East Oregonian : E.O., July 21, 2017, Page Page 4A, Image 4

Page 4A
OPINION
East Oregonian
Friday, July 21, 2017
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Publisher
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Managing Editor
TIM TRAINOR
Opinion Page Editor
MARISSA WILLIAMS
Regional Advertising Director
MARCY ROSENBERG
Circulation Manager
JANNA HEIMGARTNER
Business Office Manager
MIKE JENSEN
Production Manager
OUR VIEW
Tip of the hat;
kick in the pants
A tip of the hat, and a pleasant ride off into history for Pendleton’s
Pioneer Ladies Club.
The venerable social club — which for generations was made up of
women with ties to the initial European pioneers of the county — has
disbanded after 98 years.
As the women found out, the way people socialize
and share stories and feel a sense of community is
changing rapidly, with much of it moving online for
younger generations. Social clubs have had a hard go
of it recently in Pendleton, as we’re reminded of the
closure of the long-running Elks Lodge as well.
But the Pioneer Ladies Club was one of a kind,
and boasted a bevy of accomplishments. Those included writing and
collating an important historical book, changing the name of Cabbage Hill
to Emigrant Hill, and erecting benches and signs and marking grave sites to
commemorate the early white pioneers of the area — many descendants of
whom still live in the area.
Yet the scuttling of the club marks the end of an era, offering evidence
that the line of that lineage has grown thin. Very few living here today can
still connect their forebears to the Oregon Trail.
“There’s no more pioneer women left,” said member Dorys Grover.
A kick in the pants to the dreadful steelhead returns that are making
their way up the Columbia Basin this year.
Most years, as many fish return over Bonneville Dam each day than have
returned in all of July 2017. That’s bad news
for area anglers, but also area ecosystems.
We know most returns are cyclical, and there
are good years and bad years. It’s not good to
get too caught up on one run, which can be
susceptible to weather, ocean conditions and
the vagaries of life on Earth. But the big picture
is distressing for many who are looking at it.
There are no easy fixes anymore, when it
comes to rehabilitating anadromous fish runs. The ocean is changing so
dramatically, so many intertwined species are stressed and changing their
habits and territory quicker than ever before, and habitat is continuing
to degrade as more and more people move to Oregon and the Pacific
Northwest.
There is a precipice out there — we’re not sure where — where the
decline in fish will be dramatic and disastrous.
If salmon and steelhead runs are going to continue in the Columbia Basin,
it will become exponentially more expensive. Either that, or we will have to
change the way we live in a significant way, which humanity has shown no
sign of being willing to do.
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board of publisher
Kathryn Brown, managing editor Daniel Wattenburger, and opinion page editor Tim Trainor.
Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
OTHER VIEWS
Glimmer of hope in opioid battle
The Albany Democrat-Herald
N
ew federal statistics released
this month show, at long last, a
glimmer of hope in the nation’s
battle against opioid addiction. But this
latest news, while welcome, does not
change the fact that we still face a long
battle with the addiction adversary.
A new analysis by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention found
that the amount of opioid painkillers
prescribed in the United States peaked in
2010 and fell by 18
percent from 2010
to 2015.
In about three-
quarters of the
nation’s counties,
the amount of
opioids prescribed
has declined since
2010.
But that still
leaves 23 percent of
counties where the
amount of opioids
prescribed increased
in that same time
period.
Oregon followed the national
numbers: The amount of opioid
prescriptions dropped in most of the
state’s counties. But four counties, in
rural areas of the state, posted increases
in the prescriptions: Malheur, Morrow,
Union and Wallowa.
For purposes of comparison, the CDC
analysis looked at what it called per
capita morphine milligram equivalents.
Using that figure allows researchers
to make meaningful comparisons that
take stronger opioids into account. For
example, hydrocodone is rated at a
1-to-1 ratio because it’s about as potent
as morphine. But stronger opioids such
as oxycodone and methadone are rated at
a higher ratio.
Not surprisingly, the Oregon counties
with the highest amounts of opioid
prescriptions tended to be in the state’s
more rural areas, which highlights one
of the toughest issues in battling the
addictions: They take a disproportionate
toll in areas that often have the fewest
resources for treatment. (And it’s
not a coincidence that many of these
counties have economies that still are
struggling, even as Oregon enjoys an
robust economic recovery. In fact, across
the nation, counties with higher rates of
opioid prescribing tend to have a higher
percentage of white residents and more
people who are uninsured, unemployed
or disabled.)
