NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Friday, August 19, 2016
In rural Oregon, trouble getting medication
BEND — Murray’s Drug is a
throwback to a simpler time.
Opened in 1959 long before
national drugstore chains and mail-
order pharmacies dominated the
prescription world, the family-owned
business is still the only place in town
the 1,200 residents of Heppner can ill
a prescription. In fact, between their
Heppner and Condon stores, pharma-
cists John and Ann Murray, and their
daughter, Laurie Murray-Wood, run
the only brick-and-mortar pharmacies
in all of Morrow, Gilliam, Sherman and
Wheeler counties.
“It’s hard to keep these pharmacies
open six or seven days a week,” he said.
“When we were raising our kids and
Ann and I were the only pharmacists,
we had two stores to cover, so ive days
kind of became the norm.”
As a result, Heppner is one of many
towns across Oregon with limited
access to prescription drugs. A recent
analysis from Oregon State University
suggests that the lack of pharmacy
services may be boosting the rates of
hospital readmissions among seniors,
at great cost to both patients and the
health care system.
The study tallied the cumulative
number of hours pharmacies were
open in each primary care service area
across Oregon, then compared those
to readmission rates at local hospitals.
In urban areas, with plentiful access
to pharmacies, hospital readmission
rates among patients over the age of
65 were lower, at about 14.7 percent of
discharges. In rural areas, where phar-
macies were open fewer hours per day,
hospital readmission rates were a half
percentage point higher at 15.3 percent.
“That’s pretty signiicant consid-
ering the number of patients that are
admitted into hospitals in Oregon each
year and when you translate that to the
amount of money that’s being saved
in reducing readmissions,” said Sarah
Bissonnette, an OSU post-doctoral
fellow and lead author of the study.
Rural hospitals do what they can
to help patients but are often limited
in how much medication they can
provide at discharge. Pioneer Memorial
Hospital in Heppner has a drug room
that supplies medications for inpatient
or emergency room patients, said
Pioneer CEO Bob Houser. “They can
get most of their pharmacy ills here if
they are sent home on a weekend when
Murray’s Drug is closed,” he said.
“The drug room in the hospital is not
a retail pharmacy, but we are allowed
to send home up to a three-day supply
of drugs with the patient to use until the
pharmacy is open.”
But if patients need medications
not stocked by the hospital, they may
need to drive an hour to Hermiston to
211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211
333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211
Ofice hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed major holidays
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Copyright © 2016, EO Media Group
SUNDAY
Sunny and very
warm
Hot with plenty of
sunshine
89° 55°
95° 62°
MONDAY
Sunshine and very
hot
Sunny and cooler
but pleasant
TUESDAY
Delightful with
plenty of sun
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
97° 59°
82° 50°
82° 52°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
94° 47°
98° 58°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
95°
87°
106° (1897)
60°
57°
43° (1904)
PRECIPITATION
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
0.00"
0.07"
0.24"
7.39"
5.00"
8.23"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
Yesterday
Normals
Records
HIGH
LOW
97°
87°
105° (1967)
58°
57°
44° (1987)
PRECIPITATION
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
0.00"
0.05"
0.12"
4.99"
3.25"
6.07"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
Last
New
First
6:01 a.m.
7:56 p.m.
8:45 p.m.
7:29 a.m.
