Opinion
4A
Thursday, April 16, 2020
The Observer
MY VOICE
Open letter to the community from Grande Ronde Hospital
Photo by The Oregonian
New details of the state’s deal with Quest Diagnostics
show Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and her top political
aide provided misleading information to the public last
month about COVID-19 tests, according to records ob-
tained by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
OUR VIEW
Mistakes
erode the
public’s trust
G
ov. Kate Brown announced on March
18 the state had a deal with a private
laboratory to do 20,000 COVID-19
tests.
In early days of the state’s pandemic response,
it was a very reassuring declaration that the state
could tap into private testing to reveal the scope
of the virus.
“It’s critical for us to increase our capacity
so that we can fully assess the spread of
COVID-19 in Oregon,” Brown said.
But the deal turns out to be about half true.
The state is only going to get about half the
tests. No contract had been signed when the
announcement was made. And the state does
not plan to put the tests into immediate use to
test more Oregonians.
We don’t believe Brown intentionally misled
anyone. Nik Blosser, the governor’s chief of
staff, told The Oregonian it was his fault and
apologized for the misinformation provided to
the governor to announce.
The state was working on a deal. He
explained he was confused about how testing
works and rushed to release information
without confirming it.
The state actually did not sign the contract
with the provider, Quest Diagnostics, until two
weeks after Brown’s announcement. It is for up
to $690,000 at $69 a test. And the state is not
planning to use them right now. It will hold on
to them and use them later — perhaps when
some social distancing requirements are lifted
and there is a new surge.
How is it that we know Brown’s announce-
ment was wrong?
We know because journalists at The Orego-
nian asked questions and used Oregon’s public
records law to hold government accountable.
Reporters looked for a copy of the contract in a
state database.
It wasn’t there. They asked for a copy of the
contract.
It wasn’t provided until a week later. And it
turned out the deal was smaller than had been
announced — 10,000 tests, not 20,000 — and
had not even been signed until April 1.
In a crisis or under tight deadlines, people
do sometimes not act carefully. It’s human
nature.
But it’s vital Oregonians can trust what
Brown says the state is doing about COVID-19.
She can’t allow the public’s faith in the govern-
ment’s response to erode.
In spite of the uncertainty the novel
coronavirus has caused for coun-
tries, businesses and families, the out-
pouring of humanity from the com-
munity we have the privilege to serve
has been humbling and inspiring to all
of us at Grande Ronde Hospital and
Clinics. It has meant more than I can
possibly express. First, let me reassure
you that GRH is on solid financial
footing. I know it can be hard to read
the headlines that some rural hospitals
across the nation, already vulnerable
to closure, may not survive this pan-
demic. Thanks to years of good finan-
cial stewardship and loyal local sup-
port, GRH entered into this crisis in a
strong position. We will not, however,
emerge unscathed.
As many of our peers have also
reported, we are experiencing a sig-
nificant reduction in volumes. We
have also seen a substantial increase
in costs associated with COVID-19
preparedness. Compared to previous
financial benchmark periods our rev-
enue is down over one-third. Our
responsibility to both our organiza-
tion and to the community we serve
is a balance we must carefully navi-
gate as we face reduced revenue and
increased costs. By not taking mean-
ingful action now, our ability to con-
tinue serving our community from a
position of strength and independence
will be jeopardized.
So, let me share with you what we
have already done.
First, the current economic
reality we face was shared with our
employees in early April. I am both
proud and humbled to report that
many have already generously offered
About the Author
Jeremy Davis is
president and CEO of
Grande Ronde Hospital
and Clinics,
La Grande.
to temporarily reduce their pay or
hours to help us through this. In addi-
tion, our leadership team, both man-
agers and administrators, developed
an expense reduction plan to help
combat the effects of declining vol-
umes that have occurred and will
likely continue for the short term.
We tightened our collective belt and
everyone has contributed in some way.
As an independent hospital, we
wrestle with decisions that have both
short-term and long-term impacts to
the organization, as well as our local
economy. I believe that as a com-
munity we share a collective role to
ensure our local health care services
continue strong and independent for
generations to come. I anticipate rural
Oregon will lag a little from the state-
wide peak COVID-19 projections.
However, the news that by mid-May
we will have likely seen the worst has
given me a sense of optimism. We are
getting closer to the recovery period
that will follow the response phase we
are in now.
As we think about both phases, it
is vitally important to note that Union
County’s everyday medical needs do
not disappear during a pandemic. Are
our volumes down because people
do not need health care? Or are some
patients who truly need care canceling
appointments because of uncertainty
in whether to keep a scheduled visit
or not? Our local medical experts tell
me that if we do not address our com-
munity’s health care needs now, it
will only exacerbate projections of an
influx of critically ill patients in the
coming weeks.
I trust the clinical judgment of our
medical staff to care for the needs of
our community. I appreciate the real-
istic, thoughtful and compassionate
approach our providers and staff have
taken. As such, GRH is strongly advo-
cating for clear and consistent mes-
saging from our elected officials as it
relates to all of the care we are able to
provide during this response.
