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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (March 3, 2010)
Page 13 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, March 3, 2010 County seeks to join Kerby Water District By SCOTT JORGENSEN IVN Staff Writer A piece of property owned by Josephine County could soon be among many annexed into the Kerby Water District (KWD). The issue was considered by the Josephine County Board of Commissioners dur- ing its Thursday, Feb. 25 meeting with legal counsel at the courthouse in Grants Pass. Counselor Steve Rich told commissioners that as the KWD project nears com- pletion, several Kerby resi- dents are petitioning for an- nexation. A maintenance shop owned by the county in Kerby currently uses well water, said Public Works Director Rob Brandes. No specific dollar figure for the annexation was imme- diately available. But Rich said now would be a good time for the county to secure a water supply for the Kerby property. “If we need the water, we need the water,” Rich said. Brandes said that he could determine the cost within a week or so. He added that some of the cost will be offset by a federal grant. Also discussed by the commissioners was imple- mentation of standards for the county’s three private fire- protection providers. Rich said that a “very rough” draft of standards was sent in December to the pro- viders and other interested parties. Those parties sent back a series of suggestions, Rich said. They included establish- ing an intermediate process for levying fines for non- compliance, as opposed to an immediate revocation of a provider’s permit. Also recommended, Rich said, is an increase in mini- mum training requirements for firefighting personnel. Rich said that he could build a series of responses to those ideas into a second standards draft and circulate it among the providers, com- missioners and interested parties. Grant offers help for rural health providers The Oregon Office of Rural Health (OORH) at Ore- gon Health & Science Univer- sity (OHSU) has received a grant from the National Health Service Corp (NHSC) to help primary care-providers in rural and underserved urban areas repay their loans. The NHSC grant pro- vides for repayment of half of the loan; the other half will come from the practice site, a community organiza- tion or any non-federal source. “This is a great partner- - IVHS School Menu - Sponsored by SISKIYOU COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER 25647 Redwood Hwy. Cave Junction 541-592-4111 THURSDAY, MARCH 4 Pasta with alfredo sauce, enchilada, chicken burger, cheeseburger; barbecue chicken or supreme pizza; Italian or turkey & cheese sandwich, spicy chicken wrap; chef, antipasto or garden salad FRIDAY, MARCH 5 Nacho supreme, wiener wrap, corn dog, spicy chicken burger; cheeseburger; pepperoni, cheese, supreme or taco pizza; ham & cheese or turkey & cheese sandwich, turkey wrap; chef, garden or Mandarin chicken salad MONDAY, MARCH 8 Clerical day NO CLASSES TUESDAY, MARCH 9 Chicken fajitas, Rib-B-Q sandwich, chicken burger, cheeseburger; pepperoni, cheese or Hawaiian pizza; Italian or turkey & cheese sandwich, spicy chicken wrap; chef, antipasto or garden salad WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10 Taco salad, teriyaki beef rice bowl, spicy chicken burger, hamburger; pepperoni, sausage, cheese or Italian griller pizza; veggie or turkey & cheese sandwich, turkey wrap; chef, garden or Mandarin chicken salad ship between the practice site, the NHSC and the Of- fice of Rural Health,” said Scott Ekblad, OORH direc- tor at OHSU in Portland. “We believe this opportunity will help attract needed pro- viders to rural and urban underserved areas,” he said. Eligible applicants in- clude primary-care physi- cians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dentists, dental hygienists, social workers, counselors and psy- chologists who have out- standing government and commercial loans that they incurred for the purpose of obtaining a health profes- sional education. They can qualify for up to $70,000 in loan repayment funds. Participants must sign a two-year contract, work full time and offer their services on a sliding-fee scale. The practice sites must be public or private nonprofit organi- zations located in a federally designated Health Profes- sional Shortage Area (HPSA). The practice site also must be able to match 50 percent of the loan award amount. OORH will award up to $800,000 in loan repayment awards to primary care, men- tal health and dental providers. At the time the grant application was written, po- tential practice sites pledged more than $450,000 in matching funds, evidence of the growing need for incen- tives to recruit providers to serve Oregon’s rural and urban underserved popula- tions. For more information about this program and can- didate and practice site ap- plications, visit the OORH Website at www.ohsu.edu/ oregonruralhealth. Its mis- sion is to improve the qual- ity, availability and accessi- bility of health care for rural Oregonians. Water Wells Pump Sales Installation Service 592-6777 Senior IVHS students were recognized for their achievements on Tuesday night, Feb. 23 prior to the Cougar girls basket- ball game against Phoenix. (From left) Rebeckah Kaberline was noted for her efforts in basketball; Kayla Young’s partici- pation in cheerleading was honored; band members Sierra Pappas, Dustin Graves, Winona Krska, Nigel Gulden, Callie Harland and David Siver also were saluted. (Photo by Michelle Binker, Illinois Valley News ) Demand for state services likely to remain high Sustained long-term unemployment means de- mand for food and other assistance will stay high, say forecasters for the Oregon Dept. of Human Services (DHS). DHS recently released data showing that demand for food