Randall Children’s Hospital nationally recognized for excellence in surgery

Posted on by Sue Stringer

By Kristin Whitney

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has verified Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel as a Level 1 Children’s Surgery Center, making it one of two children’s surgical centers in Oregon to earn this prestigious validation.  

The Level 1 surgical verification was awarded because of Randall Children’s high-quality pediatric-specific surgical services, multidisciplinary team of world-class pediatric specialists and holistic approach to children’s surgery. Previously, Randall Children’s was the first hospital in Oregon and the first children’s hospital in the Pacific Northwest to receive the Level 1 pediatric trauma center verification by American College of Surgeons in 2017. 

“From the beginning, Randall Children’s Hospital was built with the needs of children and families in mind,” said Bronwyn Houston, president of Randall Children’s Hospital. “Randall Children’s treats over 100,000 children a year, and this achievement in pediatric surgery highlights the hospital’s expertise in providing the highest level of comprehensive care possible for every child.”

Randall Children’s is one of 21 surgical centers in the nation to achieve this elite verification from the American College of Surgeons. The process is rigorous, requiring surgical centers to meet essential criteria for staffing, training, and facility infrastructure and protocols for children’s care.

“Kids have unique physical and emotional needs,” said Cindy Gingalewski, M.D., medical director of children’s surgical services. “If your child requires surgery, you want to know that at every step of the way they are being treated by leading pediatric specialists who are committed to providing the highest quality care tailored for children.”

Some requirements and attributes of an ACS-CSV-verified pediatric surgical program include:

  • Pediatric-trained specialists including surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, radiologists and intensivists who are available to care for children 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • Children’s specialty surgeons in pediatric orthopedic surgery, pediatric neurosurgery, congenital heart surgery, pediatric plastic surgery, pediatric ophthalmology, pediatric otolaryngology and pediatric urology are required in Level 1 children’s surgical centers.  
  • Dedicated resources to take care of the most complex pediatric conditions.
  • Providing leadership in education to families, community pediatricians, and emergency personnel.
  • Participation in a national data registry that yields semiannual reports of quality for processes and outcomes and identifies opportunities for continuous quality improvements.
  • A robust research program that brings evidence-based science into clinical practice at the bedside.

Randall Children’s participates in ongoing performance improvement efforts to ensure each patient experiences the best possible surgical outcome from the emergency department to the inpatient rehabilitation program. Throughout the Pacific Northwest, Randall Children’s is known for its excellent communication with referring pediatricians and families.

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient by setting high standards for surgical education and practice. Longstanding achievements have placed the ACS in the forefront of American surgery and have made it an important advocate for all surgical patients.

About Legacy Health

Legacy Health is a locally owned, nonprofit health system driven by our mission to improve the health of those around us. We offer a unique blend of health services – from wellness and urgent care to dedicated children’s care and advanced medical centers – to care for patients of all ages when and where they need us across the Portland/Vancouver metro area and mid-Willamette Valley. With an eye toward a healthier community, our partnerships tackle vital issues such as housing and mental health. Legacy strives to help everyone live healthier and better lives, with the vision of being essential to the health of the region. For more information, visit www.legacyhealth.org.

Are you ready for the Big One? Earthquake Tech to the rescue!

Posted on by Sue Stringer

Steve Gemmell, the owner of Earthquake Tech, unexpectedly learned about seismic retrofitting 20 years ago. After getting out of college and living life as a ski bum in Colorado for a year, he was painting and refurbishing houses and ended up getting his contractor’s license. He bought his first fixer home in Portland in 1995 which was happened to be a real fixer-upper. Steve’s dad was familiar with the Cascadia Subduction Zone and suggested he get earthquake insurance. State Farm Insurance issued the policy with no questions asked. 

Fast forward to 1999 when Steve went to buy his second home and again approached State Farm to write the earthquake policy. They asked if the house was bolted down to the foundation.  Not familiar with the process, he talked to an engineer who explained to him how to make the right connections for the house. He bolted that house down to its foundation and was able qualify for the insurance policy.  An idea for a business was born… So why specialize in the retrofitting business? Steve says, “Seismic retrofitting requires way less trips to the hardware store compared to other construction/remodeling projects. I know exactly what I need and have all supplies at the ready which makes for a very efficient job.”

