The free drive-through Flu Shot Clinic will be held in its usual location, in the graveled parking area adjacent to the main baseball field at Bandon City Park. Signs will be posted on 11th Street to clearly guide people.

This year, the hospital will offer both the high-dose vaccine for those 65 and over as well as the regular dose vaccine. In addition, COVID vaccine boosters will be available. It is safe to have both shots on the same day, according to medical professionals.

As usual, there are limited supplies, so those wishing to receive the vaccines are encouraged to come early and remain in their cars and medical staff will assist.

There is no charge for the vaccines but donations to the Southern Coos Health Foundation are encouraged and greatly appreciated. The Flu Shot Clinic is offered free to the public each year with funds raised by the Southern Coos Health Foundation from proceeds from the Golf for Health Classic and the Southern Coos Hospital Gift Shop. Volunteers will be available to take donations and provide people with information about the work done by the Foundation.

SCHHC welcomes volunteers for this event, especially licensed nurses or other medical professionals. If interested or for more information about the clinic, email Amanda Myers, RN at amyers@southerncoos.org or call 541-347-2426 ext. 194.

Article contributed by Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center.

Darkness to Light is a free sexual abuse prevention program that educates adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child abuse. Free pizza will be served, and free childcare is available at Ocean Crest Elementary School.

For more information, please contact Becky Armistead at becky@bandon.k12.or.us, or Mary Carol Roberson at mcrobers912@gmail.com.

Please RSVP for childcare to Mary Carol Roberson at mcrobers912@gmail.com.

Register in advance at Eventbrite.

Check out the event program at SouthernCoos.org/foundation/womenshealthday. For more information, contact the Southern Coos Health Foundation by phone, 541-329-1038, or email amossstrong@southerncoos.org.

The City of Bandon is following health and safety guidance from local and state health authorities for operation of the Sprague Community Theater and Bandon Community Center.

Masks are required indoors for those ages five and older.

Those attending public events will find additional information for individual shows or events, such as audience capacity and party size, in Event Calendar posts. Thank you for your support.

The City of Bandon is following health and safety guidance from local and state health authorities for operation of the Sprague Community Theater and Bandon Community Center.

Beginning Friday, August 13, masks are required indoors for those ages five and older.

Those attending public events will find additional information for individual shows or events, such as audience capacity and party size, in Event Calendar posts. Thank you for your support.

Face covering and physical distancing requirements have been lifted for most business and community venues throughout Oregon. 

The Bandon Community Center and Sprague Community Theater are open for pubic and private gatherings. Please visit our Rentals page lo learn about planning an event at the theater or community center. 

For information about COVID-19 in Coos County, visit the Coos Health and Wellness website, cooshealthandwellness.org.

Summer’s here! Ready to get moving? For the Health of Bandon Activity Challenge is a virtual fundraiser focused on promoting healthy lifestyles for residents of Bandon and beyond.

The Activity Challenge takes place June 14 through 28, presented by Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center with the Southern Coos Health Foundation. Participants choose any activity that gets them moving and exercising. All they have to do is log miles walked or hiked, the time spent golfing, surfing, playing tennis, gardening or doing yoga. Any activity or combination of activities qualifies.

Sign up online at SouthernCoos.org/healthybandon. Registration is only $10, and covers an event T-shirt, a medal, and a certificate. All will be sent to participants in advance of the event.

For the Health of Bandon is a fundraiser for the hospital’s foundation and will support services such as educational scholarships for local people working toward health care careers, as well as the annual drive-through free Flu Shot Clinic, along with other benefits to the hospital and community.

Bandon City Park is a great location to have fun and get moving. Take a stroll through the park, gather friends for a round of disc golf or a visit to the dog park. Kids of all ages can romp in the playground. Walk a few blocks west to explore trails and beach access at the Coquille Point headland viewpoint. (Visit our Contact page for Google map directions to the park.)

