Progressive Options Open House

Progressive Options, the long-established service and advocacy agency for people with disabilities, is holding an open house Thursday evening [December 8] at its new downtown Newport office at 611 SW Hurbert Street, across the street from the Jonah’s Whale Thrift Store. The open house is from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.; board members, volunteers, and clients will be on hand to answer questions and hear suggestions and to serve the free holiday goodies.The agency serves people with disabilities of all kinds and all income levels, providing referral, peer counseling, advocacy, vocational assistance, and other services. Regular hours at the new location are 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday and drop-ins are welcome. The phone number is 541-265-4674.

 Report an error

Annual Native Plant Sale in December

The Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District’s Annual Native Plant Sale will run 10:00 – 4:00 December 2 and 3 at the JC Market parking Lot (Hwy 101 and Olive St.) There will be up to one thousand plants with over 30 native trees, shrubs, ferns and wildflowers for a whole range of riparian, garden and wildland choices. Most stock will be one gallon. All proceeds will support restoration efforts, low impact development projects like rain gardens, water quality monitoring throughout the County, native fish habitat inventory and many other great conservation based projects throughout Lincoln County. Call 541-265-2631 for further details.

 Report an error

School Nursing Program Expands

(L-R) Suly Lopez,RN, health assistant Cindy Olivieri, Julie Turner, RN (Photo: LCSD)

Lincoln County School District has expanded its nursing team with the hiring of Suly Lopez, R.N., B.S.N., of Newport, originally from southern California. Lopez will work with schools in Toledo and Lincoln City, joining Julie Turner, R.N., M.S.N., who will focus on Newport and Waldport. The District also employs a dozen health assistants at district schools, overseeing care for more than five thousand students. “I am pleased that Suly has joined our team,” said Turner, who herself was Oregon School Nurse of the Year in 2010. “She is a capable nurse with proven skills in multitasking, as evidenced by her work in the emergency room of our local hospital. That skill makes all the difference in the world in assessing needs and providing appropriate care. As a team, we ensure that students with medical needs can safely remain in the classroom and are ready to learn.” Turner said another plus for Lopez is her fluency in Spanish.

Among their responsibilities are assisting students who have existing or potential health problems. For example, a child diagnosed with diabetes may require daily multiple insulin injections and close monitoring of blood sugar levels. A special-needs student may require tube-feeding. Another student may have life-threatening asthma attacks. Other students may require the administration of medications.

Lopez is a registered nurse who gained experience in acute care and emergency nursing while working at Newport’s Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital. Previously, as a medical assistant, she floated through five clinics that provide care ranging from pediatrics to geriatrics, including dermatology and obstetrics. Lopez and husband Steve, who is in the Coast Guard, relocated to Newport from Astoria three years ago; they are parents to two daughters who attend Newport High and Newport Intermediate School.

 Report an error

Emergency Preparedness Class Offered

Newport Family Literacy and HELP Center are partnering with the Lincoln County Health Department and the American Red Cross to present a free Emergency Preparedness Workshop on Wednesday, November 30.

The one-hour program will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the former Yaquina View school building, 351 S.E. Harney Drive.Parents are welcome to bring their children, as fun activities are planned for them, as well.

For information, call 541-574-5824.

 Report an error

NOAA Fleet Joins Lighted Boat Parade

NOAA Fleet (Photo: Port of Newport)

The newly-arrived NOAA Pacific Fleet will join in the 18th annual Lighted Boat Parade in Yaquina Bay December 3, from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Boats depart from various docks along Newport’s Bayfront and South Beach Marina and circle the bay. The NOAA Pacific fleet will not tour, but will be lit up dockside, providing a backdrop to the parade as seen from the Bayfront side. Newport is home to the largest fishing fleet in Oregon and the Lighted Boat Parade always features a variety of watercraft, including Coast Guard search & rescue vessels, charter boats, fishing boats, sail boats and even sea kayaks. The event was the brainchild of retired crabber Don Mathews and his wife Fran, who is co-owner of Marine Discovery Tours. “It’s a feel good event for the boating community, as we help raise funds for our local hospital,” Fran Mathews said. “The decorating competition results in a variety of themes, lights, fireworks and even live music aboard the boats that surprise and delight the audience and judges each year.” Prizes are awarded through donations. This year’s grand prize is a hunting rifle, courtesy of Oregon Coast Bank, according to Mathews. People without their own craft can participate by patronizing Newport’s charter fleet. Parade registration fees and ticket sales go toward the annual Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital Foundation’s Festival of Trees event.

 Report an error