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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 25, 2015)
• The BLM is considering revisions to the Northwest Forest Plan and according to Oregon Wild, all of the options proposed would reduce logging setbacks on streams and rivers. The next riparian workshop will be from 4 to 7 pm Thursday, June 25, at the BLM office at 3106 Pierce Parkway in Springfield. Another public meeting is planned for June 30 in Springfield. See the BLM schedule at wkly.ws/216. • “The Future of Collegiate Athletics at the UO” with economics professor Bill Harbaugh and professor emeritus Dennis Howard, an international expert on sports finance, will be the topic at City Club of Eugene at noon Friday, June 26, at the Downtown Athletic Club, 999 Willamette St. $5 for non-members. No program is planned for July 3, but City Club will return July 10 with “Micro Housing: Making Affordable Housing More Affordable?” See cityclubofeuegene.org. • A Bernie Sanders for President meeting is now happening at 11 am every Saturday at the Growers Market, 454 Willamette St. Contact Jerry Brule at jerrybe99@gmail.com. • The VA Roseburg Healthcare System has scheduled a town hall from 4:30 to 6:30 pm Thursday, July 2, at the Elks Lodge, 1701 Centennial Blvd. in Springfield. VA representatives will be available to answer questions and assist vets with current claims or filing new claims for disability compensation. • Coming up at 8 am Saturday, July 11, is the annual McKenzie River Clean Up. Groups and individuals will spread out up and down the river, some checking the banks on foot, others wading the shoreline, still others searching for trash from drift boats, kayaks and canoes. The McKenzie Watershed Council has a Facebook page with sign-up information or call 687-9076 or email coordinator@mckenziewc.org. A barbecue will follow at Hendricks Bridge Wayside. • Free HIV testing for the general public will be offered from 1 to 4 pm this week (June 22-26) at HIV Alliance, 1966 Garden Ave. in Eugene. Although the test is free, HIV Alliance is seeking donations of $25 to support an expansion of its testing program to the general public. Previously the testing was primarily for those considered high-risk for HIV/AIDS. For more information or to donate online, visit hivalliance.org. • A free emergency preparedness event sponsored by the city of Eugene will be from 10 am to noon Saturday, June 27, at Tugman Park, 3666 Hilyard Ave. Topics will include how to create a neighborhood disaster plan. 8 June 25, 2015 • eugeneweekly.com SHELTERCARE SENIOR STAFFER CONSIDERING RUN FOR MAYOR Although Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy says she is not making Last week, the latest potential candidate for Eugene mayor endorsements at this time, she tells EW in an email that she is “very announced her “serious intention” of running for the mayor’s of- pleased that Lucy has decided to run for mayor. I have known her fice in 2016. Candidates can’t file for the 2016 Eugene race until for a number of years and have confidence in her values, ethics September, but ShelterCare Developmental Director Lucy Vinis and ability to lead.” told EW that she is currently “in a very serious explora- Piercy is not seeking reelection after this, her tion.” third term, is finished. Vinis has spent the last six and a half years Vinis says she was Eugene City Coun- at ShelterCare, a local nonprofit that, among cilor Alan Zelenka’s campaign manager other things, provides emergency services, in 2006, and she was active in Piercy’s shelter and support for homeless indi- 2008 campaign for mayor. viduals and families. She says her She says her background in non- job as developmental director entails profits has well equipped her for the “engaging the community in under- job of mayor. “I do feel that my work standing and supporting the work with ShelterCare and EarthShare of that ShelterCare does” to help the Oregon, building that strong com- unhoused. munity conversation around a par- “She’s a very collaborative, posi- ticular issue and engaging people to tive, energetic person,” ShelterCare find solutions, is good preparation for Executive Director Susan Ban says. running for the mayor’s office,” Vinis “I have a high degree of trust in her. says. She’s a great team player.” Ban says that Vinis has exhib- Before joining ShelterCare, Vinis ited strong leadership qualities at worked with Eugene-Springfield’s ‘I do feel that my work with ShelterCare. “I have really appreci- EarthShare of Oregon, a nonprofit that rallies workplaces to support en- ShelterCare and EarthShare of Oregon, ated that she can pull community members into a committee to work vironmental causes. building that strong community on a specific project — she’s able to She has also volunteered in the 4J school system and is the founder of conversation around a particular listen carefully to a lot of different and then help weave them into Youth Visions, a nonprofit that sup- issue and engaging people to find ideas a cohesive product, always making ports short films made by high school solutions, is good preparation for sure that everybody has been heard,” students. The program still runs un- says. “She’s a natural leader.” der the guidance of the Downtown running for the mayor’s office. ’ Ban — Amy Schneider Initiative for the Visual Arts (DIVA). — LUCY VINIS SHOULD OREGONIANS HAVE A ‘RIGHT-TO-TRY’? In Oregon, the terminally ill can take advantage of our “right to die” (aka death with dignity) law. Should the terminally ill have access to experimental therapies? A “right to try,” as it were? The federal government says no, but 22 states have passed laws that say yes. Oregon could be the next to do so this July as the Legislature winds to a close. Since 2014, laws giving patients ex- panded access to potentially life-saving but unproven therapies, so called right- to-try legislation, has been proposed in more than half the country, according to the Regulatory Affairs Professionals So- ciety. Many places, including Colorado and Missouri, have passed these bills. “It has a very compelling story behind it,” says Dennis McNannay, executive director of the Oregon Biosciences As- sociation. “In its most simplistic form why would we not give the terminally ill a drug that might save their life? But there is a tremendous amount of nuance.” A new drug could prove miraculous, reducing pain or symptoms, sending a disease into remission, maybe even cur- ing the condition, as some are sure to hope. The dark side of an investigational product, given the lack of testing, is that it could go awry and increase patients’ pain, worsen their condition or end their life. The core legislation that Oregon is considering was developed by the Gold- water Institute in Arizona, a conservative organization that advocates nationally for “constitutionally limited government,” according to its website. Oregon’s law is based on that language with minor adjust- ments. That legislation in turn is based on the FDA’s “compassionate use policy.” The FDA has a strict, three-stage process for approving new medicines, but in cases where the patient is terminal, certain treat- ments can be approved under compas- sionate use. Oregon’s House Bill 2300-A would allow patients to try therapies that have passed the FDA’s first assessment, but it would not instruct doctors or com- panies to provide that treatment. Critics argue the laws sabotage the FDA regulatory process and don’t offer as much hope as people would like to think. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward tells EW, “It’s a very messy problem. These laws haven’t been around long enough for us to know how they will pan out.” She advocates waiting a year or two to see how it goes in the other states. “People could be stuck with enormous medical bills,” Steiner Hayward says. “That can make it an issue of social jus- tice,” because the rich can access these drugs, but the poor could not. In the current bill, insurance compa- nies would not have to cover the investi- gational products. Speaking June 22, Dr. Samuel Metz, a Portland-based physician, said he was “deeply conflicted” about the right-to-try laws. He said there would be less than one Oregonian per decade who could use the bill. “Medical ethicists are uniformly against right-to-try laws” because of the possibly delays it could cause in approv- ing drugs and the potential for exploita- tion of families by firms. McNannay says one of the main rea- sons against the bill was that patients were more likely to suffer an adverse re- action to experimental treatments. “There’s a whole lot more to this is- sue,” he says. “The more you learn about this issue, the more complex it gets.” — Dash Paulson
