Local businesses are the lifeblood of our community. The Mid-county Memo offers this section to our business neighbors for news, advancements, promotions, expansions and other noteworthy events to be shared with the community at-large. Business Memo submissions for the November issue are due by Wednesday, Oct.15. For best results, email Darlene Vinson at editor@midcountymemo.com. You may also mail submissions to 3510 N.E. 134th Ave., Portland, OR 97230. To leave a phone message, dial 503-287-8904. The Mid-county Memo fax number is 503-249-7672.
Store goods close to home
Mark Coats, operations manager at Fort Knox Mini-Storage, leads a team of committed moving and storage professionals who are ready to serve you at its Parkrose location, 5530 N.E. 122nd Ave.
Whether you need a small closet space for storing seasonal items or a secure, dry 10 by 40 foot unit for a whole household of goods, Fort Knox Mini-Storage has been serving its Parkrose neighbors since 1999. Vehicle storage is no problem either. Tuck your convertible or motor home away for the winter with Coats crew. They thrive on providing stellar customer service.
Through its affiliation with U-Haul, Fort Knox Mini-Storage has access to a fleet of vehicles to fit any size load and rounds out the service with a wide range of boxes, totes, straps and packing materials.
Twice recognized at a Top 100 U-Haul dealer nationwide, you can trust Fort Knox Mini-Storage with any moving or storage challenge, big or small. Contact Coats at 503-252-7171.
Leader in chiropractic care celebrates 110 years
University of Western States celebrates 110 years of leadership—the last forty in Mid-county’s Russell neighborhood—in educating health care professionals.
COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN STATES
Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber recently signed a proclamation declaring October 2014 as “Oregon Chiropractic Health and Wellness Month.”
The proclamation comes as University of Western States celebrates 110 years of leadership in educating health care professionals. The university, founded in 1904, was the first educational institution offering a doctor of chiropractic degree in Oregon. The university has expanded over the past 110 years, now offers a master ’s degree in exercise, and sports science with four new concentrations: human nutrition, functional medicine, diagnostic imaging as well as a massage therapy certification program.
The proclamation, signed on Aug. 25, cites some impressive data for Kitzhaber’s decision to focus on chiropractic physicians as primary care providers “specializing in spinal manipulation, but also on health promotion and wellness.”
“A seven-year prospective follow-up study analyzing 70,274 member-months of patients managed by doctors of chiropractic resulted in an 85-percent reduction in drug costs, 62 percent reduction in MRIs and surgeries, 60.2 percent reduction in hospital admissions, and a 59 percent reduction in hospital stays,” writes Kitzhaber.
While these numbers do tell a story of efficient health care, in a time when there is much scrutiny of this subject, it’s also affirmation that UWS lives by its motto “for the good of the patient.”
“Since our beginning in 1904, we have consistently delivered the finest integrative health care education available. And we are proud that the work of past faculty members, founders and distinguished alumni is being recognized,” Dr. Joseph Brimhall, president of UWS said. “We are truly honored that the governor recognizes the benefit of chiropractic care for patients. This dedication to patients and their care is what drives UWS.”
The UWS 110-year anniversary celebration is culminating during the weekend of Oct. 10 through 12 with the 15th annual NW Symposium held on the UWS campus at 2900 N.E. 132nd Ave., in the Russell neighborhood. The event is designed for integrated health care professionals exploring the latest research, with clinical lectures and essential information on clinical care. The keynote speaker is Dan Murphy, a UWS alumnus. He will be discussing the keys to longevity in a talk entitled “Longevity: Chiropractic—Nutrition—Exercise: The Science and Habits for Maximizing the Length and the Quality of Life.” Chiropractic physicians and other health care professionals can find out more and register at www.uws.edu/event/nw-symposium. UWS was founded in 1904 and has been in continuous operation in Portland since then. To find out more about the history of the university, visit the UWS history website. For more information on UWS program and current news, please visit our website at www.uws.edu.
New farmer program provides launch pad
East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District is accepting applications for the Headwaters Farm Incubator Program through Oct. 30. The Headwaters Farm Incubator Program was established in 2012 with the goal of providing leased farmland to motivated, experienced individuals who would use it as a launching pad to start their own farming business. The farm also serves as a demonstration site for agricultural conservation practices, illustrating how farms can increase yield while protecting or enhancing local natural resources. The program has had a very successful first two years, with this last year seeing a growing number of participating farms and farmers, improved and expanded facilities and higher sales from the farms.
New farmers looking to start their own business often face a combination of financial, cultural and institutional barriers. These barriers often consist of a lack of access to capital, training and farm networks. In Oregon and nationwide, these issues are compounded by an aging farmer demographic. The Headwaters Farm Incubator Program seeks to help new farmers overcome these barriers by providing low-cost land, infrastructure and equipment to program participants, while also assisting with business development, training opportunities and a peer-support network.
Headwaters Farm is a 60-acre property in the town of Orient that is owned and managed by EMSWCD. When it was purchased, the property showed significant soil quality, erosion and invasive weed problems. With the work EMSWCD staff and incubator farmers have put in since then, the quality of the soil has improved, runoff issues have been greatly reduced and the volume and quality of yield has increased. The program has also received national attention, including being chosen as the site for the 2014 National Farm Incubator Training Initiative’s Field School.
Contact Rowan Steele, farm incubator manager, with any questions about Headwaters Farm or the Farm Incubator Program and to apply at Rowan@emswcd.org or 503-935-5355. Learn more about the program at emswcd.org/farm-incubator/.