The top Oregon county for
prescribing opioids in 2015 was
Curry, with 1,800 morphine milligram
equivalents (MME) per person. Falling
just outside the top five, landing at No. 6,
was Lincoln County, with 1,539.5 MME
per capita. That has an impact in the
mid-valley, because
Lincoln County
is one of the three
counties served by
the InterCommunity
Health Network
Coordinated Care
Organization, which
delivers health
services to patients
served by the
Oregon Health Plan.
(The national
average in 2015 was
640 MME.)
Even though
the overall news from the CDC was
good, it still comes with some important
asterisks: For starters, even though the
rate of opioid prescriptions has been
declining since 2010, it still remains
three times as high as it was in 1999,
when the addiction problem was just
starting to gain traction.
But even in those areas, the numbers
may still have a bit of a silver lining:
Since the CDC analysis didn’t go beyond
2015, it does not take into account the
most recent guidelines from the agency
on prescribing the drugs for chronic pain
and new limits from states and insurers
alike about how many pills doctors can
prescribe. In other words, it’s likely the
decline documented in this analysis will
continue in years to come.
Still, we’re a long way from declaring
victory over opioid addiction. As we
noted in a recent editorial, most experts
who have been following the horrifying
human death toll from opioid overdoses
expect that number to keep rising for at
least a few more years.
But the CDC’s analysis suggests that
we’re making progress against this drug
scourge. Now is not the time to back
away from this fight.
The amount of
opioid prescriptions
increased in four
Oregon counties:
Malheur, Morrow,
Union and
Wallowa.
OTHER VIEWS
Television’s wonderful women
I worship Charlize Theron, the
how many deserving women couldn’t
“Atomic Blonde” trailer is a hoot, and
be squeezed in. No Dunham for
I love the story she keeps sharing with
“Girls,” no Oprah Winfrey for “The
interviewers about training so hard
Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,”
for the fight scenes that she cracked
no Claire Danes for “Homeland” and
several teeth.
no crime in any of that, because there
But please stop telling me that
was so much else that deserved — and
“Atomic Blonde,” on the heels of
got — recognition.
“Wonder Woman,” amounts to some
To compare the nominees for best
Frank
hinge moment for movies, which are
supporting
actor and best supporting
Bruni
henceforth going to shower us with
actress in a comedy series is to
Comment
female action leads. I’ve heard that
be reminded that women rule the
“Saturday Night Live” roost. From that
joke too many times before.
show, only one recurring male performer, Alec
Let’s talk instead about all the wonderful
Baldwin, got an acting nod, while three female
women — brawlers, bawlers, schemers,
performers — Kate McKinnon, Vanessa Bayer
dreamers — on the small screen, a nickname
that we have to retire because television is
and Leslie Jones — did.
proving infinitely bigger in spirit and more in
It’s not just that actresses are giving
tune with the moment than
television’s greatest
most of the loud schlock
performances but that many
shoveled into multiplexes.
of the top-tier shows —
And let’s trade the usual,
“The Handmaid’s Tale,”
sadly necessary outrage
“Better Things” — tackle
about how poorly a given
gender-related issues.
group of Americans is being
The most recent season
represented for a hearty
of “House of Cards” was
cheer about some heartening
in some ways about the
progress.
tricky algebra of effacement,
The Emmy nominations
assertion, subservience and
came out last week, and
ingenuity behind many
they affirmed not only that
women’s paths to power.
television is indeed enjoying
It ended (spoiler alert!)
a golden age but also that part of that is its
with two triumphant words from Claire
juicy opportunities for female actors. In terms
Underwood, played by Robin Wright, that
of gender parity, it puts corporate America,
pointedly evoked Hillary Clinton’s 2016
the Trump administration and the Senate to
campaign: “My turn.”
shame.