Full
Sep 1
Sep 9
Sep 16
Aug 24
86° 51°
86° 48°
Seattle
97/62
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
99° 61°
Today
Spokane
Wenatchee
84/57
89/62
Tacoma
Moses
94/53
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 91/53
84/47
88/58
95/52
93/54
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
97/59
91/60 Lewiston
93/50
Astoria
91/58
88/59
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
100/66
Pendleton 84/49
The Dalles 94/47
89/55
97/58
La Grande
Salem
87/46
103/61
Albany
Corvallis 102/60
104/57
John Day
90/56
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
95/59
105/55
86/49
Caldwell
Burns
93/56
92/45
Astoria
Baker City
Bend
Brookings
Burns
Enterprise
Eugene
Heppner
Hermiston
John Day
Klamath Falls
La Grande
Meacham
Medford
Newport
North Bend
Ontario
Pasco
Pendleton
Portland
Redmond
Salem
Spokane
Ukiah
Vancouver
Walla Walla
Yakima
Hi
88
86
86
70
92
84
105
86
94
90
95
87
84
111
79
75
95
93
89
100
90
103
84
82
98
91
93
Lo
59
41
49
54
45
49
55
50
47
56
51
46
43
67
52
53
59
50
55
66
45
61
57
43
66
60
54
W
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
Lo
57
41
57
51
48
52
52
53
58
60
49
49
45
66
50
53
55
54
62
62
50
56
61
49
60
65
58
W
s
s
s
pc
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
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pc
s
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s
s
WORLD CITIES
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Hi
89
87
86
69
74
79
76
83
92
73
88
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
95/51
Boardman
Pendleton
Lo
71
79
70
58
58
63
59
67
77
51
79
W
c
t
s
r
t
pc
sh
pc
c
s
t
Sat.
Hi
91
89
88
70
73
74
76
84
93
65
86
Lo
72
80
70
59
57
59
57
68
77
47
80
W
s
t
s
pc
t
sh
pc
s
c
s
t
REGIONAL FORECAST
Coastal Oregon: Mostly sunny today.
Warmer; patchy fog in the south in the
morning. Clear tonight.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Plenty of
sunshine today; very warm across the north.
Clear tonight.
Western Washington: Blazing sunshine
today. Clear tonight. Plenty of sunshine
tomorrow.
Eastern Washington: Plenty of sunshine
today. Clear tonight. Plenty of sunshine
tomorrow.
Cascades: Plenty of sunshine today; very
warm. Clear tonight. Plenty of sunshine
tomorrow.
Northern California: Clouds, then sun at
the coast today; hot in central parts. Sunny
elsewhere.
Today
Saturday
NNE 7-14
NNW 6-12
NE 3-6
NNW 4-8
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
1
4
6
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Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
WINDS
Medford
111/67
Corrections
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paper, please call 541-966-0818.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Sat.
Hi
75
89
92
68
93
88
101
93
98
96
95
92
89
108
63
66
93
95
95
100
95
101
90
90
98
95
98
PORTLAND (AP) —
Seven companies have
offered millions of dollars to
buy a Portland property that
had been slated to become a
large homeless shelter.
The development
companies offered between
$6 million and $10 million
for the warehouse, possibly
complicating the City
Council’s plans to convert
it into a shelter for up to
400 people, reported The
Oregonian/Oregon Live.
Portland’s sewer bureau
had been taking offers for
the 14-acre property. But
last week, the City Council
voted that the bureau should
lease the space to the
housing division for at least
$10,000 a month.
The purchase offers,
revealed Wednesday in
response to a public records
request, complicate an
ongoing disagreement about
the value of the property.
City oficials don’t know
how much the shelter will
cost or who will pay for
it, but developer Homer
Williams has promised to
come up with private money
to operate a mass homeless
shelter. He didn’t submit an
offer to buy the waterfront
property.
According to Multnomah
County property records,
the sewer bureau bought
the property for about $6.33
million in 2004 and it has a
current market value of $8.6
million.
SEATTLE (AP) — U.S.
and Canadian Coast Guard
crews were working to
make sure ive people on a
sailboat that was taking in
water off the Washington
Coast made it safely to
Tillamook.
Coast Guard oficials
say they received a report
Wednesday that a 43-foot
sailing vessel was taking
on water 218 miles west of
La Push in 20-foot seas and
30-mph winds.
An electrical pump
onboard couldn’t handle the
looding and people were
using buckets to bail water.
