Blog: Liz Cawood

Since opening a year ago, Cascade Health Solutions has helped hundreds of individuals and families gain access to affordable primary health care, preventative services and mental health services. Recently, the nonprofit Primary Care Clinic began to focus on helping employers provide this benefit to their employees.

“When you have asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure or other chronic health conditions, you need regular check-ups,” says Carol Crocker, family nurse practitioner at Cascade Health Solutions Primary Care Clinic. “When you treat the symptoms of these types of conditions, you’ll find that people miss less work, are more productive, and much happier on the job.”

This low-cost primary health care option fills a gap for employees who don’t have health insurance but earn too much to qualify for other low-cost health care programs. The cost is $40 to 45 per month, with a $20 fee per office visit. Another 12 months of age or older may be covered, if the individual is not eligible for or covered by Medicare. Employers can call (541) 228-3123 to learn more about this affordable solution to providing health care for employees.

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When Seneca Sustainable Energy celebrated the operation of its renewable energy heat and power plant, the media didn’t focus on the fact that it would be generating firm power. It will produce 19.8 megawatts of electricity that will be sold to EWEB and will meet the annual energy needs of 13,000 local homes. The power is firm because it won’t be affected by weather conditions, like solar and wind are.

“Our community, state and country are interested in using sustainable sources of energy, and woody biomass, created by solar energy through photosynthesis, is recognized as one of the best, particularly in the Northwest,” said Rick Re, Seneca’s General Manager. “Plus, the more renewable energy we can produce locally, the less reliant we will be on fossil fuel for our local energy needs.”

“One of Oregon’s greatest economic assets is our natural resources,” said former Governor Ted Kulongoski. “This facility represents a new era for Oregon’s natural resource-based economy. By bridging the legacy wood products industry with the future of our renewable energy industry, it creates jobs, reduces global warming and develops new sources of clean energy for Oregon communities.”

The $50 million project started producing electricity in February. Seneca employed approximately 90 workers during the construction phase, which took over 15 months to complete. In addition, 11 new permanent family wage jobs were created.

Seneca produces enough woody biomass from its own sources to fuel the facility: byproducts (bark, sawdust and shavings) from mill operations and forest residue from its managed forestlands. Its mills are currently supplying 75 percent of the biomass for the new facility.

Of the plant’s $50 million cost, $11 million was spent on emissions control technology. It was built to exceed all Federal, State and local emission standards and uses cutting-edge technology for generating energy from woody biomass, making it the cleanest plant in America.

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Welcome Lindsey Kate!
Lindsey’s a senior at UO, and she’ll be graduating in June. This summer she’ll intern with us and help with the Komen Race for the Cure, which is scheduled for Oct. 23.

Now’s the time to buy a Mercedes!
With a 1.9% interest rate, don’t wait any longer. Go see the great new Mercedes-Benz vehicles at 2200 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The trip is worth it just to see the newly remodeled dealership.

Welcome, Kadel’s Auto Body.
The Northwest’s oldest auto body shop comes to Eugene June 1. Here’s a sneak preview of Kadel’s busboards. You’ll appreciate the painless dent relief – and it will be easy, fast and right! What could be better?

Spend July 4th listening to Sha Na Na at Light of Liberty.
Get over to Island Park in Springfield for Springfield Utility Board’s annual celebration of our country’s independence. You’ll also here Brooks Robertson and Mystery Train. What a line up! Tickets are only $5 in advance and $7 at the gate. Kids 5 and under are free. Get them at SUB, 250 A Street, or Jerry’s Home Improvement beginning June 20.

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Whether you’re writing a blog, posting a tweet or sharing on Facebook, you want someone to listen to you. Your challenge is not much different from getting the attention of reporter at the local paper or TV station.

To make your message heard, first, ask yourself why should anyone be interested? To get people to pay attention, you have to make sure what you say interests them.

Always put the why upfront. In the first sentence. In the headline. Be bold. Remember, first impressions rule the day when it comes to communication and being heard.

Then, focus on the who and write for them. Know your audience. Make it interesting. Be relevant. Be timely (old news is old). Be useful.

When you communicate with a reporter, you have to impress that person to get your message out to a larger audience. With social media, you have to engage every person one-at-a time.

If you want me to listen, speak to me about what I care about – whether I’m a reporter or I follow your tweets. Then, you’ll capture my attention.

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Think ice cream cones
Many Dari Mart stores feature scooping stations where you can get a cone with your favorite ice cream. We created these signs, just in time for summer (at least we hope it’s coming). When you feel like a tasty break, stop at a store near you. See locations to find stores with cones and other features.

Sign up for the Business Commute Challenge
We did it last year, and we were one of the top teams. The Challenge is coming up, May 14-20, and we’ve already signed up. So far there are 59 teams and 356 participants. Why not join us? Think about leaving your car at home that week. Walk, bike, ride the bus, skateboard or carpool to get to work. Hey, you could even telecommute, though you’d miss your work buddies. It’s easy to participate.

Learn more about Willamette River Bridge on its blog
A bridge with a blog? That’s right! Wonder what's up with the bridge or have a question? You'll likely find your answer on the blog. It covers everything from arch ribs to work zone safety. Plus, there are some cool construction photos.

 

Easy to access pollen counts
Have allergies? Check out this handy pollen counter by Oregon Allergy Associates (OAA). Bookmark the page and check back often. Counts are measured at OAA and posted daily.

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