and cash assistance will stay at record levels through 2010 and will not peak until January 2011. Need for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Pro- gram (SNAP) food benefits (formerly known as food stamps) is predicted to sur- pass 750,000 Oregonians, more than 19 percent of the population. Demand for the Oregon Health Plan, long- term care for seniors, and other services is also pre- dicted to increase. Increases in need for assistance are being driven largely by the economy. With Oregon’s unemploy- ment rate at double digits for 11 months in a row, an in- creasing number of families are finding themselves in the ranks of the long-term un- employed. “When people lose their jobs, they often lose not only their income, but also their own health insurance and their ability to help support their aging or vulnerable relatives,” said Dr. Bruce Goldberg, DHS director and head of Oregon Health Au- thority. Here is a summary of some of the most notable caseload predictions: *Due to economic forces, high demand for ser- vices will last into 2011. *There are currently 675,838 Oregonians count- ing on SNAP for food sup- port, an increase of 30 per- cent from last year, and it is predicted to continue grow- ing to a peak of 756,000 people in June 2011 before demand begins to decline. Demand for the Oregon Health Plan, long-term care, and cash assistance also will continue to increase. *A record number of very low-income families are receiving cash assistance for rent and other basic needs through the Tempo- rary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Currently there are 25,669 families on TANF, and that total should continue to grow to 26,000 families by Janu- ary 2011. However, the level of increase in the numbers of families relying on TANF began to slow in 2009 due to budget cuts to the program. *The economy is begin- ning to affect senior citizens. After four years of steady decline, demand for long- term care is growing in re- sponse to the economic downturn and is predicted to increase 2 percent from this forecast period to 27,658 people in June 2011. Not only does this de- mand reflect the growing demographic of seniors in Oregon, but also, according to survey respondents, the financial crisis is propelling baby boomers sooner to long-term care. Economic problems increase the de- mand for publicly funded long-term care because of seniors’ depleted resources, loss of pensions, loss of health-care coverage, and other changes. Health-Care Demand Continues Unmet There are currently 510,590 people enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan, and that number is predicted to rise to 645,200 people, an increase of 26 percent. Some of the new growth will be attributed to Healthy Kids, which provides ex- panded coverage for chil- dren, but much of it is driven by economic factors. Addi- tionally, more than 600,000 Oregonians are currently uninsured and there is unmet need for substance abuse and mental health treatments. Lack of treatment is a major factor influencing other DHS caseloads. The DHS caseload fore- cast includes surveys of pub- lic and private providers of services. Respondents say more people need more ser- vices for a longer period of time than ever before, and clients of nearly every eco- nomic and demographic group are increasing their demand for services. The most frequently mentioned new clients in- cluded two-parent and two- income households, those experiencing the end of un- employment benefits, and seasonal workers. Local providers told of families struggling to meet basic needs such as food, shelter, and health care. They expect clients’ anticipated end of unemployment benefits and related uninsured status to increase demand in 2010. Uncertain about the market? There’s a place for people like you. Here. NELSON R. MALER, CFP ® Lovejoy’s ‘Good Grief’ offered Good Grief is a free six- week peer support group for children who have experi- enced the death of someone important in their lives. Parents and guardians learn new ways to support their grieving children and themselves. Lovejoy Hospice staff and volunteers guide the children in groups from preschool through high school “in crea- tive and engaging activities related to grieving.” Topics include: *Understanding grief. *Preserving memories. *Handling difficult emo- tions like regret, guilt, and anger. *Coping with fear and anxiety. *Creating rituals to re- member loved ones. *Taking care of ourselves. *Moving into the future. Pre-registration is helpful as early as possible prior to the first session. Phone “Walt” or “Lanette” at 541-474-1193 to enroll. Dates: March 16 through April 27 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., but no meeting April 6. There is no fee for Good Grief and everyone is wel- come. However, those who would like to make a donation may do so at any time. Members Don’t Worry About Emergency Ambulance Expenses! A $55 yearly membership to Paramed covers all family members in the home. Illness and injury can strike without warning; but, it’s comforting to know that your cost is covered for emergencies and medically necessary transports. “Serving The Northwest Since 1913” 1470 Caves Highway Licensed • Bonded • Insured Locally owned and operated in the valley for over 25 years. WWC #1504 • CCB #152266 • CPl #7-113 Member Oregon Ground Water Assoc. Parenting Raising Children to be Tomorrow’s Leaders Come join Bridges to Motherhood Advertising in the Illinois Valley News doesn’t cost, it pays. 541-592-2541 Pregnancy Center 541-592-6058 319 Caves Hwy., Cave Junction PregnancyCenterIV.org 2 4 H ours • 7 Da ys A We e k Absolute peace of mind with expert critical care just a phone call away. FOR EM ERGEN CY CALL 9 1 1 FOR N ON -EM ERGEN CY DI AL 1 -8 7 7 -5 0 4 -8 0 7 5 For Paramed Information Phone 1 (800) 228-7601