Two Coast Guard
aircrews lew from
REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
Purchase offers
complicate
Portland shelter
Coast Guard helps
sailors in high seas
off Coast
Advertising Director: Jennine Perkinson
541-278-2669 • jperkinson@eastoregonian.com
Advertising Services: Laura Jensen
541-966-0806 • ljensen@eastoregonian.com
Multimedia Consultants:
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541-278-2678 • tbriggs@eastoregonian.com
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541-278-2683 • ajacobs@eastoregonian.com
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Didn’t receive your paper? Call 1-800-522-0255
before noon Tuesday through Friday
or before 10 a.m. Saturday
for same-day redelivery
— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
SATURDAY
GRESHAM (AP) —
Police in Gresham, Oregon,
arrested a Meals on Wheels
volunteer accused of killing
a Chihuahua that belonged
to a disabled woman for
whom he delivered food.
The department said
Thursday the incident
happened Aug. 8. June
Rigsby told police she was
in bed when the volunteer
arrived with a meal, a task
he had been doing every
Monday for months.
Rigsby says her three
dogs jumped off the bed to
greet him. She later heard
a thud and only two dogs
returned. After the volunteer
left, Rigsby found the
Chihuahua named “Baby”
dead on the kitchen loor.
Police say the volunteer,
68-year-old Donald Nicoli,
remembered kicking the
dog, but couldn’t recall
much else about what
happened. He’s been
charged with aggravated
animal abuse.
An examination at
Oregon State University
found the dog died from
blunt force trauma and skull
fractures.
“It’s hard to keep
these pharmacies
open six or seven
days a week.”
Subscriber services:
For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255
Warrenton with the pump
while another aircrew from
Sacramento, California
provided cover. Upon
arrival, the sailors declined
to be hoisted off the boat but
the new pump worked to
control the looding.
An aircrew from Prince
Rupert, British Columbia is
providing aerial surveillance
over the vessel and Coast
Guard personnel are
maintaining communication
with the sailboat crew as
they travel.
Volunteer accused
of killing dog during
food delivery
get the prescription illed.
largely a resource issue.
The Murrays have taken multiple
“Hospital pharmacies aren’t set up
steps to limit the impact on their to do the outpatient billing of insurance,
community residents. They publish so that’s a huge barrier,” she said. “It
an emergency number that local resi- might mean an extra pharmacist when
dents can call if they cannot wait until you only have one, so that’s a signiicant
morning or through the weekend to ill amount of staff increase and money.”
a script.
Michael Powell, pharmacy director
“I fear that it does affect admis- at St. Charles Bend said he believed that
sions,” he said. “We try to provide lack of pharmacy access did contribute
services and get it to them when they to readmission rates, although the
need it. But say that
hospital had not
person is timid, or
yet quantiied the
feels it’s an impo-
impact. The hospital
sition, even though
is running a pilot
it’s
endangering
program on one
their health. The
nursing unit, having
wait to get medicine
pharmacists deliver
or going without
prescriptions and
medicine is always
counsel patients at
a bad thing.”
their bedside prior
Patients treated
— John Murray, to discharge. That
for
pneumonia
Runs only pharmacies in also helps to iden-
might be started
Morrow, Gilliam, Sherman and tify when patients
on antibiotics and
are unable to afford
Wheeler counties
then sent home
their medications so
with a prescription
they can be referred
for more. But if they can’t get to a to the hospital’s assistance programs.
pharmacy to ill that prescription for a
“I do believe that we will have
day or two, that infection could return. signiicant positive impact on readmis-
Or heart failure patients who can’t ill sion rates through these programs,”
a prescription for a diuretic could see Powell said. “But we do not have data
luid build up in their lungs and have to show this yet.”
dificulty breathing.
The OSU researchers also found
The researchers found that some that pharmacies and hospitals tended
rural areas had only a single pharmacy, to be located close together. So
open 54 hours per week.
patients who lived farther from a
“There’s only two 24-hour pharma- hospital had more dificulty illing
cies in the state of Oregon, and both are their prescriptions.
in the Portland area,” said David Lee,
Some Murray’s Drug customers
an OSU assistant professor of phar- must travel three hours round trip to
macy and senior author of the study. pick up their medications. If someone
“So if you need medication at kind of forgets or has trouble making the trip,
an odd hour, the only place you can do the Murrays are often there to close
it is Portland.”
the gap. Two months ago, a patient in
Because pharmacy access was Fossil had run out of medications, so
lower in rural areas, the analysis could the Murrays sent an employee from
not tease out the different impact of their Condon store on a two-hour
pharmacy hours versus other limita- delivery trip.
tions of rural areas — such as the lack
“That’s the kind of stuff we do in
of doctors or support services — that rural areas,” he said. “It doesn’t pay
could also play a role in higher read- not to help people.”
mission rates.
