By Brenna Wiegand
A recent donation from Silverton Health Foundation may spell fewer colds and flus for Silverton’s school kids this winter.
“We’ve had a special relationship with the school district for as long as I can remember,” Sarah Brewer, former president of Legacy Silverton Medical Center said. “We employ the school nurses and deploy them into the school district. The district pays for them but we employ them so they can keep up their credentials and all of that.
“Suellen Nida, one of our longstanding school nurses who’s a wonderful advocate for kids and community, asked if there was any way we could find some money in the budget to donate antibacterial wipes,” Brewer said. “She thought the classrooms could really benefit from these to prevent the spread of colds and flu this year. It wasn’t in the budget, but we asked the (Silverton Health) Foundation and they not only said yes but asked if we were sure that was enough.
“I’m just so pleased with how community-minded the Foundation is,” Brewer said. “It’s a very simple thing to help us prevent the spread of colds and flu during the season and I’m super glad we could do it.”
Silver Falls School District Superintendent Paul Peterson says fewer missed school days is great news for kids and academic achievement.
“We are so grateful for our partners at the hospital,” Peterson said. “This generous donation will surely help reduce the number of colds and missed school days.”
Each of the district’s 180 classrooms received two giant tubs which, by Peterson’s calculations, makes for a total of 57,600 germ-killing wipes.
“We’ll be able to wipe a lot of desks and doorknobs,” Peterson said.
“At every single employee orientation, we tell our story a little bit,” Brewer said. “Last year when the hospital celebrated its 100-year anniversary we did a little dive into the archives and pulled out the original Articles of Incorporation. You see that 100 years ago people paid $5 a share for the 1,000 shares needed for the first Silverton Hospital. The community needed this and they believed in the community and it’s our job to continue that in different ways.
“At Legacy Silverton we continue to be centered on how we can best support the community,” Brewer said. “It happens in different ways at different times; sometimes it happens silently and privately and sometimes it’s kind of a big splash, but I really love the way our community gives back.”
On Oct. 28 Brewer became Legacy Health’s vice president for Medicaid services, working out of Woodburn and covering Legacy’s service area from Vancouver, Washington, down through Oregon’s Marion/Polk County area.
“This is truly where I think I can be of the most service to our community right now,” the Silverton native said. “It’s well aligned with my passions and where I have felt my heart for the last decade and I really look forward to serving our community in a different capacity.”
