Oct 29, 2024 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: NW Natural
Winter is just around the corner, and as safety is one of NW Natural’s core values, we’re always looking ahead. That’s why we want to share the resources that are available to help keep NW Natural customers warm and safe this winter. We encourage you to share these resources with your constituents. You are welcome to copy and paste the resources below into any newsletter or communication you have with constituents in NW Natural’s service territory.* And please reach out if you have any questions.
Below NW Natural has shared three great resources available to customers to prepare for winter. If you are looking for any support, don’t hesitate to reach out to them.
Bill Discount Program
NW Natural’s Oregon Bill Discount Program can save income-eligible customers money every month on their gas bill. Depending on their income level, bill discounts can range from 15% to 80%+. To date, NW Natural has enrolled nearly 50,000 customers — helping to lower household energy bills in Oregon.
The application takes only minutes to complete online, by email, traditional mail, or over the phone. Proof of income is not required to apply. If you are interested in applying or learning more, you can find more information here, or call 503-226-4211 with any questions.
Winter weatherization kits
Weatherizing your home can help immensely with energy savings. And while home upgrades can be expensive, there are some quick, easy improvements you can make. We’ve assembled some of the top winter weatherization items into DIY kits that are available to NW Natural customers. These kits often include:
- Rope caulk
- Door sweep
- Outlet sealers
- Window insulation
- Weatherstripping tape
- Power bank
If you’re curious about getting a weatherization kit, you can reach out to us here. And, to be even better prepared this winter, click here to learn more about how your natural gas appliances can work in a power outage.
Winter Preparedness Fair
NW Natural will be hosting a Winter Preparedness Fair in partnership with The Community Services Network and City of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. The fair will be a family-friendly event where you can get more tips to prepare for winter weather, access to bill assistance programs, and learn about utility resource planning. Find access to nonprofit resources, healthcare signup, family activities, free lunch, winter coats, food boxes, home weatherization kits, energy education, bill discount opportunities, vaccinations and more. Food and more provided — bring the whole family!
Details
What: Winter Preparedness Fair
When: Saturday, November 16, 11:00 AM-2:00 PM
Where: Parkrose High School, Portland
For more information, visit the Winter Preparedness Fair website.
*NW Natural works in the following Oregon counties: Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Douglas, Hood River, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Wasco, Washington, and Yamhill.
Oct 29, 2024 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Energy Trust of Oregon
Working with Energy Trust of Oregon, counties across the state are making strides to achieve their local clean energy goals while reducing operating costs, freeing up funds for core services and becoming more resilient in the face of natural disasters.
Energy Trust is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people and communities thrive through more affordable clean energy solutions. For more than 20 years, it has helped customers save on their energy bills, reduce carbon emissions and improve local economies.
Projects completed in 2023 alone will save customers $761 million over the lifetime of the equipment based on expected energy savings and renewable generation. Funded directly by utility customers, Energy Trust serves customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas and Avista.
“As they say, when you’ve seen one county, you’ve seen one county. And likewise, energy needs also come in all shapes and sizes,” says Chris Lyons, Energy Trust’s senior manager of government and stakeholder relations. “That’s why we offer a variety of services for city and county governments based on their unique goals, concerns, geography and community needs.”
For many communities, the first step is energy planning to understand their local energy goals and energy management needs. Energy Trust can support these efforts with resources, community engagement and program design. For instance, in Deschutes County, Energy Trust worked with local organizations to support data collection and research on how other communities approach energy planning.
To help save energy, Energy Trust provides cash incentives, professional support and recommendations for solutions from adding insulation and upgrading lighting to replacing boilers and more. For new construction projects, it provides early design assistance, energy studies and expertise on how to construct a building with the most efficient technologies and methods, including net-zero energy construction.
“Whether in new or existing buildings, energy-efficient upgrades can create safer, more comfortable buildings that are also more affordable to operate,” says Lyons.
For renewable energy projects, Energy Trust provides project development assistance and installation incentives for rooftop solar systems, biopower projects at water resource recovery facilities and in-conduit hydropower projects at irrigation districts that generate clean electricity and deliver long-term savings. Here are some examples:
- Energy Trust provided early design assistance and other energy-efficient features for a major renovation of the Clatsop County Jail. The county received more than $20,600 in cash incentives for an estimated annual energy cost savings of over $6,900.
- The City of Redmond worked with Energy Trust to replace the roof on a city warehouse and install new insulation, which qualified for nearly $55,000 in cash incentives, zero out-of-pocket costs and an estimated annual energy cost savings of over $33,800.
- Energy efficiency and renewable energy projects can also help communities mitigate and adapt to the increasing prevalence of climate-related events, including winter storms, wildfires and heat waves. “We help communities identify strategies that work for them, like adding renewable energy and battery storage for backup power, using fire-resistant building practices and installing energy-efficient cooling for extreme heat,” said Lyons.
- Improvements can help sustain critical infrastructure and core municipal services. That’s the case in Beaverton, where the city worked with Energy Trust to ensure its public safety center—housing its police and emergency management department—is energy resilient and remains operational, even during power outages or emergencies such as an earthquake.
