Gesa Credit Union, a long-time supporter and partner of the American Red Cross, announced a donation of $15,000 to support home fire preparedness, response and recovery efforts throughout Washington. The gift includes $5,000 to the local Red Cross chapter which serves families in Central and Southeastern Washington, as well as $2,500 each to the Red Cross Northwest Region and chapters headquartered in Spokane, Tacoma and Seattle.

“Gesa Credit Union is honored to support the American Red Cross with all the amazing work they do for our community,” said Angie Brotherton, Assistant Vice President of Community Relations for Gesa Credit Union. “It’s important not only for everyone to be prepared in case of a home fire, but for there to also be the right response and recovery efforts in place to help those affected.”

Home fires continue to be the most frequent disaster to which the Red Cross responds. Since January 1, Red Cross volunteers have helped over 1,100 people with critical basic needs like emergency lodging, financial assistance, and recovery planning following 305 home fires throughout the Northwest Region. In Central & Southeast Washington, the Red Cross has responded to almost 50 home fires and provided aid to 249 individuals.

"We are grateful for the partnership between Gesa Credit Union and the Red Cross. The Home Fire Campaign has saved at least 875 lives across the country since launching in 2014 and with Gesa's support, we will continue to help even more families in need," said local Red Cross Executive Director Michele Roth.

In addition to the financial donation, volunteers from Gesa Credit Union have been educating people across the Northwest region about home fire safety by offering FREE Homes Made Safer calls (by appointment). Anyone can request a free home fire education call by:

• Visiting redcross.org/nwhomefire
• Calling 1-833-918-1531

Trios Health, part of LifePoint Health, and Layton Construction celebrated a significant milestone in the construction of the new Trios Family Birthing Center unit – the placement of the final steel beam.

The occasion was marked with a “topping out” ceremony where Trios Health and Layton Construction employees came together to watch the placement of the final beam. Prior to the placement, Trios employees had the opportunity to sign the beam and leave their mark on the project.

“We are tremendously grateful to continue moving forward with construction and to be able to celebrate this milestone today,” said Chief Executive Officer John Solheim. “Construction is progressing quickly, and we are excited to continue to see the construction progress and welcome our Family Birthing Center to our Southridge campus next spring.”

The relocation of the Family Birthing Center has been made possible by a nearly $22 million investment from LifePoint Health.

“We are grateful for LifePoint’s substantial investment in our organization and community through this project,” Solheim said.
With the placement of the final steel beam, Layton Construction crews will now move toward working on the exterior perimeter and placing steel pans to begin pouring the concrete flooring.

“Getting the steel done is a huge milestone. It releases everything else to move to the next portions of the project,” said Chris Struckman, Project Manager. “We’re also working on phased renovations inside the hospital, including converting the existing med/surg into postpartum and constructing the new med/surg nurses station.”

The approximately 23,376 square foot, two-story addition is being constructed above the first floor Surgery Department and connected at the second and third floors of the current Southridge hospital. Approximately 9,970 square feet of existing space will be renovated throughout the course of the project. The new space, which will accommodate the current Family Birthing Center and Special Care Nursery, will bring all of Trios’ hospital services together in the same hospital.

“We opened the Trios Southridge Hospital in July of 2014, and seven years later, we are eagerly looking forward to being one hospital, under one roof,” Solheim said.

The Family Birthing Center addition will add two dedicated rooms for Caesarean Section deliveries, six Labor, Delivery, Recovery and Postpartum (LDRP) rooms, and a 10-bed Critical Care Nursery. With the addition being constructed adjacent to and within current hospital space, 11 existing beds on the medical/surgical floor will be converted to postpartum beds. The Southridge hospital’s licensed bed count will jump from 74 to 111 with the completion of the project, but the overall Trios bed count will not change with 37 beds being relocated from the Auburn campus to the Southridge campus.

A final draft of the Port of Kennewick’s Historic Waterfront District Master Plan is now online and open for community comment. 

The public can read the plan and offer feedback on the port’s website from May 26 through June 6. The port’s Board of Commissioners will consider adopting the Historic Waterfront District Master Plan at its June 8 commission meeting.

WHO:     Anyone interested in the redevelopment plans for Kennewick’s Historic Waterfront District
WHAT:   Review and comment on the Historic Waterfront District Master Plan being considered 
               for adoption by Port of Kennewick’s Board of Commissioners.
WHEN:   Review the proposed plan and comment online from May 26 through June 6;
                or provide comments at the June 8 commission meeting.
WHERE: kennewickhistoricwaterfront.org

Port of Kennewick’s Historic Waterfront District Master Plan will prioritize the next 15 to 20 years of activities, amenities and improvements for port-owned properties on Clover Island and Columbia Drive (Columbia Gardens Wine & Artisan Village, The Willows and Cable Greens).

