Acorn House draws
area’s ‘Friendly fire’
By Donna Gavin
Emerald Reporter
Control and civility prevailed
in the Jefferson Middle School
cafctnria last week when Fill
more Street residents accoptod
an invitation to meet their new
neighbors.
Yet the Sopt. 28 meeting was
not a house warming. It was an
opportunity to address neigh
borhood concerns about Acorn
House, a new adult foster care
homo for AIDS patients. Undor
a lease with an option to buy,
the home will operate in the
Friendly neighborhood in
southwest Eugono.
Members of tho board of di
rectors of Lane County AIDS
Hospice Services, the agoncy
that runs Acorn House, had
beon “surprised'' during a
mooting at the home when an
gry neighbors arrived to voice
their objections to tho move.
As a result, board members
got together a second time to
respond to neighbors' concerns.
Board members favored tho
Acorn House idea because they
wantod to offer a home-like sot
ting for AIDS patients who
would probably be in different
stages of tho disease. The board
anticipated an intensive search
for a home that could fill a long
list of criteria.
Sonduck said the board
• searched for a house that was
accessible for people with dis
abilities, had a private yard, a
large family room and suitable
baih and kitchen facilities. In
addllton. the owner would
havo to bo willing to work with
the agency's financial and legal
constraints.
Daily operations would In
clude a full-time manager. 24
hour nursing care and volun
teers to maintain the property
and help patients tuko walks
and run errands.
Residents said it Is precisely
these activities that will gener
ate unwolcomo traffic.
Tucked between busy Cham
bers Street and 28lh Avenue.
Fillmore Streot is normally
traveled only by residents.
One woman, reading from a
prepared statement with an
emotion-filled voice, said the
necessary activities of Acorn
House would dostroy tho quint
and seclusion that residents
had worked hard to attain.
Board member Tom Rodfiold
acknowledged that Acorn
House was a new venture for
the board and no guarantees
could be made. However, the
impact would be less than a
family with teen-agers and sev
eral cars.
"It will be a quiet operation,"
Red field said.
Most patients would not have
family to visit them and would
rarely require emergency ambu
lance care, he said.
Red field said through precise
Turn to NEIGHBORS, Pag* 7
ACORN
Continued from Page 1
lust thoir homes "
Phelps said Acorn House should bo ablo to
provide treatment for less than $300 a day.
One day in the hospital can cost an AIDS pa
tiont more than $1,000, which Is usually paid
for by taxpayers In the form of Medicaid.
■‘Gary," an AIDS patient who wished to re
main anonymous, said adult foster rare homes
provido a level of care that cannot be matched
at other facilities.
Muny AIDS patients are forced to choose be
tween running up an expensive hospital bill or
socking foster homo care, which has been lack
ing In Lane County for sevoral years The ab
sence of foster care homes creates unique
problems.
“Sometimes they end up hack with their
families," Phelps said, "and there may be fam
ily tssuos concerning the disease that haven't
been ironed out.”
Cary said one of his friends who recently
died had to go through "all kinds of hell," be
cause foster care was not available In Lane
County.
“He was In and out of the hospital so
much.” Cary said "A lot of time you end up
in the hospital because there's no place else to
go."
Cary said ho ulso know of AIDS patients
who had lx? put in nursing homos for lock of
anywhere else to go.
"Those people aren't really set up to deal
with (AIDS patients),” (iary said
Pholps said people with AIDS who are put
in nursing homos also have difficulty with the
age gap
Pholps said once through the licensing pro
cess. the Acorn House should be equipped to
care for AIDS patients of all ages and in all
stages of the disease. Many patients will stay at
the facility for short periods of timo — one or
two months — as they have thoir first bou.
with AlDS-rolatod diseases.
Acorn House will also provide hospice for
people In the final, tonninal stages of AIDS,
whore the goal is simply to make the patient
comfortable
"If you are entered Into hospice," Phelps
said, "you are no longer seeking treatment
The goal Is not curing. The goal is comfort "
Concerns about the impact of Acorn House
on the surrounding community has sparked a
wave of opposition to the facility. Those wor
ries were voiced Sept 2ft during a meeting be
tween Acorn House representatives and neigh
bors.
Among the Issues discussed at the meeting
were concerns about possible purklng prob
lems, truffle und an influx of homosexuals to
the urea. Phelps said once the facility is operat
ing, most concerns will be alloviuled •
"We plan to be a gtxxl neighbor," Phelps
said, "and after we're in here for a while
they'll real Ire that Like other adult foster cure
homos, we won't huvo that big of an impact In
here."
Phelps said Acorn House will have a mini
mal impact on traffic in the neighborhood
"I don't think we'll be any different than a
family of five.” ho said. "If we wore two par
ents with three kids, we'd probably cause
more traffic."
Pholps agreed that the facility will probably
attract homosexual patients and visitors.
"Yes, that population has been hit hard by
AIDS, but wo won't fie asking people about
their suxual orientation as they're coming
through the door. That’s not one of our con
cerns." he said.
Phelps said Acorn House has gone through
all the proper legal channels before operating.
Tho facility is considered a residence, which
means It does not require special permits.
Out one opposition group said it may resort
to legal means to stop the Acorn House from
operating in the neighborhood
"There are some people who dourly won't
bo happy until wo move away," Phelps said. "I
don't know how to respond to that.”
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