Seeing the importance of spreading the word for seismic reinforcement, Steve marketed his business to State Farm and the agents, in turn, would refer their insurance customers to Steve. Twenty years later, Earthquake Tech still markets to all insurance companies, home inspectors, real estate agents, and business associations, as well as offering continuing education to all those business segments and their agents.

“Earthquake Tech specializes in residential and commercial seismic retrofitting. We also run a group out of our headquarters called the Portland Resiliency Plan, a community effort bringing the message of preparedness to all walks of life and age groups in the city of Portland,” says Steve. Besides seismic retrofitting, Earthquake Tech offers many other services including full commercial and residential seismic upgrades, installation of basement staircases, egress windows and doors, staircase doors, and emergency gas shut off valves.

Earthquake Tech has recently purchased the building at 2310 N Kerby Ave just off N Russell Street and will host events here soon. Future events planned are Earthquake Tech sponsored talks by Steven Eberlein from Tipping Point Resilience on the Cascadia Subduction and earthquake preparedness. The Portland Resiliency Plan will also offer a program for business owners about creating resiliency plans/emergency plans after an earthquake, ice storm, etc.

 Many homeowners are seeing the value of retrofitting their homes and more businesses are also seeing the benefit because of the liability if an earthquake would cause damage and injury in an unreinforced building. So if you are concerned about the safety and resiliency of your home or building, want to talk about preparing your home or business for safety, or have questions about what steps to take, Earthquake Tech is the company to contact with their 20 years of experience. Check out their website for helpful information and tips, email for more information, or give them a call – the safety of your future may depend on it.

Earthquake Tech

2310 N Kerby Ave

503-282-4424 

Earthquaketech.com

contact@earthquaketech.com

Eliot Neighborhood Welcomes New Veterinary Practice

Posted on by Sue Stringer

By Alex Simpson

In January 2020,  Grateful Heart Veterinary Hospital started providing North and Northeast Portland with the highest quality, compassionate, and cutting-edge veterinary care.  Dr Katy Felton and her team opened a small animal practice at 3334 North Vancouver Ave. There is a rear entrance and ample parking at 107 N. Cook St, Suite B, right across from New Seasons and Mud Bay stores.

Dr. Felton’s focus is on comprehensive whole-life care of cats and dogs.  With over 13 years in practice, including her role as Medical Director of a thriving Portland clinic, Dr. Felton practices caring, high-touch, and customized medical care.She loves surgery and dentistry, and is a certified canine rehabilitation practitioner, bringing her care of seniors, athletes and pets recovering from procedures to a new level. She is bringing Portland’s best certified team of vet care professionals with her to North Portland. The entire staff is Fear Free Certified, dedicated to making veterinary visits as low stress as possible for pets and their families.

Stop by the clinic in January, visit our website at www.gratefulheartvethospital.com, or call us at 503-813-2050 to meet our team, see our vision, and share in the best veterinary experience possible.  We think anyone who loves their pets as much as we do will enjoy the gorgeous space, culture, and phenomenal care we’re bringing to North Portland and the Eliot neighborhood.

CANCELLED for 2020 but save the dates June 25-27, 2021: Good in the Hood Multicultural Music and Food Festival… Don’t miss it!

Posted on by Sue Stringer

The Good in the Hood Music and Food festival is the largest multi-cultural festival in the Pacific NW.  This three-day music festival opens with a community parade that travels through Northeast Portland and ends at Lillis-Albina Park.

The Good in the Hood festival is a community event that is staffed by community volunteers and funded by local businesses and organization sponsorships.  

The Good in the Hood Multicultural Music & Food Festival has become a historical annual event spearheading neighborhoods throughout Portland to engage in the momentum of our city as a whole in its celebration and the defining of Neighborhood.  Held annually the last weekend in June, its birth revealed a recognition and celebration of wealth within the neighborhoods we reside.  Holy Redeemer Catholic School was the vision that ignited the now celebrated Good in the Hood Multicultural Music & Food Festival.  For most of the years celebrating this event, Lillis Albina Park has carried on this vision to capture audiences from the North/Northeast community as well as communities throughout Oregon and Washington.  Last year we reached out to over 30,000 residents living within our Northeast Coalitions designated neighborhoods which many enjoyed two days of fun, music, food and festivities.  

This year’s festival is scheduled for June 26-28. 2020 celebration is cancelled but save the dates June 25-27, 2021 for next year’s celebration. For more information, schedule and vendor or volunteer opportunities go to Goodnthehood.org.