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DailyAstorian.com // THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2019
146TH YEAR, NO. XXX
ONE DOLLAR
Columbia
Memorial
deepens
partnership
with OHSU
A new seat on the
hospital’s board
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Clatsop County Commissioners Kathleen Sullivan and Pamela Wev listen to a presentation from Pacifi c Power representative Alisa
Dunlap, center, about smart meters.
County concerned about
opt-out fees for smart meters
Dozens of customers
have complained
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
C
ounty commissioners are con-
cerned about how opt-out fees
for smart meters could fi nancially
impact Pacifi c Power customers.
Over the past several weeks, dozens of
people have approached the county com-
mission and cities on the North Coast
with complaints about the new meters,
which are digital and track power usage
through a secure wireless mesh network.
Some customers want to opt out of
getting one, but feel the monthly $36 fee
makes that prohibitive.
“For a lot of constituents, that’s bur-
densome,” Commissioner Kathleen Sul-
livan said.
The project, which will upgrade 24,000
meters across Clatsop County , is part of
the company’s statewide effort to build
a more resilient power grid better suited
to adapt to renewable energy , said Alisa
Dunlap, a regional business manager with
Pacifi c Power, during a presentation to the
county commission on Wednesday.
More than two-thirds of Oregon homes
and businesses have already made the
switch.
But some people object to the technol-
ogy due to possible health risks associ-
ated with radio frequencies emitted from
County Commissioner Lianne Thompson asks Alisa Dunlap, right, of Pacifi c Power, a
question about the new smart meters.
the digital electric meters. Others have
privacy concerns, fearing their personal
power usage information could be hacked
over a wireless system.
These fears are largely unwarranted,
Dunlap said. The wireless system is
encrypted, making it diffi cult to hack. The
radio frequencies are negligible compared
to what is emitted from smartphones and
other W i-F i-enabled devices.
“A 15-minute phone call has more
(radio frequency) than sitting outside your
smart meter for an entire year,” she said.
Pacifi c Power decided to let customers
opt out of the program for a fee of $36 a
month. The fee was set to cover the cost
for an employee to take a special trip to
read a standard meter, Dunlap said.
But some residents, like Christopher
Paddon, said the fee is excessive and
prohibits many customers from exercis-
ing their choice .
See Meters, Page A7
‘A 15-MINUTE PHONE CALL HAS MORE (RADIO FREQUENCY) THAN
SITTING OUTSIDE YOUR SMART METER FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR.’
Alisa Dunlap, a regional business manager with Pacifi c Power
Columbia Memorial Hospital is
deepening its partnership with Ore-
gon Health & Science University to
help provide an economy of scale
and ensure a stable supply of spe-
cialty physicians at the rural, criti-
cal-access hospital.
The hospital’s b oard will add a
full voting member from OHSU to
serve as a liaison between Astoria
and Portland.
The two entities will hire a chief
medical offi cer in Astoria to direct
clinical strategy, oversee qual-
ity metrics and help standardize
operations.
“I think it’s really exciting,” said
Constance Waisanen, chairwoman
of the hospital’s board. “It really
enhances our ability to recruit top-
notch doctors … but it still allows
us to be fully independent.”
The new board member, one
of 12, will bring a perspective of
being a physician or administrator
from OHSU and ensure good com-
munication between the two enti-
ties, she said.
Nothing about the governance of
the hospital will change, and there
is no fi nancial integration with the
alignment .
“It’s really building upon the
success that we’ve had so far with
them,” Erik Thorsen, the hospital’s
CEO, said. “We see being able to
do more of the same, with differ-
ent types of specialties that aren’t
currently in the community, so we
continue to improve access to care
locally than having people leave
the community.”
The hospital has partnered with
OHSU on several specialty ser-
vices, such as optha mology, car-
diology and telemedicine. The
most notable has been cancer care,
starting with a semiweekly clinic
that has grown into the Knight
Cancer Collaborative provid-
ing chemotherapy and radiology
treatments.
The hospital has struggled to
recruit physicians for its general
surgery department and in other
specialties such as pulmonology
and urology, Thorsen said. Partner-
ing with OHSU has provided more
recruiting power.
“The general surgery program,
we are fully now OHSU provid-
ers,” he said. “All of the general
surgeons work for OHSU.”
Around 30 physicians employed
by Columbia Memorial work
alongside 17 others from OHSU,
along with rotating residents and
fellows. The hospital feels it can
be more effi cient if those people
are all following the same poli-
cies and procedures, Thorsen said,
while partnering with the larger
See Hospital, Page A7
County opens bidding for mental health contracts
Window closes
in late March
By DERRICK DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
‘THIS ISN’T DRIVEN BY ANY PARTICULAR
THING OTHER THAN IT’S GOOD DUE
DILIGENCE ON OUR PART.’
Michael McNickle, county public health director
County commissioners voted
Wednesday night to open the bid-
ding for behavioral health and
developmental disability contracts,
inviting competition to Clatsop
Behavioral Healthcare, the coun-
ty’s longtime provider.
The new contracts start in July
and cover mental health and sub-
stance abuse treatment and ser-
vices for people with intellectual
and developmental disabilities.
Bids will be accepted until late
March. After the bids are scored
by an evaluation committee, com-
missioners will make the fi nal
decision.
Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare,
a private nonprofi t, has long held
the contracts. The county wanted
to seek bids a few years ago after
a management shake-up and public
criticism of the agency, but heard
there was no interest from other
providers. County leaders believe
the agency has made progress
under Amy Baker, the executive
director, but understand other pro-
viders are now willing to compete.
The bidding will take place
as Clatsop Behavioral Health-
care is again under unwanted
scrutiny.
Baker was placed on adminis-
trative leave in December over her
handling of on-call responsibilities
at the crisis respite center in War-
renton. While she was cleared by
the agency’s board after an inter-
nal investigation, the board chair-
woman and another board member
resigned in protest.
This month, The Daily Astorian
reported that the state Department
of Human Services warned the
county last fall that it would pull
the developmental disability con-
tract unless changes were made to
improve oversight of adult foster
homes.
In unanimous votes on Wednes-
day, county commissioners agreed
to release the bidding process for
public notice, but did not discuss
the reasons why.
“It’s because we haven’t done
it in a long time. That is why,”
See Contract, Page A5