Lee said mail-order services could
“There’s been research showing help improve medication access for
that rural communities have less access patients in rural areas, but recom-
to physicians and other health care mended that hospitals follow up with a
entities,” Bissonnette said. “We think phone call to ensure that patients know
it’s important to consider pharmacies how to take their medication and what
as well.”
their potential side effects could be.
But hospitals now have a vested
The Murrays, however, counter
interest in ensuring patients can get that mail-order pharmacies are hurting
their medications after discharge. Since access. As more insurance companies
2010, Medicare has levied increasing require patients to use mail-order
inancial penalties on hospitals if too pharmacies, they’re putting inde-
many patients need to be readmitted pendent drug stores out of business.
within 30 days. Some hospitals across And that might leave a discharged
the country are now opening dispensa- patient nowhere to ill prescriptions
ries to ensure their patients aren’t going on a same-day basis. The Murrays
without.
and other independent pharmacists
Bissonnette said while some states in Oregon are pushing for legislation
have regulations that prevent hospitals that would prevent pharmacy beneit
from sending patients home with more managers from excluding community
than a day’s supply of medications, it’s pharmacies.
By MARKIAN HAWRYLUK
Bend Bulletin
TODAY
BRIEFLY
1
8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m.
0-2, Low
3-5, Moderate 6-7, High;
8-10, Very High;
11+, Extreme
The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num-
ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.
Forecasts and graphics provided by
AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016
-10s
-0s
showers t-storms
0s
10s
rain
20s
flurries
30s
40s
snow
ice
50s
60s
cold front
70s
80s
90s
100s
warm front stationary front
110s
high
low
National Summary: Storms will dot much of the Southeastern states today. Severe storms
will extend from Oklahoma and Colorado to Wisconsin. As cool air invades the northern
Plains, heat will hold on in the Northwest.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 109° in Needles, Calif.
Low 32° in Angel Fire, N.M.
NATIONAL CITIES
Today
Albuquerque
Atlanta
Atlantic City
Baltimore
Billings
Birmingham
Boise
Boston
Charleston, SC
Charleston, WV
Chicago
Cleveland
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
El Paso
Fairbanks
Fargo
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Little Rock
Los Angeles
Hi
87
88
85
89
66
85
92
82
92
81
87
88
85
76
88
96
67
73
87
89
84
94
87
101
84
82
Lo
63
73
72
69
47
74
61
69
77
67
70
71
73
45
71
72
55
55
73
76
71
73
65
82
74
62
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Sat.
Hi
83
88
84
90
77
88
91
82
93
85
75
88
81
77
85
93
64
69
86
91
79
96
75
102
85
82
Lo
61
73
73
71
52
74
63
67
77
71
60
70
71
51
65
68
52
47
75
74
63
73
55
81
72
62
Today
W
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Hi
Louisville
85
Memphis
82
Miami
91
Milwaukee
89
Minneapolis
78
Nashville
81
New Orleans
92
New York City
88
Oklahoma City
86
Omaha
86
Philadelphia
91
Phoenix
103
Portland, ME
84
Providence
86
Raleigh
90
Rapid City
60
Reno
96
Sacramento
92
St. Louis
87
Salt Lake City
93
San Diego
78
San Francisco
72
Seattle
97
Tucson
97
Washington, DC 92
Wichita
90
Lo
72
75
75
70
62
71
77
74
68
61
72
81
60
66
73
43
61
60
73
63
67
57
62
74
75
65
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Sat.
Hi
83
85
91
80
70
84
90
87
80
74
91
101
81
83
89
69
96
91
82
90
79
73
93
94
93
77
Lo
70
73
76
61
54
71
77
73
59
54
73
81
61
67
73
46
63
59
63
65
68
58
60
74
75
58
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
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