There’s a world of fascinating women and
A Times television critic, James
fierce actresses on television now. Britain,
Poniewozik, pointed to the “murderers’
which long ago conjured the miracle of
row” of actresses nominated for best lead
Helen Mirren in “Prime Suspect,” recently
performance in a limited series: Jessica Lange tripled down with the messy, mesmerizing
and Susan Sarandon in “Feud: Bette and
sleuths played by Sarah Lancashire in “Happy
Joan,” Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman Valley,” Gillian Anderson in “The Fall” and
in “Big Little Lies,” Carrie Coon in “Fargo”
Anna Friel in “Marcella.”
and Felicity Huffman in “American Crime.”
And finally, this week, the producers of the
Five of them are over 40. Two (Lange
BBC series “Doctor Who” announced that the
and Sarandon) are over 60, playing roles that
role of the Doctor, which has changed hands
speak expressly to sexist double standards and repeatedly over decades, would next be played
the derision women face if they do something
by a woman, actress Jodie Whittaker. That’s a
as audacious as age in the limelight.
first.
Yes, there’s a negative spin on this: Why
But to watch Lancashire in “Happy Valley,”
have Lange, Sarandon, Witherspoon and
Lange in “Feud” or Viola Davis in “How
Kidman, all winners of the best actress Oscar,
to Get Away With Murder” isn’t to applaud
fled to television?
social justice. It’s to savor phenomenal artistry.
Also, the disproportionate crowd of
Television proves what has been observed
men nominated in the writing and directing
about all walks of life: For the best talent,
categories this year suggests that despite
cast the net wide and don’t ignore any of the
the recent successes of such female writers,
available pools.
directors and show runners as Shonda
Theron long ago worked on a movie with
Rhimes (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal”),
Tom Hanks, who signed her script with words
Lena Dunham (“Girls”) and Jill Soloway
that, she told Variety, “I bet he’s eating.” They
(“Transparent,” “I Love Dick”), women still
were these: “Promise me you’ll never do
don’t get enough opportunities behind the
television.”
camera.
I want her to promise that she’ll do lots
But television is hardly a last-resort
of television. She’ll get meatier parts that
medium anymore. And what’s happening
way, and might not even need dental work
in front of the camera really does warrant
afterward.
celebration.
■
Often, in the wake of Oscar nominations,
Frank Bruni, an Op-Ed columnist for
there’s talk about how tough it was to fill the
The New York Times since 2011, joined the
five slots in the best actress category credibly.
newspaper in 1995. Over his years, he has
Emmy categories accommodate six or seven
worn a wide variety of hats, including chief
nominees, and the chatter this year focused on restaurant critic and Rome bureau chief.
What’s
happening in
front of the
camera really
does warrant
celebration.
YOUR VIEWS
Veterans Administration
medical care saves lives
I am in remission from cancer of the
immune system. I am one of the lucky
ones who has taken the six chemotherapy
treatments and am now cancer free. The U.S.
Veteran’s Administration takes a lot of flak
over problems within this vast bureaucracy.
Upon diagnosis of this very aggressive
Mantle C Lymphoma, I applied to the VA for
help with payment for my cancer care. The
Veteran’s Choice rep assigned to my case went
to bat for me and was successful in getting
their high-powered committee to approve
payment for all of my cancer care.
Without exaggerating, this saved my
life — as each chemo treatment costs about
$30,000. With six treatments, doctor’s bills,
scan costs and hospital bills, the total is well
over $200,000.
In addition to this, my oncologist, Dr.
Quackenbush, from the cancer center at
Providence Hospital in Walla Walla, said my
type of cancer nearly always comes back.
He has recently placed me on what he calls
a “maintenance chemo program” for the
next two years. Once again, the VA came to
my rescue and approved payment for this
extended care. So I think it is only fair to
publicly thank the Veterans Administration
for saving my life, because there is no way
in the world I would have ever been able to
pay this bill on my own (even with the help of
Medicare).
In 2016 there were 1,685,210 new cases
of cancer in the U.S. Of those, 595,690 died.
About 40 percent of both men and women in
the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer at some
point in their lives. Estimates say about $895
billion is spent on cancer care and research
every year now. There are about 200 different
types of cancer that can be found in literally
ever part of the body. A person doesn’t have
to do anything wrong to get it either. My
oncologist told me my cancer was probably
“just plain bad luck.”
I am sure much of the many criticisms of
the VA are well deserved, but before you jump
on that bandwagon, remember my case. They
saved my life — along with a lot of prayer,
family support and good doctors.
David Burns
Pendleton
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