10 minute read
YOUR HEROES OF OUR VALLEY: Readers cite
YOUR HEROES
OF
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OUR VALLEY Over the next few pages, readers o er their own suggestions of people and organizations that have shown themselves to be local heroes through this year’s turmoil
My daughter, and other parents, are heroes
My daughter KELSEY ALLEN has worked as a respiratory therapist at Rogue Regional Medical Center for 10 years. She is a hero during this time because she continues to work full time, 12-hour shifts, to care for our community. She believes all of her education and experience has led to this, and she is dedicated to her career. When not at work she is home-schooling her two sons, Killian, 8, and Koah, 6. The fourth member of the family, dad Mark Johnson, is a nonessential worker. Mark’s place of employment is closed due to the pandemic, so Mark is now the CEO of the household
Kelsey Allen and taking great care of the boys. As with all of the parents in the Rogue Valley, Mark and Kelsey are given the additional task of home-schooling the boys. The Medford School District has done an amazing job of getting Chromebooks and assignments into the homes of the students.
My daughter’s family is representative of many in the Rogue Valley.
There is purpose in social distancing. This pandemic is giving us all a reset in our daily lives, showing us what is most important, being together even though we’re apart.
I am the grandma who is retired and calls and FaceTimes with those I love.
Nurse practitioner went all out
— Julie Brown
No one who knows my sister-in-law ANNETTE BATZER will be surprised to learn she has used her incredible resourcefulness to keep us healthy through the COVID-19 crisis.
A nurse practitioner at Rogue Regional Medical Center’s advanced wound center, Annette is an essential worker whose job puts her in a high-risk group. In addition, Annette’s father is in his 90s and relies on caregivers who come into his home on a 24-hour-a-day basis, so he cannot self-quarantine.
Concern for her co-workers and for her father prompted her to seek a way to procure the hard-to-obtain face masks that prevent the wearer from getting the nasty virus. Annette and her sister, Debora McCready, decided they would make them.
Annette wanted to learn how to make a mask that would both reliably protect the wearer and could be made from readily Annette Batzer available materials. She enlisted the help of her daughter Rachel, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate, to research the science aspects. Then, Annette’s Mt. Ashland Ski Patrol buddies volunteered to become part of the research team.
Annette sewed a variety of styles and tried them out. She paid close attention to important considerations like the fi t of the mask and scientifi c concerns like the amount of air-fi ltered versus the amount of air-leakage. Annette decided on a “duckbill style” made from pipe cleaners and hair ties, and, most importantly, fi lter fabric usually used in furnaces — much more effective than cotton for stopping transmission of the virus.
— Anne Batzer
ROGUE VALLEY MANOR STAFF KEPT US WELL
By Maria-Cristina Page
People working at Rogue Valley Manor and at local nursing homes in this valley deserve to be named local heroes.
It is because of their dedication to their work that our beautiful Rogue Valley has not seen the devastation we have read affecting nursing homes in many other parts of the country.
I would like to honor as my local heroes every employee at Rogue Valley Manor who has been working hard to keep us residents healthy. We are around 970 people, from independent living to the most vulnerable, living at this campus.
It is remarkable that we have been and still are all well. That is because of this amazing group of people taking care of us. We love our RVM team. They have inspired us with their dedication to make our lives inside campus pleasant and worry-free.
RVM has been proactive from the beginning. In late February, our campus was closed to all nonessential visitors. When the governor declared the state in lockdown, checkpoints
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A banner outside Rogue Valley Manor displays the appreciation of the residents.
were placed at the two main entries to campus. New safety protocols were put in action, group activities were canceled and we started isolation in our own units.
Employees were reassigned, some keeping the entire campus sanitized and clean at all times. Cleaning of individual units was done following safety protocols. Food was delivered to our doors every day; this was a huge new task, requiring logistics and
coordination from food preparation to delivery.
Employees came day after day to their new work chores. Before their shifts, each one was screened and provided with mask and gloves to wear at all times while on the campus. Gardeners, cooks, cleaning, laundry personnel, food deliveries, technicians, janitors, maintenance, every single worker on the campus had to follow the same strict safety protocols, and we have not been aware of any complaints.
Every one of these individuals is my hero. Because of their dedication and hard work, we have stayed healthy and safe during this pandemic.
Maria-Cristina Page lives at Rogue Valley Manor.
