NEWS RELEASES
Legacy Oregon Burn Center hosts free inaugural Burn Prevention Fair February 2, 2025, during National Burn Awareness Week
PORTLAND, Ore., January 21, 2025 - Burn risks exist in every living space, from homes to apartments to temporary shelters. During National Burn Awareness Week, February 2–8, 2025, the Legacy Oregon Burn Center (OBC) hosts an inaugural burn prevention fair to raise awareness about preventing burn injuries and fires in the home. The public is invited to join the OBC and local fire prevention agencies at this free event.
Legacy Oregon Burn Center Safety Fair & Chili Cook-Off
Date: Sunday, February 2, 2025
Location: Portland Expo Center 2060 N. Marine Drive Portland OR 97217
Time: Noon – 4 pm Free and all age-friendly
Most burns are preventable. "Scald injuries are the top burns we treat at the Oregon Burn Center,” says Erin Horrax, nurse educator for the OBC. “Of these, over 80% are children." Horrax says spilling a hot cup of tea or coffee on the skin or too hot tap water can result in burns that require months of treatment, extensive surgeries, and hospital stays. Afterward, patients can have years of healing, therapies, and repeat surgeries.
Additional key prevention tips include:
- Kitchen Safety: Store flammable items away from heat, turn pot handles inward, and never leave cooking food unattended.
- Bathroom Precautions: Set your water heater below 120°F and supervise children in the bath.
- Sleeping Areas: Extinguish candles before sleeping and keep heat sources away from fabrics.
- General Home Safety: Test smoke alarms regularly, charge devices safely, and store chemicals out of reach.
Burn injuries continue to be a significant public health issue, with more than 398,000 people seeking medical care for burns in the United States in 2021, according to the CDC. Children under the age of five are twice as likely to be treated for burn injuries in hospital emergency departments compared to the general population. A significant number of these injuries take place within the home and can be prevented through increased awareness and education.
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. We 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, see About Legacy Health.
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Blake could go to Legacy Salmon Creek because it expanded its lifesaving cardiac services 24/7 for a growing Southwest Washington. The hospital’s Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) program is fully operational, allowing more patients experiencing a heart attack to receive this treatment locally without crossing the river.
According to Clark County EMS Medical Director Marlow Macht, M.D, MPH, the Legacy Salmon Creek cardiac expansion gives the growing Southwest Washington Community an added option. “As the community grows, this is an additional resource that allows us to provide timely care to Clark County residents,” said Dr. Macht.
Dr. Macht says Clark County EMS uses the Pulsara system to notify hospitals that a patient is in route.
“We launched this communication system several years ago to streamline and accelerate care for heart attack or stroke patients,” he said. “An electrocardiogram can be performed in the ambulance, and these results and other vitals are directly sent to the hospital before the patient arrives. The cath lab is activated from the field if a procedure is needed. This reduces the time it takes to open an artery and protect the heart muscle from further damage.” Dr. Macht said to dial 911 if experiencing any symptoms of a heart attack, like chest pain and discomfort in both arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach, shortness of breath, nausea, or sweating.
PCI is a nonsurgical procedure performed in a catheterization lab that opens clogged heart arteries to improve blood flow to the heart. It reduces the amount of damage to the heart and saves lives. A type of heart attack called a STEMI occurs when a major heart artery is completely blocked. Access to a PCI-capable hospital and timely procedures are essential to saving lives.
“Performing a PCI in less than 90 minutes of hospital arrival is a national benchmark to reduce significant damage to the heart and avoid loss of life,” says Mayank Agrawal, M.D., MPH, an interventional cardiologist and Legacy Salmon Creek medical director, who was hired to help grow the program. “Time loss translates into muscle loss. We need to get patients to the hospital quickly and be available 24/7. Taking care of a patient with STEMI heart attack requires establishing systems of care in the community, including seamless coordination between EMS, the emergency department, the cardiac catheterization lab, and ICU services.”
Dr. Agrawal estimates that roughly 500 people a year will benefit from an emergency or elective treatment that results in a PCI procedure at Legacy Salmon Creek.
“By expanding this program at our hospital, we will improve patient outcomes in Clark County and surrounding areas by being able to treat more cardiac patients at our site around the clock instead of transferring them to another hospital,” said Dr. Agrawal.
Legacy Salmon Creek President Jon Hersen is pleased to invest in a lifesaving program at their hospital that gives residents another option for this type of care. “At Legacy Salmon Creek, we continue to build new services and invest in technology that brings lifesaving patient care close to home,” said Hersen. “The PCI program at Legacy Salmon Creek delivers exceptional cardiac services here in Southwest Washington and further enhances our dedication to improving the health of our growing community.”
Fully recovered, Blake had a 90% blockage and had stents to open his blocked arteries. Blake is grateful. He has a less stressful job and enjoys his wife, a blended family of six children, six grandchildren, three dogs, and a new camping trailer.
A $1 million donation by local supporter Priscilla Chou made the cardiac expansion at Legacy Salmon Creek possible. These funds helped purchase PCI service equipment and expand the cardiology clinic.
About Legacy Health
Legacy Health is a local, nonprofit, six-medical center 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.
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