A Holiday gas station and convenience store has opened at Fifth Street and Bryden Avenue, one of the busiest corners in the Lewiston Orchards.
Bulk propane and diesel sales, along with a touch-free car wash and ATM are among the services the business at 504 Bryden Ave. offers.
It is part of Alimentation Couche-Tard, a business that operates Circle K, which it describes on its website as the largest independent convenience store operator in the United States in terms of the number of company-operated stores.
It has nearly 7,100 stores in 47 states. Most of them are Circle Ks, but some, in the northern part of the country, including the one in Lewiston, are under the Holiday logo.
Alimentation Couche-Tard has about 650 locations in Quebec, where it was founded. They go under the name of Couche-Tard. A network of more than 440 Ingo automated fuel sites are part of the company in Sweden and Denmark.
New technology is expected to improve care at Pullman Regional
PULLMAN — A $5 million upgrade of the electronic medical records system at Pullman Regional Hospital and 10 affiliated clinics is underway.
The hospital’s commissioners chose Epic to replace Meditech Magic, a system the hospital has used for 25 years, in a transition anticipated to take about one year. Meditech is discontinuing technical support for Meditech Magic, one of its versions of electronic medical records nationwide in 2023, said Alison Weigley, a spokeswoman for Pullman Regional Hospital.
A total of 59% of hospitals nationwide use Epic, including 77% of Washington state hospitals, according to a news release from Pullman Regional Hospital.
Those statistics are important because health care providers at a facility using one brand of electronic medical records don’t necessarily have immediate access to information about their patients stored on a competitor’s version of medical records, Weigley said.
The upgrade will move patient care to the next level, said Dr. Pete Mikkelsen, the hospital’s medical director of emergency services and chief medical officer, in the news release.
“In emergency medicine, an accurate medical record for a patient is like the difference between Google maps and directions drawn on a napkin,” he said. “(Electronic medical record) incompatibility and paper records are incredible barriers for doctors and patients.”
The ongoing annual support fees for Epic of $1 million are similar to those of Meditech Magic. The system will be used at the hospital as well as at the following affiliated practices:
Palouse Health Clinic in Palouse
Palouse Heart Center
Palouse Pediatrics in Moscow and Pullman
Palouse Psychiatry & Behavioral Health
Palouse Sleep Medicine
Pullman Family Medicine
Pullman Foot & Ankle
Pullman Surgical Associates
Summit Therapy & Health Services
Washington State Univer-sity Family Medicine Resi-dency Clinic.
Sale of Sportsman’s Warehouse off after FCC competition probe
A proposed deal for the parent company of Cabela’s to acquire Sportsman’s Warehouse has been shelved after an 11-month investigation by staff at the Federal Trade Commission.
The $785 million transaction would have involved the sale of more than 100 Sportsman’s Warehouse locations, including the one at 2002 Thain Grade in Lewiston, to Great Outdoors Group. That venture is the parent company of Cabela’s as well as Bass Pro Shops, White River Marine Group and a collection of nature-based resorts.
“Under its Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s banners, Great Outdoors competes closely with Sportsman’s Warehouse to offer customers a broad and deep in-store assortment of outdoor gear, alongside expert sales staff, creating a one-stop shopping experience for outdoor enthusiasts,” according to a statement by FTC Bureau of Competition Director Holly Vedova issued last month.
“This competition has benefitted customers in at least two dozen local markets throughout the United States,” she said. “I am pleased that Great Outdoors and Sportsman’s Warehouse decided to abandon their proposed merger, which would have harmed customers through increased prices, reduced product offerings and diminished quality and service.”
Lewiston entrepreneur Stacia Morfin honored
Nez Perce Tourism CEO and Traditions Gift Shop owner Stacia Morfin has been named the YWCA Lewiston-Clarkston Inspiring Woman of 2021.
A member of the Nez Perce Tribe, Morfin spoke at the YWCA’s Inspiring Women event last fall. The event coincided with the end of Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the start of Native American Heritage Month.
“(Morfin) has been through many forms of trauma that break people, yet she has navigated through those dark spots only to come out shining,” said Amanda Wilhelm, YWCA director of community engagement in a news release.
“She is an example to all of us, what truly overcoming obstacles looks like,” she said. “I don’t think she is done yet. We will see more from her and she will continue to amaze us.”
Grant applicants sought by foundation
PULLMAN — The Meter Foundation has opened grant applications for 2022 for efforts that fight poverty, promote education and improve the quality of life in southeastern Washington and north central Idaho.
The deadline to apply at meterfoundation.org is Feb. 21. The foundation likes to give money as well as the volunteer hours of Meter employees for technical and nontechnical tasks. Meter’s employees receive 16 hours of leave annually for volunteer work.
The foundation was created by Meter, a Pullman-based company. It is a leading global manufacturer of precision instruments, software and services for food production, food quality and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Free airport shuttle helped travelers
Travelers forced to change their flights because of the weather, so far, have created the biggest demand for the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport’s new shuttle.
In December, more than 40 passengers used the service that takes ticketed passengers to and from Pullman or Moscow for free, said Airport Director Michael Isaacs, at a recent airport authority board meeting.
People from New Zealand, Australia, Israel, the Netherlands and Sweden were among those on the shuttle in the last month of 2021, he said.
“We actually dropped a lot (of travelers) off,” Isaacs said. “Over half came and flew in (to Lewiston). Because of the weather, they came through here because Spokane was closed or Pullman was closed. …That was a great experience. We have met so many students, family, parents and faculty.”
Shuttle reservations need to be made at least one day in advance. They are available at golws.com by clicking “travelers,” then “ground transportation” and then “shuttle service from/to Moscow, ID and Pullman, WA.”
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“In emergency medicine, an accurate medical record for a patient is like the difference between Google maps and directions drawn on a napkin. (Electronic medical record) incompatibility and paper records are incredible barriers for doctors and patients.”
Dr. Pete Mikkelsen, Pullman Regional Hospital’s medical director of emergency services and chief medical officer
