To register for an upcoming event or class, go to the Calendar of Events, find the class or event, and follow the instructions listed.
Mammogram Van Coming to Orcas
Monday, September 20 – Wednesday, September 22
Assured Imaging will be at Orcas Senior Center again this year with their Mammogram Van on September 20, 21, and 22. An third day was added due to such a successful turnout of 94 patients last year.
Although one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, nearly all breast cancer is treated successfully if detected early. Assured Imaging offers a relaxed atmosphere with a friendly, professional, all-female clinical staff.
All major insurance is accepted, and no referral is necessary.
Schedule your appointment online here or call (888) 233-6121.
COVID-19: Be in the Know
To see the latest information about San Juan County’s COVID vaccination effort, including eligibility, announcements of vaccination dates, and to schedule a vaccine appointment, go here.
Do you know a community member who needs extra assistance with signing up for the COVID-19 vaccine? If so, help is available through a collaboration between San Juan County Health and Community Services, Orcas Senior Center, and Orcas Community Resource Center.
Please contact San Juan County Senior Services Specialist Jami Mitchell at (360) 376-7926 or Jana Webb from Orcas Community Resource Center at (360) 376-3184 for details regarding this assistance.
Keep up to date with the latest information about COVID-19 locally, statewide, and globally:
San Juan County
Washington State Department of Health
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
World Health Organization
How Many Books Can You Find?
Introducing Orcas Senior Center‘s Little Free Library! May thanks to all who made this a reality, especially former OSC employee, Vicki O’Keefe (pictured), now Orcas Island School District Librarian for envisioning this project. Also, thanks to Stu Stephens for masterfully building it complete with cedar shake roofing. And thank you to OSC’s Art with Carla class, Carla Stanley, Karen Johnston, Barb Garrett, Jari Brenner, Sharon Inman, and Kim Rose, who artfully designed and painted the library with images from classic books and local Orcas authors. Orcas District Committee members Allan Rosato and Darcey Miller, installed and weatherized the library to complete the project.
So, on your next trip to town, stop by Orcas Senior Center at 62 Henry Road, borrow a book, and check out our Little Free Library masterpiece. While you’re at it, how many classic books can you find in the artwork?
Mask-Maker, Mask-Maker
Super volunteer Maggie Kaplan has been hard at work hand-making masks for our community and visitors alike since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, she has raised over $15,000 in donations for her masks! All proceeds have been donated to Orcas Senior Center! Thank you Maggie!! (Maggie has even had so much time on her hands from being stuck at home that she’s sewn a beautiful quilt made of all the leftover mask fabric!)
You can pick up your very own stylish and well-sewn masks from her carport at 158 Palisades Drive.
Read more about Maggie and her masks in this article from the Islands’ Sounder here.
Buddy Check-In
Are you a senior? Would you appreciate a regular phone check-in by an Orcas Senior Center volunteer during your self-isolation?
Are you interested in volunteering as a buddy?
Contact Jim Glozier at Jim@orcasseniors.org or (360) 919-9318 or click the button below.
Real Time Air Quality Measurements @ OSC
As part of its Air Quality Monitoring Project, San Juan County has installed a PM2.5 monitor on the Orcas Senior Center building.
What are PM2.5? PM2.5 are microscopic particles that are only a few percent of the diameter of a human hair in size. Their microscopic size allows them to bypass the protective areas of the nose and throat and penetrate deep into the lungs, potentially causing health problems. On Orcas Island, the most common sources of PM2.5 are motor vehicles, residential wood burning, and seasonal forest fires.
The box below shows up-to-date readings from the PM2.5 air quality monitor installed at the Orcas Senior Center. Any number less than 50 is considered safe. Click on the “Purple Air Map” text at the bottom to get even more information from the sensor and to see readings in other locations.
For public health guidance from San Juan County Health & Human Services for PM2.5 concentrations, go here.