Hospice cleared for
woman’s treatment
By Jerry Schwartz
The Associated Press
A government agency has found
a clerical error — but no serious
wrongdoing—in the case of a hos
pice that reported a woman dead
when she was very much alive.
Martha Lawler of Indianapolis
spent the last 10 months of her life
in limbo, trying to keep her Social
Security and Medicare benefits
coming after she was reported dead
on April 13,1998, the same day she
fired Odyssey Healthcare as her
hospice provider.
An 83-year-old widow who suf
fered from emphysema, Lawler
died on Feb. 19 of this year — but
not before she complained to the
office of U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar,
R-Ind.
Her story was reported national
ly by The Associated Press.
In a report released by Lugar on
Thursday, the Office of Financial
Management of the U.S. Depart
ment of Health and Human Ser
vices found that Odyssey did false
ly report Lawler’s death, but said
this was merely “a clerical data en
try error.”
The agency said it could not sub
stantiate charges that Odyssey’s rep
resentative was verbally abusive.
Lawler had been in and out of
hospitals since 1992, when she
was diagnosed with chronic ob
structive pulmonary disease. Last
year, her doctor told the family she
should be kept at home and made
comfortable. She recommended
that Odyssey be engaged to man
age her care.
Odyssey case manager Debi
Vaughn met with Lawler on two
occasions. According to Lawler’s
daughter, Jane Joyal, the case man
ager told Lawler that she would
have to change her oxygen suppli
er and get a new hospital bed.
Lawler said she did not want to
do it, and did not want Odyssey’s
care. According to Joyal, Vaughn
begged the family to reconsider, and
finally, when she was asked to
leave, she said, “You know, Mrs.
Lawler, you will be sorry_You do
need our services.”
The Office of Financial Manage
ment investigators “were unable to
substantiate the allegation of ver
bal abuse,” wrote Penny Thomp
son, director of the office’s Pro
gram Integrity Group.
“These results do not mean that
the allegation made by Lawler was
untrue. As you can imagine, deter
mining what transpired in a con
versation between two individuals
in a private home is difficult.”
But an examination of Vaughn’s
file turned up no complaints and
several letters of gratitude from fam
ilies. In telephone interviews, one
patient and four families had only
compliments for Vaughn’s work.
As for the data entry mistake, the
agency said Odyssey had changed
its computer process to ensure that
the error would not be made again.
Pastor in Sacramento
killed in home robbery
MATHER, Calif. —A suburban
Sacramento pastor described as a
“champion of the underdog and
the downtrodden” was stabbed to
death in his home in an apparent
robbery.
The Rev. Edward R. Sheriff, 68,
created a food pantry, a crisis hot
line for gays and lesbians and sent
boxcars of medical supplies and
clothing to troubled countries.
Sheriff, an associate pastor at
the Cathedral of Promise Metro
politan Community Church, was
found murdered Wednesday
evening, police spokesman Glenn
Graves said.
Investigators believe Sheriff
was murdered in a robbery,
Graves said. Neighbors called po
lice after seeing two men driving
Sheriffs cars away.
Officers found Sheriff with mul
tiple stab wounds to his upper tor
so, Graves said. Police were look
ing for two men seen driving
Sheriffs vehicles, a 1992 White
GMC Sonoma truck and a 1998
Green Lincoln Town Car.
“We have no indication a hate
crime is involved,” he said.
Marghe Covino, spokeswoman
for the Lambda Community Cen
ter, a local gay advocacy group,
said Sheriff was an advocate for
the gay community and a “cham
pion of the underdog and the
downtrodden.”
Covino said she recently did a
television interview with Sheriff,
who was gay, in which he talked
about the difficulty he had as a
Christian fundamentalist coming
to terms with his sexuality.
Sheriff said he “had come to a
living and loving relationship
with the Lord and that he was glad
to help other people who were
having problems and were being
told they were evil and creatures
ofthe devil,” Covino said.
Sheriff, known to his congregants
as “Reverend Ed,” founded and ran
the Samaritan Center food pantry,
selling boxes of food to the poor for
low prices. He also operated Out of
the Closet, a thrift store that helped
support the food pantry.
“He was the most giving man
I’ve ever met. He didn’t care who
you were or what you did, he just
wanted to help,” said the Rev. Ter
ri Miller, a friend and former
coworker of Sheriffs.
Sheriff, with his white beard
and jovial nature, made a perfect
Santa Claus at the church’s Christ
mas parties, she said.
“It fit him well because he was
such a giver,” Miller said.
Penny Wilson, a friend of Sher
iffs, went to the Samaritan Center
in Sacramento’s Oak Park neigh
borhood to help Thursday.
“I’m going to work in the thrift
store and we’re going to continue to
give out food boxes. He would have
wanted it that way,” Wilson said.
“This was his legacy and we’re
not going to let it die,” Wilson said.
Sheriffs survivors include his
former wife and their two children,
the University Fellowship of Metro
politan Community Churches said
in a written statement released by its
West Hollywood headquarters.
The Associated Press
Calendar
Friday, Oct. 22
The Hillel Jewish Student Cen
ter will offer a learning version of
its weekly Shabbat services and
dinner intended for people unfa
miliar with Shabbat customs.
The free service and dinner
will be at 6:30 p.m. at Hillel at
1059 Hilyard St. For more infor
mation, call the center at 343
8920.
-poppi’/
Lunch
Monday through Saturday
Dinner
7 Nights a Week
992 Willamette
Eugene, Or 97401
343-9661
J
a
All Ways Travel
1200 High St. • 338-4199
E-mail: awt(a)luv2travel.eom
• Join our E-mail list, and get GREAT Sale Fares!!!
Hurry TODAY is the LAST DAY!!!
London - $262.00*
Pdris ■ 00*
Frankfurt - $298.00* Santiago - $725.00*
Rome - $384.00* Lima, Peru - $560.00*
•Subject to availability & change without notice, tax not included, restrictions may apply.
Student Travel Experts • Serving the UO since 1990
SHILLAWON
Korean and Japanese Restaurant
Lunch Special
$4.95 to $5.95 11 am - 4:30 pm
Student Dinner Special 10% off
Tel. 541-345-5448
94 W. Broadway • Eusene
Now hirins a part-time
wait person
North Face
on sale!
Come in to our store at Valley River Center
to see the very best selection of outerwear
in the Northwest!
NonOtFacB 93
Mtk. Ligltfc Jacktfi
Nov)... 20% off neg. ptiw
MCKF.N7.TR
OUTFITTERS
Valletf River Center
Eugene • 343-2300
Second level Up The Escallop
m * < m*
Selected 98
North Face, Fleece,
Nov)...
20% off teg. puce
FIND THINGS IN ODE CLASSIFIEDS (ROOMMATES, TICKETS, STUFF
YOU LOST, BICYCLES, CARS, JOBS, ON-CAMPUS OPPORTUNITIES)