Senior Center is mostly volunteerrun and relies solely on donations. Amid pandemic strain, management has adapted by reducing employee hours and applying for grants, and donations and food banks have helped keep the center afloat. “Without the volunteers, I don’t know what we would have done,” she admitted. Clatskanie Senior Center staff face a similar predicament, according to Joy Green, director of
Courtesy photo from Columbia County RSVP
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Alan King sits in front of his food donations supporting food-insecure teens in the throes of the pandemic.
What masks off means in Columbia County JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chief
The Clatakaine City Council session inside city hall was disrupted by pornographic images and blaring music.
Pornographic images disrupt council meeting JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
A surprising and unexpected event disrupted the regular month meeting of the Clatskanie City Council, Wednesday evening, March 2. As the council proceeded through its in-person meeting and conducting its first Zoom meeting, pornographic images and blaring offensive music popped up on the screen in the council chambers, according to Clatskanie City Manager Greg Hinkelman. “We tried to disconnect the images and the music, but they continued to appear about every five seconds,” he said. “We had to stop the Zoom portion of the meeting.” Hinkelman said he believes that the incident was caused by someone who accessed the Zoom link for the
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intent of disrupting the meeting. “There are people out there that search and find these links and they go in and disrupt whatever is live,” he said. “This Zoom meeting was our first attempt and we are now discussing how to prevent this from happening again. It is a learning process.” Housing concerns During the public comment portion of the council meeting, there was more discussion from opponents of a city-approved new housing development along Canyon Road. One person asked about the appeal process. City officials said such appeals can be made through the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA). CIP presentation Hinkelman also presented a proposal for capital improvements (CIP) that included improvements to the city’s lift stations so that they will be adequately operational when the city’s new wastewater plant is built. A phased-in $30,000 plan to replace street light poles and adequate funding for a paving project were also part of Hinkelman’s presentation.
2022 Columbia County
As Oregon moves to lift its indoor mask mandate, Columbia County Public Health Director Michael Paul said the elimination of the universal indoor mask mandate is a result of decreases in new infections, and more importantly, severe disease. “The overall statewide transmission rate continues to decline because of the combination of vaccinations and prior infections, which means there is a lower risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19,” he said. “Even though we should expect new cases, hospital care will be available to those who need it, and we can restart, or safely continue in-person activities, such as school.” Paul said the new date to lift the indoor mask mandate as of March 12 is significant. “It’s a significant moment in the pandemic timeline, but it doesn’t mean risk entirely disappears. Individuals and families will need to assess their risk based on their health status and transmission in our community,” Paul said. “Our local public health surveillance will continue to focus on our oldest citizens, people who are immunocompromised, and people with disabilities.” Caution urged According to Paul, the decision to remove masks doesn’t eliminate concern about a new variant that evades the immunity provided by vaccination or previous infection. “The expectation is that the recommendations could return if another variant with the potential to significantly disrupt our health care systems emerges,” he said. People at increased risk, and those who live or visit with them, should continue to take precautions, according to Paul.
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chief
Even though the state will lift the indoor mask mandate March 12, Columbia County Public Health urges caution and to keep the masks handy.
with information about testing, vaccination, masks, treatment, and other recommendations,” Paul said. “Many of these agencies also have convenient locations so we partnered with them to provide access to vaccination, testing and distribution of resources. We can’t emphasize enough how enormously important these close, bidirectional partnerships are to our response.” The response required resources that Columbia County Public Health Department did not have, according to Paul, which meant the health agency often had to reach out to other county departments and local agencies. “We also received confirmation that we identified the right priorities in our pre-pandemic community health improvement plan,” he said. “The last two years showed us that we need more access to all types of health care. Not only did many of our residents have to travel too far, and wait too long, for testing and vaccination and other COVID-related care, many residents had to delay other important care appointments.”
“Masks are still recommended for people over the age of 65, unvaccinated individuals, individuals with some chronic conditions, and immunocompromised individuals,” he said. “Many of those individuals live in local congregate care settings so mask requirements for employees and caregivers continue in those settings. We recommend that everyone have access to a highquality mask in the event of another surge of cases.” In addition to masks, Paul said individuals should stay informed about vaccination recommendations, as well as when and where to get testing and treatment. Lesson learned According to Paul, Columbia County Public Health has learned that the local response to such medical crises depends on strong partnerships with local agencies, healthcare providers, schools and child care providers, communityserving organizations, and congregate settings. “In order to reach the greatest number of residents, we need to keep those organizations updated
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