October 4, 2000
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Health
Lead
Poisoning
Questions
Answered
Kaiser and Unions
Reach Agreement
Five-year Labor Pact Brings Annual
Raises. New Voice for Frontline Staff
H e a lth c a re g ia n t K a ise r
Permanente and a coalition of 25
AFL-CIO unions have released the
details o f the largest-ever national
contract agreement in the health care
industry.
Under the terms o f a five-year
tentative agreement, workers will
receive annual 4% across-the-board
wage increases; with 4% to 6% in
creases for registered nurses, nurse
practitioners and physician assis
tants.
The package also includes many
health benefit improvements includ
ing new and improved coverage for
departments, domestic partners, pre
scription drugs, durable medical
equipment, and more.
The tentative agreement also in
cludes a first-ever structure for joint
labor management decision-making
throughout the organization, cover
ing areas such as staffing, quality
service, finance and budget, educa
tion and training, health and safety,
perform ance and flexibility, and
pension investments.
The new pact covers K aiser
Permanente workers in Oregon, and
several other states.
The agreement sets a new stan
dard in the flashpoint area o f staff
ing. Joint labor-management staff
ing teams will create an annual staff
ing plan for each department cov
ered by the agreement. The plan will
cover mutually acceptable numbers,
mix and qualifications o f staff in
each work unit.
“No other health care employer
has worked with unions to create
m e c h a n ism s fo r th is sp e c ific
scope and depth o f em ployee in
v o lv e m e n t,” said Peter D iC icco,
ch air o f the C o alitio n o f K aiser
P erm an en te U nions. “ A t K aiser
P erm an en te, p atien ts can be c er
tain that fro n t-lin e care p ro v id
ers, not b u re a u c rats, are m aking
d e c isio n ab out th e ir care, said
K athy Sackman, president o f Un
tied Nurses Associations o f Cali
fornia, AFSCME.
Firm Pleads No Contest
Attorney General Hardy Myers
recently announced that HealthTek,
Inc., a Vancouver based company
that provides medical supplies to
customers in Oregon and Washing
ton, pleaded no contest to a felony
charge o f Making False Claims for
Medicaid Health Care Payment.
F o llo w in g th e p le a , M arion
County Circuit Court Judge Erik
Larson prohibited the company from
submitting claims to Medicaid in
Oregon and ordered the company to
pay $569,600 in restitution and
agency investigative costs by Oct.
22.
HealthTek owners Suzanne and
John Robert Jr. o f Vancouver also
are excluded nationwide from own
ing, operating or being employed by
any health care entity that receives
federal health care money.
W E IN E
VILLA61
•I
Promoting and improving wellness among African Americans will again be the goal o f the 5'h Annual
Wellness Village. Free community events focusing on diabetes, health screenings, education and awareness
are scheduled Oct. 15, 4 p.m.-7:30 p.m at Emanuel Hospital's Lorenzen Center; Oct. 21, 9 a m .-5 p.m. at
Self Enhancement Inc.; and Oct 21 at the African American M en’s Prayer Breakfast at 7:30 am . at Mt.
Olivet Baptist Church.
Well Supplies Turned Off
Bull Run is Again Only Source for Portland's Water Needs
The City of Portland Bureau of Wa
ter Works is no longer drawing supple
mental summer water supplies from the
Columbia Southshore wellfield.
The city started drawing about 30
million gallons a day (approximately
a 20 percent mix o f well water to
Bull Run water) from the wells back
in early August. This was one o f two
additional supply options to help
stretch the c ity ’s w ater storage
through the peak summer season.
In addition to 30 million gallons
J
a day from the wells, the city re
leases 800 million gallons from Bull
Run Lake between Aug. 16 and Sept.
11.
“Summer is our period o f peak
demand, o f course,” acknowledged
Michael Rosenberger, Water Bu
reau Administrator, “and this has
been a dry summer. In addition to
normal peak use, we also have a
commitment to release water into
the lower Bull Run River during the
summer and into the fall to benefit
...and give me an
juvenile steelhead and adult Chinook
salmon. Using the wells and Bull
Run Lake gives us flexibility to meet
multiple demands and maintain high
water quality.”
“We expect our reservoirs to start
re fillin g in O c to b e r,” noted
Rosenberger, “and if they don’t we
can always turn the wells back on to
augment supply. Given current
weather predictions, we feel com
fortable saving our rate-payers the
additional pumping costs.”
M ultnom ah C o u n ty H e a lth
Department’s new lead poisoning
information line will make it easier
for county residents to get informa
tion about childhood lead poisoning
prevention, as well as information
and referrals for local lead programs
and services.
The LeadLine can be reached at
(503) 988-4000. Spanish, Russian,
and Vietnamese interpreters are
available as needed.
The Health Department also an
nounced the availability o f child
hood blood lead level screening at
free immunization clinics held ev
ery w eek at v ario u s lo c a tio n s
throughout the county. Blood lead
level screening is recommended for
children 6 months to 6 years o f age
who live in older, p re-1978 hous
ing. Interested parents or guardians
can call the LeadLine for clinic lo
cations and hours.
“Childhood lead poisoning is o f
great concern to parents and health
professionals in our community,”
states Lynne Weidel, Lead Poison
ing Prevention Program Manager.
“The Health Department is working
to prevent and control lead hazards
and support children and families
who may be at risk. Lead poisoning
can cause permanent damage, but it
is also completely preventable.”
Lead is reco g n ized as one o f
th e m o st s i g n i f i c a n t h e a lth
threats to children. T he C e n te rs .
for D isease C ontrol and P rev en
tion estim ates th at n e a rly one
m illion A m erican ch ild re n un
der the age o f six have elev ated
blood lead levels.
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