Want to learn how Energy Trust can help your community? Visit our booth at the AOC Annual Conference to connect with members of the Energy Trust team.
See more stories of clean energy solutions at www.energytrust.org.
Oct 29, 2024 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: iSector
Oregon’s rural communities face long standing challenges in seizing economic opportunities and maintaining the capacity to manage critical public services. Despite the availability of unprecedented federal, state, and philanthropic resources, many rural cities and counties lack the infrastructure and expertise to navigate complex funding systems and implement vital projects, such as water and wastewater improvements or affordable housing initiatives.
The 2024 NW Rural Investment Strategy Summit, part of a broader initiative to address these gaps, brought together over 450 participants from across Oregon, including leaders from philanthropy, financial institutions, nonprofits, and state and federal agencies. The summit’s goal was clear: to develop a strategy ensuring that historic federal investments not only flow into rural Oregon but also catalyze sustainable, long-term growth in these underserved areas.
One of the key outcomes of this ongoing effort is the creation of the Oregon Rural Investment Strategy Partnership. This partnership, a collaboration between iSector, USDA Rural Development, the Association of Oregon Counties, League of Oregon Cities, foundations, and representatives of Oregon Business, aims to design a co-investment framework that aligns public, private, and philanthropic resources for rural communities. The goal is to enhance local capacity, provide technical assistance, and ensure that communities can access and manage the resources they need to thrive.
A pivotal next step that is under construction is the development of a hub or center for technical expertise and resource coordination. Working with organizations that serve rural Oregon, this could support rural cities and counties by providing access to project managers, public works, and planning professionals to assist with essential infrastructure and community development needs. To further accelerate on-the-ground action, it could also include a Community Leverage Fund which could enable cities and counties to offer incentives for collaborative, multi-sector projects.
The Summit and these ongoing initiatives underscore the importance of rural communities to Oregon’s economic future. By building the capacity of these regions and fostering collaboration, we can help them seize opportunities that will sustain their resilience and growth for years to come.
To learn more visit https://isector.org/partnerships/rural-investment-strategy-risp/.
For any questions or to connect with us, please email rural@isector.org.
Sep 24, 2024 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Metro West Ambulance
Emergency! Help, Call 911! We all hope to never need an ambulance for ourselves or loved ones. Let’s be frank, when it comes to ambulances, most of us just don’t want to think about it. Right up until one is needed at the worst moment in our lives. At Metro West Ambulance and our Family of Companies we are incredibly proud to be the trusted EMT’s and Paramedics multiple counties have chosen to answer calls for help in communities across Oregon 24 hours a day, every day.
As the largest provider of rural emergency medical services and ambulance transport in Oregon we provide access to sophisticated emergency care, as well as behind the scenes but we also provide critically important hospital to hospital transport, critical care transport, and wheelchair transportation. Metro West Ambulance may well be the provider in your community. Our Family of Companies has grown since its’ beginning 71 years ago in Washington County. Through the years we’ve welcomed Medix Ambulance, Clatsop County; Pacific West Ambulance, Lincoln County; Woodburn Ambulance, Marion County; Mid-Valley Ambulance, Lane County; Umpqua Valley Ambulance, Douglas; Bay Cities Ambulance, Coos County, and our newest addition, Pioneer Ambulance, Baker County. All a part of our second generation Oregon family owned business.
Together these companies responded to over 100,000 calls for service last year alone. That is a tremendous contribution to the patients we serve and health care systems of Oregon. While many of these were emergencies that needed life-saving care immediately, many others were moves from one hospital to another for specialized care, or wheelchair transportation for a disabled US Veteran needing to get to an essential medical appointment. Our medics provide hospital at home services and one of our locations operates a non-emergency medical transportation brokerage. We partner with county health departments and others to provide vaccinations and other procedures. Just a few examples of our range of services. Each essential for patients to get the care they need.
Accomplishing this is no easy task. Of course we need facilities and equipment. Most importantly we need highly trained, committed and compassionate employees. An experienced leadership team ties it all together.
Each ambulance is an approximately $300,000 emergency room on wheels including medical equipment and supplies such as self-loading stretchers to prevent back injuries, cardiac monitors, external pace makers, hospital ventilators, life-saving drugs, and mechanical CPR devices just to name a few. Our three dispatch centers are all tied together and share IT infrastructure and data allowing us to coordinate activities and conduct quality assurance with data from every patient encounter system wide. We have clinical oversight from our Physician Medical Directors at each company who are assisted by training officers.
Each company, whether it is Bay Cities Ambulance in Coos County, Pioneer Ambulance in Baker County, or any of the others, operates independently with a local manager who has broad latitude to make decisions appropriate for their community. Metro West provides support for these local mangers in four key areas; patient billing, finance, information technology, and payroll/benefits coordination. Decisions about specialized equipment or medications to carry, staffing levels, and unique training needs for example are made locally. County Commissioners and the Ambulance Service Area Plans they regulate are the glue that holds these systems together.