Currently, there are conflicting
messages from elected officials —
both state and federal — on whether
outpatient care is considered elec-
tive or essential. We encourage our
elected officials to consider a more
nuanced approach to the blanket
restrictions imposed on all health
care facilities that will empower our
providers to use their clinical judg-
ment for determination of what is
medically necessary.
If the outpatient care model is not
supported and embraced as a needed
component to an emergency opera-
tions plan, the overcrowding of hospi-
tals that these elected officials hope to
avoid could lead to an influx of avoid-
able ER visits and devastate intensive
resources when most needed.
As an organization, I am convinced
that we are fully prepared to handle
this current pandemic as it peaks in
our community, while we continue to
safely provide the quality of care we
promise.
Your views
Bill Miller has knowledge,
integrity and honesty
The position of sheriff of Union
County is one of the most important
positions, if not the most important,
of our county. We the people elect the
sheriff, and as an elected law enforce-
ment officer he should serve and pro-
tect the people who elected him. This
requires knowledge of the laws, expe-
rience as a law enforcement officer,
integrity and honesty.
Bill Miller, as far as I am con-
cerned, is the most qualified candi-
date for the position of Union County
sheriff.
Pat Bruce
Union
Bill Miller should lead
important department
The primary election for Union
County sheriff provides the voting cit-
izens of Union County an opportu-
nity to make a change for the better-
ment of their community. In a primary
election the candidate that gathers a
majority (more than 50%) of the vote
is the winner. If no contender reaches
that threshold, the two candidates
with the highest percentages face
each other in the November general
election.
As a resident and Union County
property owner, I have, like many of
my fellow citizens, paid literally thou-
sands of dollars in property taxes over
the past 40-plus years to fund local
government and related services.
The Union County Sheriff’s Office
is the largest department in Union
County government, in terms of
employees, with a budget of nearly $5
million. As we evaluate the four can-
didates currently vying for the posi-
tion of sheriff, we should be very thor-
ough in examining each of them and
rating their ability to take command
of this important department.
A few years ago, I was the victim
of a property theft and the resulting
reaction from Sheriff Boyd Ras-
mussen and his deputy was less than
any citizen deserves. He showed a true
lack of leadership and demonstrated
an absence of command authority.
One of the other candidates is a
charismatic deputy with nine years of
experience. He is well known as he
is a native, and as the school resource
officer and youth sports coach, he is an
asset that should stay in place. Given
more experience and training, he may
one day be ready to lead the sheriff’s
office, but that time is not now.
Another candidate has returned to
the area after a career in the military. I
thank him for his service. His military
career focused on law enforcement in
his branch of service. He has no such
experience in the public sector and
needs certification to serve in public
law enforcement.
Bill Miller, an Eastern Oregon
native with 20-plus years in law
enforcement experience, is the fourth
candidate. He has numerous certifi-
cations and awards. He is an honor-
ably discharged veteran of the U.S.
Air Force, and as an honor graduate
of Eastern Oregon University, he has
the intellect and drive to succeed.
He is held in high regard as a man of
integrity by his contemporaries in law
enforcement and has a work ethic that
is above reproach.
We should elect Bill Miller to lead
the most important department in
county government.
John E. Coote
Island City
We can trust Sheriff
Rasmussen
I would like to show my support
for Sheriff Boyd Rasmussen. I moved
to La Grande in 2006 to take the posi-
tion as the manager of Avista, here
in Union County. As manager I was
introduced to the area leaders. Sheriff
Rasmussen was one of those individ-
uals. We became friends over the last
14 years. I have come to recognize
Sheriff Rasmussen as a person I can
count on.
I was given his cellphone number
then and have used it many times
over the years. I have been involved
with him on several occasions and
watched him interact with people. I
have watched him coach football for
several seasons, and can say that he
is very competitive but always honest
and positive.
I remember standing next to him
at the Blue Mountain Conference
Center when the Forest Service was
presenting their plan to close a large
amount of the mountain roads. He
was there and stood for our rights. I
can say that if we ever get in a bind
here in Union County, I fully trust
him as sheriff to have our backs.
Don Kellogg
La Grande
Protect your neighbors —
wear a mask
I had an appointment at the Fourth
Street Medical Clinic this week as a
follow-up to an emergency room visit
at Grande Ronde Hospital. I was trou-
bled to witness the lack of distancing
and masking by both the staff and the
patients.
While there was a monitor in the
parking lot asking the appropriate
questions about possible coronavirus
infection, she did not offer a mask,
even though she had a stack of them.
Fortunately, I had my own mask, and
when I entered the facility, the front
desk staff had masks, but they were
pulled down around their chins. Both
the doctor and the medical assistants
were not wearing masks, and there
was no signage about keeping one’s
distance from other patients.
I realize that Union County has
the great good fortune to have a pau-
city of confirmed cases, but I would
rather see our medical facilities err
on the side of caution rather than wit-
ness a full-blown outbreak that could
potentially kill some of our beloved
residents.
Please, people, take this seriously.
Distancing and mask wearing is such
a small gesture to keep you and your
neighbors safe.
Emelie Montgomery-Jones
La Grande