New Moscow shop acts as a pop culture boutique

A store described by its owners as a “boutique haven for pop culture lovers and nostalgia seekers” has opened in downtown Moscow.

Retro Vibes & Vintage Sounds specializes in second-hand graphic T-shirts and collectibles from the late 1980s to the present, said Brian Bauer, an owner of the business.

The action figures, VHS tapes, board games, books, toys, stuffed animals and other items are “handpicked to bring a smile, spark a memory” or help a customer discover something new, Bauer said.

Every item is thoroughly cleaned before it’s placed on the floor, he said.

“We’re here to offer a unique shopping experience where every find tells a story,” said Bauer, who describes himself as a passionate collector and vintage enthusiast.

“I pretty much regard the store as my own personal museum of cool stuff,” Bauer said.

Like a museum, Bauer said he doesn’t mind if customers stop by just to look without buying anything. The store has a Pac-Man video game and Super Nintendo games that customers can play for free.

That business grew from a collection that began 20 years ago when he started attending weekend punk rock music festivals. Each time he went, he bought a T-shirt and now owns more than 300 he keeps stacked neatly in cubbies in his closet organized by categories.

Buying the T-shirts helped him develop his eye for what he carries at the store, Bauer said.

In the brick-and-mortar space, his teenage son and daughter help, ringing up purchases and keeping him connected to the latest trends, Bauer said.

Retro Vibes & Vintage Sounds is located at 114 E. Third St., Suite F. It’s open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Lewis-Clark Valley Healthcare Foundation awards nearly $700,000 in grants

The Lewis-Clark Valley Healthcare Foundation announced recently it has awarded 14 grants totaling almost $700,000 to improve health and wellness.

The foundation serves north central Idaho, southeastern Washington and Wallowa County in Oregon. It was established in 2017 by former Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden as part of the sale of St. Joseph Medical Center, a not-for-profit, to RCCH Healthcare Partners, a for-profit business.

A list of recipients, amounts and purposes for the money follows:

LC Valley Youth Resource Center, Lewiston, $85,000 for drop-in and overnight programs.

Community Health Association of Spokane doing business as CHAS, $45,000 for patient assistance program in Moscow, Lewiston and Clarkston.

Garfield County Hospital District, Pomeroy, $80,000 for patient imaging project.

Snake River Community Clinic, Lewiston, $73,240 for operations and outreach.

Clearwater Valley Health doing business as Kootenai Health Foundation, $35,632 for sexual assault nurse examiner.

Syringa Hospital Foundation, Grangeville, $43,188 for newborn care center equipment modernization.

St. Vincent de Paul Society, Moscow Conference of St. Francis of Assisi, Moscow, $50,000, emergency housing, medical care and utilities fund Latah County.

Lewis Clark District Council of St. Vincent de Paul, $50,000, help for Lewiston-Clarkston Valley families.

St. Mary’s Health and Clearwater Valley Health doing business as Kootenai Health Foundation, Orofino, $32,057, advanced medical training and simulation training.

Suicide Prevention of the Inland Northwest, Lewiston, $60,000.

Ridge Runner Volunteer Fire Department, Kooskia, $10,000, operating funds.

Gina Quesenberry Foundation, Lewiston, $20,000, applicant support and advocacy enhancement program.

Lewis-Clark State College Foundation, Lewiston, $65,000, clinical resource center and skills lab.

The Idaho Foodbank, Lewiston, $50,000, mobile pantry.

St. Joe’s provides $19M in charitable health services in 2023

St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston provided $19 million in charitable or uncompensated health services in 2023.

That statistic is part of a recently released community benefit report of the hospital, according to a news release from St. Joe’s.

The health services were provided in a year when the hospital invested $8.4 million in capital improvements, including a new acute rehabilitation unit, new linear accelerator for cancer treatment and an intravenous ultrasound for the cardiac catheterization lab, according to the news release.

The hospital also added seven affiliated providers in 2023 and paid more than $47 million in salaries, wages and benefits to about 680 employees, according to the news release.

Employees received a total of $160,000 in professional development and tuition assistance to improve the care they provide patients.

In addition, the hospital paid more than $5 million in provider, payroll, property and sales taxes, and supported more than 20 organizations such as not-for-profit groups and schools.

“The healthcare professionals at (St. Joe’s) passionately pursue a remarkable calling that is often life-changing for the patients they see,” said Ed Freysinger, CEO of St. Joe’s in the news release.

The work of the hospital’s staff and medical providers recently earned the hospital an “A” rating from The LeapFrog Group, a national not-for-profit group that sets standards for excellence in patient safety and care, according to a news release from St. Joe’s.

An “A” is the highest rating the group bestows, according to the news release.

The rating is based on the abilities of facilities to prevent medical errors, infections and injuries using as many as 30 national performance measures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

TriState Health receives performance leadership award and technology team award

TriState Health in Clarkston recently received two honors.

One was a 2024 performance leadership award for excellence in outcomes from The Chartis Center for Rural Health. The other was the OnCon Top 100 Technology Team Award.

The performance leadership award goes to rural hospitals in the 75th percentile or above in quality, outcomes and patient perspective, according to a news release from TriState.

The award “reflects the unwavering commitment of our entire team to delivering exceptional care through innovation,” said Kym Clift, TriState’s CEO in the news release.

The OnCon award was based on peer and community voting using criteria such as the impact a technology team has on its organization, its leadership and innovation, according to a news release from TriState.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.