For more information about the activity challenge, visit the Southern Coos website, or call the health foundation at 541-329-1038.

The City of Bandon is following health and safety guidance from the Oregon Health Authority for operation of the Sprague Community Theater and Bandon Community Center.

Those attending public events will find information for individual shows or events, such as audience capacity and party size, in Event Calendar posts. Patrons are asked to follow directions from their event presenter for physical distancing and mask wearing. Thank you for your support.

Donors at Bandon Community Center monthly blood drives gave 186 units between April 2020 and January 2021, according local Red Cross market manager Jen Shaw. To keep blood banks full, she encourages more donors to sign up.

“A lot of people think they’re not eligible, but we’re constantly updating eligibility,” she said.

That means donors may qualify even if they experience some common health complaints. To participate, donors should be in generally good health, weigh 110 lbs. or more, and be 17 years or older. In Oregon, 16-year-old donors may participate with parent consent.

And there is no to top age limit, said Shaw.

How to Sign Up

Shaw assists with blood drive site planning in communities throughout western Oregon and southwest Washington, including the Oregon Coast. She says a good collection target in a town the size of Bandon is 25 to 30 units, or pints, per month. Donors at Bandon Community Center monthly drives came close to that target in the last year.

Online pre-registration is highly encouraged. To get started, donors can visit RedCross.org and select the “Give Blood” menu tab. Browse the information on eligibility or call the blood services information line for more information.

Monthly Bandon Blood Drives
1st Tuesday, starting at 12 p.m.
Bandon Community Center
Online Registration: RedCross.org/give-blood
Phone 1-800-733-2767

Red Cross staff, volunteers and donors are required to take precautions to limit the spread of COVID-19. Staff and volunteers utilize PPE and routinely sanitize work areas. Donors should wear a mask, not a face shield, and follow directions for maintaining physical distance from others.

Making a Difference

Shaw thanks the volunteers and donors who make blood drives possible.

“Without our volunteers, we would not be able to fulfill our mission of saving lives throughout the state,” she said.

The donor base in Oregon and Southwest Washington is generally robust, especially among high school and college students. But, school campus restrictions during the pandemic make it difficult to maintain collection goals. Monthly community blood drives can help offset the drop in student participation.

Greg Fodrea is the senior pastor for the Bandon First Baptist Church, and he’s a regular blood donor. Considering the need, he says giving blood feels like the right thing to do.

About Red Cross staff and volunteers in Bandon, Fodrea said, “This crew is awesome.”

At the March blood drive, volunteer Carolyn Russell was the first to greet donors like Pastor Fodrea and monitor electronic temperature checks.

Red Cross staff arrange the community center space to allow comfortable distance between check-in, registration and donation stations. Some donors bring reading material to pass the time while the classic country music station plays quietly on a portable radio.

What happens after each drive? Most Oregon blood donations stay within the northwest region. But, emergency supplies are shipped to other parts of the country if needed, explained Shaw. Donations are tested, processed and distributed from Portland.

Donors who want to know where their contribution ends up can track their donation with the free Red Cross mobile app.

Pictured from top: Donor Greg Fodrea, Volunteer Carolyn Russell, Red Cross Collection 2 Specialist Melissa Morris

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Women’s Health Day

The 18th annual Women’s Health Day goes digital this year. Join providers from the Southern Coos Multi-Specialty Clinic for a day of education, sharing, and a focus on empowering women to take care of their health. Sessions will be shared live via Facebook and the Southern Coos website.

Find the day’s program and registration options online at SouthernCoos.org.

Sign up soon to receive a box filled with Women’s Health Day information, recipes, expert recommendations from SCHHC providers, and more!

COVID Vaccinations at the Bandon Community Center

SCHHC will provide COVID vaccinations at the community center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for health care workers and educators in vaccination tiers 1a and 1b as defined by the Oregon Health Authority.

Visit our Event Calendar for more information, including registration options.