Three earlier rounds of public engagement shaped recommendations contained in the final draft. This last round of public input will help ensure the master plan document follows a community-driven approach to redevelopment. 

Dr. Rachel Fidino, CEO and owner of New U Women’s Clinic and Aesthetics, is pleased to announce that Andrea Stevens is joining the practice to provide additional gynecological and genetics care.

Originally from upstate NY, and most recently from Seattle and Spokane, Andrea has had roles in both OB GYN private practice as well as tertiary medical centers.

She has vast experience in contraception care, comprehensive gynecologic care, preconception planning, gynecologic cancer risk assessment and preventive women’s wellness care.  Experience in high risk pregnancies has also contributed to a broad perspective towards inclusive care for women of all ages, backgrounds and experiences.  She has also been a preceptor for students from the University of Washington Medex program the last 2 years.  Prior to this, she was a labor and delivery traveling nurse since 2001 at several dozen hospitals throughout the country. 

Stevens has contributed to a National Position statement for Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health on Pre-Pregnancy Carrier screening and currently is on the Educational Advisory Board for comprehensive genetics with NPWH and has authored an article focused in integrating Carrier screening into Practice.  She is currently a consultant for Myriad Genetics.

Dr. Fidino is confident and excited to welcome Stevens to New U Women’s Clinic.  “Andrea’s qualifications are impressive. Her expertise will expand our resources and increase the level of quality care for women in our region.”

Andrea enjoys getting outside hiking, biking, traveling, gardening, and beekeeping in order to promote a healthy work life balance. She is looking forward to this next chapter of her career. “I am honored to be joining New U Women’s Clinic team with Rachel who has become an invaluable mentor and colleague along the way”. 

New U Women’s Clinic & Aesthetics offers a unique experience for women with specialized services that are not offered anywhere else in the Tri-Cities region. The Clinic is a one-stop solution to handle virtually every aspect of a female’s life. 

The Prosser Memorial Health Foundation Board has announced the (3) 2021 $2000.00 scholarship winners.
Prosser Memorial Health Foundation and its Auxiliary Volunteers raise funds through sales at the hospital’s gift shop. These funds are earmarked as scholarships for high school seniors pursuing higher education in the healthcare field. Members of the Foundation Board of Directors and Auxiliary Volunteers reviewed all applications taking into consideration the student’s grade point average, extra-curricular activities, community involvement, letters of recommendation and their financial need.

The 2021 Scholarship recipients are:
Grandview High School: Jari Tavira, who is planning to attend Heritage University and study to become a physician.

Prosser High School: Aspen Peters, who will be attending Eastern Washington University to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Her goal is to one day become a Registered Emergency Room Nurse.

Prosser High School: Grace Bestebreur, who will be attending Whitworth University to earn a degree and pursue her career goal of becoming an Occupational Therapist.

Congratulations to all three students! We look forward to seeing you back here at Prosser Memorial Health one day.
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“The Prosser Memorial Health Foundation Board and its Auxiliary Volunteers are excited to offer this scholarship opportunity to seniors in our community. We want to encourage and support students who are interested in a career in the healthcare industry whether that be as a doctor, nurse, or healthcare administrator – all play an important role in Prosser Memorial Health’s ability to deliver high quality, affordable healthcare to the communities we serve,” said Shannon Hitchcock, Foundation Executive Director.

The One Hanford Feeding Families Fundraiser held April 19-April 30 raised $47,200 to fight hunger in the Columbia Basin. 
 
Hanford prime contractors and their labor union partners supporting the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site hosted their 2nd annual online fundraiser to help Second Harvest respond to continued elevated demand for basic food needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Donations were used to help Second Harvest source and distribute healthy food to children, families and seniors facing hunger through its partner food banks, meal programs and mobile market distributions. 
 
John Eschenberg, President and CEO of Washington River Protection Solutions, highlighted the success of the campaign. “I want to thank those who generously donated to Second Harvest. Together we raised much needed funds to help our friends and neighbors.” 
 
Organizations involved in the fundraiser included Amentum, Bechtel, Central Plateau Cleanup Company, HPMC Occupational Medical Services, Hanford Mission Integration Solutions, Washington River Protection Solutions, HAMTC, and Central Washington Building Trades.
 
Donations are still being accepted at 2-harvest.org/onehanford.

The City of Richland has a vacancy for one (1) Board of Adjustment member. Board members participate in public hearings to hear, decide or deny appeals on applications for special use permits; variances to the regulations or restrictions in the Richland Municipal Code (RMC); and hear and decide on appeals to administrative interpretations of the city's zoning code.

Full details are available at www.ci.richland.wa/us/bccvacancies or by calling 942-7389. Applications are due by May 31. 

