Stop the Stigma – Local psychiatrist offers annual scholarship

January 2023 Posted in Your Health | Comments Off on Stop the Stigma – Local psychiatrist offers annual scholarship

By Melissa Wagoner Normalizing mental health challenges has long been a priority of Audry Van Houweling, a Nurse Practitioner and owner of She Soars Psychiatry in Silverton and Sisters, Oregon.  “[M]ental health is not something that happens in the silos of healthcare ...

Diminishing options – Strained medical practices present challenges

December 2022 Posted in Your Health | Comments Off on Diminishing options – Strained medical practices present challenges

[caption id="attachment_12281" align="alignright" width="410"] The former Family Medical Group of Silverton office now open under Legacy Medical Group – Silverton Family Medicine management. Pictured: Whitney Rumgay (Clinic Manager) and Christina Rosborough (Director Medical Group Primary Care for Legacy Health).[/caption] By Melissa ...

Your Health: Doctors, state officials urge return to indoor mask use

December 2022 Posted in News, Your Health | Comments Off on Your Health: Doctors, state officials urge return to indoor mask use

Seasonal caseloads of flu and respiratory viruses coupled with the continuing presence of COVID-19 have led a group of Portland-area physicians and state officials to urge a return to indoor mask use. Masks and the prevalence of seasonal illnesses on hospitalization ...

Children’s health, globally – Pediatric dentist creates nonprofit

October 2022 Posted in Community, Travel, Your Health | Comments Off on Children’s health, globally – Pediatric dentist creates nonprofit

[caption id="attachment_11960" align="alignright" width="325"] Evaline Achieng, left, a nursing student sponsored by Acorn Kids International with Kenyan AKI student Vivian, far right, and her mother.[/caption] By Melissa Wagoner When Dr. Tim Richardson was in dental school at the University of Washington, he ...

Silverton nurse gifts grant to Bridgeway

October 2022 Posted in Community, People, Your Health | Comments Off on Silverton nurse gifts grant to Bridgeway

[caption id="attachment_11954" align="alignright" width="283"] Holly Perez[/caption] By Melissa Wagoner When Silverton-based nurse Holly Perez received a call from the Maps Community Foundation informing her she had just been chosen a Community Award recipient for 2022, she was caught off guard. “My daughter Sofia nominated ...

Detectable – Silverton wastewater data on COVID-19 presence open to public

July 2022 Posted in Your Health | Comments Off on Detectable – Silverton wastewater data on COVID-19 presence open to public

By Brenna Wiegand In some ways more telling than tracked test results, the prevalence of COVID-19 in a community may be seen in its wastewater. Though Silverton has been taking samples and sending them to Oregon State University’s School of Chemical, Biological ...

Groundbreaking: Silverton medical center starts $35 million expansion

July 2022 Posted in Community, Your Health | Comments Off on Groundbreaking: Silverton medical center starts $35 million expansion

By Brenna Wiegand When Silverton Hospital affiliated with Legacy Health six years ago, the health care company committed to making significant improvements toward optimizing the medical center’s ability to provide top-notch health care for Silverton and surrounds. [caption id="attachment_11656" align="aligncenter" width="481"] Legacy ...

Reimagining care – Legacy appoints a Chief Medical Officer for Silverton

April 2022 Posted in Community, People, Your Health | Comments Off on Reimagining care – Legacy appoints a Chief Medical Officer for Silverton

By Brenna Wiegand Christopher Thoming, MD, MBA, has been selected to serve as the vice president and chief medical officer for Legacy Silverton Medical Center. Dr. Thoming will work closely with Legacy Silverton Medical Center President Jonathan Avery and Chief Nursing ...

Casting a long shadow – Community members share experiences after two years of COVID

April 2022 Posted in Community, Your Health | Comments Off on Casting a long shadow – Community members share experiences after two years of COVID

By Melissa Wagoner It’s been two years since the COVID-19 pandemic began. And while we still have not reached the “end” (wherever that may be) Our Town asked readers to describe what the pandemic era been. “My best friend’s marriage fell apart ...

MASD going mask-optional March 14

March 2022 Posted in School, Your Health | Comments Off on MASD going mask-optional March 14

By Stephen Floyd The Mt. Angel School District plans to go mask-optional March 14 after state regulators changed a deadline the district expected to fall at the end of the month. Oregon lifted its mandate on masks in public school buildings March ...

From PCT to LMT – Adventure on Pacific Crest Trail leads to new business in Silverton

March 2022 Posted in Business, Community, People, Your Health | Comments Off on From PCT to LMT – Adventure on Pacific Crest Trail leads to new business in Silverton

By Melissa Wagoner When 21-year-old Anna Koch set off to finish hiking the second half of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2020 – a journey that began the year before when she hiked 1,800 miles of the 2,650-mile trail stretching between ...

Transition planning – Silver Falls district going mask-optional March 31

February 2022 Posted in School, Your Health | Comments Off on Transition planning – Silver Falls district going mask-optional March 31

By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District has chosen to become mask-optional after statewide mask mandates are lifted March 31. The district board voted six-to-one Feb. 14 to direct Superintendent Scott Drue to draft policies transitioning away from mask mandates that ...

Looking for answers – Mt. Angel takes measured approach to un-masking

February 2022 Posted in School, Your Health | Comments Off on Looking for answers – Mt. Angel takes measured approach to un-masking

By Stephen Floyd The Mt. Angel School District is taking a more cautious approach than its neighbors ahead of the March 31 deadline to lift indoor mask mandates in Oregon schools. While the Silver Falls and North Santiam school districts voted to ...