News Stories Fri., Jan. 12, 2018

A report by an advocacy group says a liquefied natural gas pipeline and export facility proposed for southern Oregon would be the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the state. The Mail Tribune reports the anti-fossil fuels group Oil Change International claims the entire operation would produce more than 15 times the emissions of Oregon’s last coal-burning plant. Project spokesman Michael Hinrichs says the group’s report appears to make inaccurate comparisons.

Two children have died from the flu in Oregon. Health officials say 1 child died earlier this month and the other in December. The 2 pediatric deaths equal the state’s total from the last 3 winters combined.  Warm Springs I.H.S. and Community Health remind everyone that the best way to protect against the flu is to get a vaccination.  Flu shots are available at the IHS pharmacy and the Community Health office at the Health and Wellness Center.

Wellbriety is a term being heard more frequently as the Behavioral Health Center facilitates several classes and groups using the name. The Wellbriety court is a 36 week intense treatment program initiated by a court order. Wellbriety Celebrating Families is a 16-session class for families. The session beginning next week though is for parents only. You can reach out to Sarah Frank to find out more about it. And, the Wellbriety Warriors Accepting Recovery or WAR Meetings will begin on January 23^rd. It will meet Tuesdays and is a grassroots recovery and sobriety based social movement that utilizes the medicine wheel and twelve steps. The Warm Springs WAR meetings will be led by Orie Made and Aldo Garcia and they are open to anyone seeking sobriety and wellness.

The Aspen Institute’s Center for Native American Youth will celebrate its sixth cohort of CNAY Champions for Change through a series of recognition events in Washington, DC, next month. The 2018 Champions include Damien Carlos (Tohono O’odham Nation), Isabel Coronado (Muscogee Creek Nation), Shawna Garza (Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma), Anthony Tamez (First Nations Cree and Lakota) and 17 year old EllaMae Looney, who is a member of the Yakama Nation and lives in Pendleton. EllaMae advocates for language revitalization among Native youth in Oregon. She’s learning all three Native languages spoken in her tribal community – Walla Walla, Nez Perce and Umatilla – and is surveying Native youth to determine how to best deliver language lessons. EllaMae believes that language is a critical aspect of Native American identity.  CNAY Founder former U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan said the program was created to acknowledge the efforts of young Native leaders, support their growth and inspire other Native youth across the country to take action within their own tribal nations.”

Wellness of Warm Springs, also referred to as WOW, met Thursday for its monthly gathering and chose topics for the year. WOW lunches are open to anyone. They are held on the second Thursday of every month at the Family Resource Center and include a healthy lunch, a guest speaker and information that is beneficial to health. February’s topic will be heart health and in March – National Nutrition Month. Other topics scheduled for 2018 include Fire Prevention & Safety, Women’s and Men’s Wellness, Managed Care, Cultural Foods, Social Security and Geriatric Health.