With the retirement of David Campbell, two new Directors, Russ Colombo and Martha Huber, have joined the Board of Directors of Baker Boyer Bancorp.

David Campbell had served on the Board of Directors at Baker Boyer since 1981. “Words cannot express how much we appreciate David and his 40 years of service and support through a time of unprecedented growth for Baker Boyer. We will greatly miss his insight and his historical knowledge,” remarked Megan Clubb, Chair, Baker Boyer Board of Directors.

Russ Colombo is currently serving as a Senior Vice President and Senior Business Advisor at Baker Boyer. He will be retiring from regular employment at the bank in July. As a native to Walla Walla and a graduate of Northwest Intermediate Banking School, his unique vision and experience are a huge benefit in gauging the success and viability of business ventures-regardless of the dimension or complexity. He is an expert in tailoring lending solutions to each individual situation and partnering with his clients and other areas of Baker Boyer to create a winning team.

Martha Huber has a deep background in business leadership and governance. She served on the board of J. M. Huber Corporation (Huber), a $2 billion industrial company entering its sixth generation of family ownership, for twenty years during a period of significant transition for the company, its board, and the Huber family. She has chaired Huber Corporation’s Audit and Finance Committee and presently co-chairs the Nominating and Evaluation Committee. Huber received her AB from Barnard College in 1978 and an MBA from Columbia Business School in 1982.

“We are pleased to add the unique talents of both Russ and Martha to our board. With 43 years of employment at Baker Boyer, Russ will complement the Board with not only business lending expertise, but intimate internal Baker Boyer knowledge. And Martha comes to us from a family-owned corporation that is very similar to Baker Boyer, but on a greater scale. We look forward to her unique outlook and contribution,” commented Clubb.

As the original Northwest Bank, founded over 150 years ago in Walla Walla, Baker Boyer has always been committed to strengthening our community. We have assembled a world-class team of local advisors with expertise in business lending,
succession planning, asset management, estate planning, and much more. Where many banks and other companies are reducing in-person services, Baker Boyer continues to prioritize personal interactions with offices in Yakima, Tri-Cities, and the
Walla Walla Valley.

Lourdes Health is pleased to announce that Monyay Green, Lourdes PACT Team Supervisor at Lourdes Counseling Center, has been recognized as the hospital’s 2021 Mercy Award winner. The Mercy Award recognizes one employee from each of LifePoint Health’s hospitals who profoundly touches the lives of others and best represents the spirit and values on which the company was founded.

The Mercy Award is an annual recognition program established in 2002 to honor the life and contributions of Scott Mercy, LifePoint’s founding chairman and chief executive officer. The award is considered the highest honor a LifePoint employee can receive.

“At Lourdes Health, we share LifePoint’s commitment to making communities healthier, and we recognize this is supported by the good work and service of our employees on and off the job,” said Joanie White-Wagoner, CEO of Lourdes Health. “We are extremely proud to recognize Monyay for his efforts on behalf of our patients and our community. He goes above and beyond each and every day to ensure that every person he encounters receives the highest level of care and compassion.”

Monyay is very involved in our community, serving on the Great Columbia Behavioral Health Regional Advisory Board, Hot Spotters, and Continuum of Care Committee. He also continuously represents Lourdes at various community meetings.

In 2008, Monyay was one of the recipients of the Lourdes Mission Award, which recognizes five Lourdes employees each year who live the Lourdes mission and values and inspire those around them to do the same with support, encouragement and challenges.
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Each hospital winner, including Monyay, will be considered for LifePoint’s 2021 companywide Mercy Award. The companywide winner will be announced this summer and honored during a ceremony in Nashville, Tenn., in August, to which Monyay and all hospital winners are invited to attend.

Baker Boyer is pleased to announce the reopening of several of our lobbies in a reduced capacity adhering to COVID-19 protocols. Beginning Tuesday, May 18th the following offices will be opened with limited hours of 12pm – 4pm: Walla Walla Main Office, Milton-Freewater Office, Tri-Cities Office and Yakima Financial Center. Meetings with advisors are by appointment only with virtual meetings strongly encouraged. Notary services are by appointment only. All Baker Boyer drive-thrus will remain open, including Plaza and Eastgate. Our Wheatland branch will remain open by appointment only.

“We are pleased to take this step to help clients with their banking and financial needs while ensuring we can provide a safe environment for clients and employees,” said Mark Kajita, President and CEO. “We see this as an important step to getting back to normal in the communities we serve. We will eventually re-open fully but are taking a methodical approach to ensure we can do it safely and in a way that is best for the community.”

The health of our employees and clients will remain a top priority to Baker Boyer as we open our lobbies to the public and thus we are continuing the masking and social distancing protocols.