Continuing support of community health events in 2024
In 2024, we continued our dental van sponsorship, vaccine clinics, car seat clinics, and sports physicals for community members. We also held cancer screenings through events like Reach the Beach and the Skin Cancer Screening in Seaside. We hosted another Regatta health fair, the Swim Across the Columbia with the Regatta, and sponsored the Great Columbia Crossing and Christmas Basket Program.
In addition, we donated to many local sports teams and created five $1000 scholarships for local high school students who plan to go into a health care field.
Reach the Beach
CMH partnered with the American Lung Association to bring “Reach the Beach Oregon,” a cycling event, to Astoria on Saturday, May 18. 2024 was the second year CMH sponsored the ride.
During the event, cyclists and bike riders traveled from Sauvie Island, Vernonia, Jewell or rural Clatsop County and finished their trek in Astoria at the Barbey Maritime Center along the Riverwalk.
CMH was the Community Wellness Sponsor of the event. To promote community wellness, CMH and OHSU experts joined forces to participate in a “Clear the Air for Lung Health” fair, which was offered to help people in the community and race finishers learn about their lung health and cancer prevention.
The fair featured a giant, inflatable set of lungs, for attendees to walk through and learn about services to help quit tobacco and vaping products; lung cancer prevention and screening; heart and lung benefits of exercise; and new local clinical trials. Attendees also connected with CMH and OHSU experts from Pulmonology and Radiology and could receive a free skin cancer screening from OHSU Dermatology.
Regatta
In August, CMH took part in a variety of events with the Astoria Regatta.
The Warrenton Clinic took part in the Warrenton Kids’ Parade on Thursday, August 8. It was the clinic’s third year participating. The Patient Connection Center created CMH’s Grand Land Parade float this year. Their creative Goonies-themed float won the Admiral’s Choice Award.
Many volunteers helped with the CMH-sponsored Regatta Square Block Party and Health Fair on Saturday, August 10. They hosted tables in the health fair, provided cancer education with the giant inflatable colon and offered a kids’ zone with inflatables and delicious food to the community during Regatta weekend.
CMH partnered with the Regatta for a new event this year, The Swim Across the Columbia. Dr. Paul Silka, Emergency Department medical director, led the charge in planning a safe and successful event. Dr. Silka, 14 other swimmers and their support teams successfully crossed the river on Sunday, August 11, raising money for the BuildCMH Expansion Project.
Skin Cancer Screening
CMH and OHSU held a free SPOTme® skin cancer screening on Saturday, September 30, at the CMH-OHSU Health Medical Group Clinic in Seaside.
The screening included Spanish-speaking interpreters in order to reach patients from the local Spanish-speaking community. More than 30 appointments were filled, with several patients referred for follow-up appointments.
Great Columbia Crossing
The CMH-OHSU Health Cardiology Clinic has proudly sponsored the Great Columbia Crossing 10K Run/Walk for more than 12 years. Last year, the race across the Astoria-Megler Bridge was held on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024.
During the annual event, 3,500 participants crossed the bridge, which is North America's longest continuous truss bridge. The run is always an opportunity for our community to get their hearts pumping and enjoy the unique views from an Astoria landmark.
Christmas Baskets
In 2024, CMH marked its seventh year sponsoring the Christmas Basket holiday food box program for Astoria and Knappa.
With the assistance of caregiver volunteers, the Food Drive Competition and additional financial support, we are glad to be a part of such an important community program.
The CMH Food Drive Competition held in November resulted in 5,500 food items being donated. This year, 55 caregivers and nine people from the Rotary Club of Astoria volunteered at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds to use the donations and put together 160 food boxes for families in need. They accumulated 220 volunteer hours, and their work helped a total of 735 people!
Boxes were filled with soups, canned veggies and fruits, dessert items, peanut butter and jelly, bread, fresh produce, and pantry staples like pasta, rice, flour and sugar. We even had 980 pounds of dry food that was donated to the Food Bank and more extra food that was donated to Astoria High School, Astoria Middle School and Warrenton High School.