A heartfelt Thank you! To all
ESSENTIAL WORKERS
From first responders to doctors, nurses, and healthcare providers who are working tirelessly as our first line of defense during these tough times. You are our heroes.
Rick E. McClure, DPM, FACFAS Jeffery D. Zimmer, DPM Michael A. DeKorte, DPM, FACFAS
Medford Foot & Ankle Clinic, P.C.
713 Golf View Drive, Medford • 541-770-1225 • www.medfordfoot.com
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VALLEY FAMILY PRACTICE TEAM DESERVES PRAISE
By Cindy Konecne
Iwould like to highlight and honor all the employees at Valley Family Practice. Because of their commitment and dedication to our patients, we have been able to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic, adjusting how we give care as needed.
This amazing group every day puts aside their own anxieties, worries and stress that we all are feeling and focuses on caring for our patients.
Starting with the reassuring and familiar voices of Debbie and Ashley on the phones, to Justine, Daisy and Rachael greeting everyone on arrival to our clinic with a smile, gently reminding everyone about social distancing.
There’s also the behind-the-scenes work of our biller Sonja, helping us all through the insurance maze, and Marie who can do anything you ask of her always with a smile. Joey and Chrisy, our lab and X-ray staff, give gentle, caring service, along with Hayden, our IT expert, with his mischievous, subtle humor.
Our providers: Scott making us laugh at just the right time; Karen with her quiet demeanor keeping the calm; Sita looks out for us all and the environment too; Christy, quick to break a smile showing off those granddaughters; Monique, our consummate decorator even during a pandemic; Mike being there for his patients, always listening. All are exceptionally dedicated to their patients and our staff.
The same is true of our individual medical assistants: Taylor, who has four boys so she knows how to be efficient; Danielle with her quiet humor; Tonya, dedicated, authentic and fun; Jessy, creative, compassionate and hard-working; Cari loves her babies (dogs and grandchildren); Melissa, a needed calming, reliable force.
Our office manager Dena makes it look so easy. She’s smart, sassy, outspoken, a needed leader.
These unsung heroes are devoted, loyal, dedicated to our community of patients not only during this historic time but at all times.
He saves lives & teaches others how to do it too
By Marc Bayliss
SCOTT DARLAND is an EMT/ paramedic for Mercy Flights. He is caring, compassionate, skilled and dedicated to helping everyone.
He wades into trouble spots and transports the sick and injured, calms their fears and starts them on the way to recovery.
He cannot talk a lot about his work — too many HIPPA rules. He is also a teacher, providing expert classroom instruction at College of the Siskiyous to EMT/paramedic students about intravenous intubation for first-responders.
He takes the time to visit (if he can) with responsive patients and always finds a way to make them feel hopeful and grateful.
It is his secret skill. He touches his patients in a human, compassionate way, but most of all he saves lives.
Going above and beyond the call of duty
By Anna Beauchamp
PAM MARSH has stood up for Southern Oregon every day of her tenure in the state Legislature.
She works tirelessly for solutions to our wildfire and smoke problems, our economic difficulties, and to make sure our voices are heard in the more populated parts of the state.
She listens to everyone and is always looking for ways to make a difference for all of us.
Her friendly, thoughtful and downto-earth style of hard work (often behind the scenes) should be a role model for all legislators.
We are lucky to have Pam Marsh working for us in Salem.
By Jenny Marie
TAMARA NICHOLS is the janitor at Southern Oregon Linen Service, which services local hospital linen.
She goes above and beyond her job to keep the place clean and sanitized for the safety of the company.
When COVID-19 started, the company laid off many of the workers, but Tamara was one who was an essential due to her job role to the company.
She has always gone above and beyond with her work, and during the pandemic she really shined.
Rethinking the Y to care for kids of essential workers
By Hugh Anderson
The Rogue Valley YMCA had to close down due to COVID-19 restrictions back in March. However, the Y did not go away.
Under the leadership of Executive Director BRAD RUSSELL, and along with a fantastic staff, the Y (in partnership with school districts) began child care services for essential workers.
People in the medical field, including police, firefighters and other first-responders, who had children who normally would be in school were pressed to find child care so they could be at their jobs.
Some 90 to 100 children per day were cared for by the Y staff under Russell’s leadership. This program was a model for other YMCAs around the country. With the Y slowly reopening, this program will continue along with the Y’s normal programming. Russell is providing the leadership needed for all of this to happen.
