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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2012)
WWW . THESKANNER . COM F EBRUARY 15, 2012 P ORTLAND , O REGON V OLUME XXXIV, N O . 7 25 CENTS For The Skanner news alerts Text "NEWS" to 503-715-0890 or scan this QR code C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW TriMet Budget Cuts HAVING FUN Agency wants public comment on drastic service changes By Helen Silvis Of The Skanner News PHOTO COURTESY ON-THE-MOVE T riMet has a plan to cut $17 million from its budget, through raising fares, eliminating fareless square, and requiring new tickets for return journeys, no matter how short the trip. The plan includes changes to the LIFT service, fewer MAX and bus trips and eliminating fareless square. General Manager, Neil McFarlane says to cover its projected budget shortfall, the agency must cut costs. But TriMet will change its plan, depending on what riders say. The proposals must be finalized by April. So now is the time to let TriMet know what you think. “Every one of our proposals ends up changing dramatically depending on what we hear from our customers,” McFarlane told The Skanner News. “A lot of the changes are at a very micro level. That’s why it is really important that people look at this and give us feedback.” About 80 people turned out to an open budget hearing, Feb. 9, at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization in East Portland, to offer their views. The meeting was just one in a series of Budget Hearings that McFarlane hopes will bring riders out to express their views on the budget. Johnell Bell, TriMet’s director of equity and diversity said the proposal to make all tickets one-way only provoked most con- cern at the meeting. Currently 4.5 percent of rides are round trips using a transfer. Those riders would need to buy two tickets. “A lot of folks certainly support the elim- ination of the free rail zone,” Bell said. “And there is general support of the flat fare, specifically the all-day pass.” Under the proposal, adults would pay $2:50 for a single ticket and $5 to travel all day. Youth would pay $1:65 for a single ticket and $3:30 for a day pass. The honored citizen rate would be $1 single and $2 all- Advocates say that, compared to majority families, families of color have greater difficulty in accessing and utilizing social services and are less likely to receive innovative or best-practice services such as a family support system and employment support. Getting Out, Making Friends Socializing Colorfully serves special needs people of color Bruce Poinsette Of The Skanner News O n-the-Move Communi- ty Integration is holding monthly gath- erings for its Socializing Colorfully Group, the only group of its kind that directly serves people of color with developmental disabilities. “People of color with devel- opmental disabilities tend to think they’re the only ones,” says Deborah Waggoner of On-the-Move. “We decided to bring in a program where they can meet each other, learn about each other’s culture and make friends.” Advocates say that, com- pared to majority families, families of color have greater difficulty in accessing and uti- lizing social services and are less likely to receive innova- tive or best-practice services such as a family support sys- tem and employment support. Research shows that barriers to these services come from issues related to poverty, racism and lack of culturally relevant programs. Socializing Colorfully cur- rently serves about 15 clients. Base funding for the pro- gram comes from grants from Meyer Memorial Trust and SE Uplift. All of the money for the program comes from dona- tions and grants. It is part of the larger work On-the-Move does with peo- ple with developmental disabilities. The group, which was founded in June 2007, is a licensed provider organization, which allows it to take on con- tracts for services. It also gets money for day to day services through the Oregon Brokerage System. Molly Mayo, executive director of On-the-Move, defines developmental disabil- ity as a diagnosis that allows people to receive services that help them deal with day to day needs. “It’s a combination of cogni- tive and adaptive behavior,” See SOCIAL on page 3 See TRIMET on page 3 INDEX Senate Backs Kitzhaber Health Overhaul News ...................2,3,6 State report says plan could save $3.1 billion over five years Opinion ..................4,5 By Jonathan J. Cooper The Associated Press A & E .................7,8,10 Food..........................9 Bids/Classifieds ........11 SALEM, Ore.— Turning back a Republi- can effort to limit liability in medical malpractice cases, the Oregon Senate on Tuesday advanced Gov. John Kitzhaber’s proposal to redesign Oregon’s health care system beginning with the Oregon Health Plan. The Senate was the steepest hill for Kitzhaber’s initiative, and approval there on a 17-13 vote smooths its path into law. The measure next goes to the House, where it is likely to have more support. The measure would overhaul the health care system to improve coordination of care and reduce hospital stays — an approach that proponents say would lead to healthier patients and lower costs. It’s an attempt to control health care costs that are growing faster than state revenue and threaten to limit funding available for schools, police and other government priorities. A state-funded report says the plan would save at least $3.1 billion over five years. ``This bill transforms for the better the way our state delivers care for those in See HEALTH on page 3