Metro West and the whole Family of Companies are proud that as a family owned business we do all this without tax support. All of our hundreds of employees, whether they be EMT, Paramedic, Nurse, Dispatcher, or Administrative, wake up every day ready to answer the next call for help.
Contributed by: Shawn Baird, Metro West Ambulance
Aug 30, 2024 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Hinge Health
Hinge Health offers customized and more convenient approach to treat joint and muscle pain. Unlike traditional programs, Hinge Health uses technology to give you a personalized plan, live feedback during exercises, and a team of dedicated experts to support you every step of the way. And the benefits don’t
stop there!
Join Hinge Health by enrolling at hinge.health/cisoregon-newsletter2
Join over 800,000 members who have experienced an average of 68%* reduction in pain and gotten back to doing what they love with the Hinge Health program.
Questions? Hinge Health is here to help!
To talk to a member of the Hinge Health support team, call 1-855-902-2777 or email help@hingehealth.com.
*Participants with chronic knee and back pain after 12 weeks. Bailey, et al. Digital Care for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: 10,000 Participant Longitudinal Cohort Study. JMIR. (2020)
Participants must be 18+ and enrolled in a CIS Oregon medical plan administered by Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon. Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon is an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Hinge Health® is a separate and independent company that provides services for CIS members enrolled in a CIS Benefits medical plan administered by Regence.
Aug 30, 2024 | AOC Business Partner
(The Sunset Valley Fire burned agricultural fields south of The Dalles in July 2021. Photo by Jacob Powell)
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: OSU Extension Service
Wasco County has been designated as “very high risk” for wildfire, making it a higher risk than 95-100% of other communities in the United States.
Because of this, Kayla Bordelon, the Oregon State University Extension Service regional fire specialist for the Willamette Valley and north Cascades, made Wasco a top priority.
And that is not just talk: Bordelon and other local and regional collaborators have been awarded a nearly $6 million grant for the county through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which designated a $1.5 billion investment into wildland firefighting and wildfire resilience.
“Building this funding proposal was definitely a labor of love for the handful of us on the grant writing team,” said Bordelon.
Bordelon is a member of OSU Extension’s Fire Program, created in 2019 to support community and landscape wildfire resiliency across Oregon. She joined the team in 2022 after completing a Ph.D. in environmental science with a focus on fire education from University of Idaho.
A substantial component of the grant funding will create and fund a full-time, countywide wildfire coordinator position with Wasco County. “One of my long-term goals is to build local capacity to coordinate wildfire resilience efforts in the nine counties I serve,” said Bordelon. “My number one priority for this grant was funding this county coordinator position. Investing in people allows us to do more work together.”
The rest of the funding will be spread among several sub-awardees including Wasco County Planning Department, the Oregon Department of Forestry, and OSU Extension and includes projects such as creating defensible space around homes to clearing roadside vegetation that is susceptible to sparking or carrying wildfire.
OSU Extension will lead a project to complete a fuels and forest health assessment of 80,000 acres of private, non-industrial forestland in the county. (Fuel is any material that burns in a fire. In the forest, fuel is vegetation such as grasses, shrubs and trees.)
In this assessment, Bordelon said they will be asking questions like: “What species composition is here? Is it healthy? Is it over-stocked with fuels? Do we have a lot of dead and down fuels on the ground?” This information will help identify areas that need restoration and management. “We can look across this whole landscape and say: Wow, we have this many acres of forestland that are high priority for restoration,” she said.
Since this level of detail is not common for private land “it gives landowners more personalized information about management options while also providing county wildfire practitioners with a widespread picture of forest conditions,” Bordelon said.
With that knowledge, county partners are better prepared to ask for state and federal funding. “We will have a really good sense of exactly what needs to be done and where,” said Bordelon. “That makes us more competitive for federal and state dollars.”
Welcoming community
On her first trip to southern Wasco County, Bordelon described how enthusiastic and welcoming the community was. “I went to the town of Wamic, super small town, population 52 to support a community meeting and gather community input on fire resiliency priorities,” Bordelon said. “I showed up hours before the meeting because I wanted to be prepared and didn’t know what to expect.”
When she walked inside, she found “a dozen or more people in The Grange kitchen making lunch for a huge crowd.”
“Community members wanted to be helpful,” she said. The turnout for the meeting ended up being over 100 — doubling the town’s population. “I was very heartened by the engagement.”
Looking forward, Bordelon is working to get similar grants for the other counties she serves. Because of its high-risk status, Wasco County was “an obvious place to start for me, but Wasco is also just the beginning,” she said.
Bordelon’s goal is to help strengthen the counties she works with, so they are best prepared for wildfire before it happens. “In many rural areas, fire departments and wildfire agencies are understaffed or are run by volunteers” she said. “They don’t always have the capacity to write and manage federal grants. By building a coalition and doing it together, we help everyone out.”
See more stories from OSU Extension: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/impact
Contributed by: Henry Carnell | OSU Extension Communications Specialist
Residents attend wildfire input meeting in Wamic in 2023. (Photo by Kayla Bordelon)
