Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 8, 2017)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Tuesday, August 8, 2017 State health agency sought to plant negative stories about nonprofit Oregon Health Authority director approved plan, which was never acted on By NICK BUDNICK Portland Tribune The government-funded public relations plan to demean a Port- land-area healthcare nonprofit sounds like a toned-down mish mash of the TV series “House of Cards” and “Mad Men,” but with an Oregon twist. Among the plan’s elements: Find an HIV patient to complain about lack of care at the nonprofit FamilyCare, Inc., and connect them off-the-record with a reporter, perhaps at Willamette Week. Get reporters to write about Family- Care and “look for opportunities to hurt their credibility in the news.” Portray the nonprofit as “more concerned with the bottom line and increasing revenues than the health of Oregonians.” And the spin doctors tasked with doing all this? Communications staff at the Oregon Health Authority, the state agency overseeing Medicaid. The communications plan, released in response to a public records appeal by the Portland Tribune, was forwarded between OHA’s head of lobbying, BethAnne Darby, OHA Director Lynne Saxton and others in January as a means to influence the 2017 Oregon Legislature. The plan was prepared as Family- Care and the state were doing battle in court over whether OHA is giving FamilyCare a fair rate of reimburse- ment for its care of low-income Medicaid patients. FamilyCare is one of 16 coordinated care organizations, or CCOs, set up by state reforms to act much like insurance plans or HMOs to provide low-income patients with health care under the Oregon Health Plan. FamilyCare been the most vocal CCO, often accusing state officials of incompetence or seeking to do the nonprofit harm, including in the pending litigation. The company’s critics call it excessively combative and its CEO, Jeff Heatherington, prone to hyperbole. Asked about the plan and related documents, Oregon Health Authority spokesman Robb Cowie wrote in an email that they were intended to “sketch out a range of outreach options and messages we explored to counter FamilyCare’s aggressive and often incorrect public statements. They were never formally reviewed or approved, or fully implemented.” In a Feb. 18 email, however, Saxton signaled her approval of the most aggressive draft of the plan released by OHA, saying she’d read it and there were some new develop- ments that “will build on the already good start you have outlined.” To some extent, the plan is simply a measure of how bitter the litigation between FamilyCare and the state has become. And some aspects of the plan are standard stuff, such as correcting any “allegations and distor- tions” issued by FamilyCare through “prompt, informal communication with key media.” But the parts setting out detailed plans to plant negative stories about FamilyCare while disguising OHA’s BRIEFLY role in the coverage count as highly unusual behavior, according to several current and former government communications staff interviewed by the Portland Tribune. It puts the state of Oregon and Gov. Kate Brown’s admin- istration in a role of trying to demean a contractor that — in theory, at least — OHA is supposed to be cooperating with to help low-income people. Brown’s office did not respond to emails and voicemails requesting comment Thursday and Friday. Prepared in response to the litiga- tion, the plan was intended to influence and persuade lawmakers to stay out of the legal dispute and not pass any bills supported by FamilyCare to seek modifications of the state rate process, the documents show. OHA succeeded in this regard, and a FamilyCare bill died in committee. But not everyone thinks trashing FamilyCare was a productive approach. For instance, the state communications plan plan talks about working with lobbyists from other groups to spread negative stories — while, in contrast, praising Health Share of Oregon, another organization that, like FamilyCare, is part of the Oregon Health Plan and covers the greater Portland region as FamilyCare does. If the state had come to Health Share with this plan, the CCO would have declined to collaborate in “disparaging” FamilyCare, said Janet Meyer, Chief Executive Officer of Health Share. She said “job one” in health care is taking care of patients, and demeaning those doing it “is not helpful.” Oakland officer picked as next Portland police chief Associated Press PORTLAND — A woman with 19 years of experience at the Oakland, California, police department was chosen Monday to serve as Portland’s next police chief. Danielle Outlaw, who has served as deputy chief in Oakland since 2013, was appointed by Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Outlaw, 41, will take command of a force that has struggled with a staffing shortage; noncompliance with a federal settlement agreement that requires changes to bureau policies, training and community engagement; ongoing controversies about the police handling of large protests; and a breakdown in trust with community members. Wheeler said Outlaw shares his goals of improving relationships with Portland’s communities of color, increasing diversity on the 950-member Outlaw force and embracing equity. “I have concrete goals for the Portland Police Bureau, all of them challenging to achieve,” Wheeler said in a statement. “I need a partner. I need a leader. More than that, I need someone with a passion for this work who will be in it for the long haul. Danielle Outlaw is that person.” The mayor selected Outlaw from 33 candidates after a national search that lasted less than three months and was conducted largely behind closed doors with input from a select group of community members. “My life’s passion is policing. I want to make a positive difference in the lives of my fellow officers and the residents of the community,” Outlaw said in a prepared statement released by the mayor’s office. “Portland is an amazing city. I am humbled by the tremendous opportunity in front of me, and am ready to get to work.” The pick ends current police Chief Mike Marshman’s yearlong tenure at the helm. Former Mayor Charles Hales appointed Marshman as chief in June 2016, after former Chief Larry O’Dea retired amid a criminal investigation into his off-duty shooting of a friend during a camping trip in southeastern Oregon. 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 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211 Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed major holidays SUBSCRIPTION RATES Local home delivery Savings off cover price EZPay $14.50 41 percent 52 weeks $173.67 41 percent 26 weeks $91.86 38 percent 13 weeks $47.77 36 percent *EZ Pay = one-year rate with a monthly credit or debit card/check charge www.eastoregonian.com To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to www.eastoregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published daily except Sunday, Monday and Dec. 25, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, OR. Postmaster: send address changes to East Oregonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. DETROIT (AP) — A growing wildfire is forcing authorities to close miles of roads, trails and mountains in north-central Oregon that was expected to be prime eclipse- viewing territory. The Statesman Journal reports that about 180 square miles in and around the Mount Jefferson area were closed beginning Monday and will remain closed through the Aug. 21 solar eclipse, which is expected to draw tens of thousands to Oregon and perhaps many more. The area being closed is within the region where the moon will fully cover the sun. Willamette National Forest Supervisor Tracy Beck said in a statement that “the risk is too great, and our highest responsibility must be visitor safety.” A fire in the area grew to 8 square miles Monday and is expected to continue growing. Farmers, vintners worry about heat damage to crops WOODBURN (AP) — Farmers and vineyard owners in Oregon are worrying that the extensive heat wave in the state may be doing damage to their crops. The Capital Press reported Monday that excessive heat can blister or sunburn wine grapes, which are still developing and won’t be harvested until September. Late season raspberries may develop white dots due to sun scald and blueberries may not reach their ideal size because of a lack of water. “The plant can’t pump enough water, so it shuts Single copy price: $1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday TODAY WEDNESDAY Hot and smoky with hazy sun Very hot with hazy sun 100° 64° 101° 65° THURSDAY Very hot with hazy sun FRIDAY Very hot with hazy sunshine PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 101° 68° 100° 68° 98° 64° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 104° 63° 103° 62° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 92° 89° 110° (1898) 66° 59° 42° (1931) 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" 0.00" 0.08" 11.30" 7.27" 8.03" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE Yesterday Normals Records HIGH LOW 93° 89° 106° (1972) 63° 59° 41° (1939) 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" 0.00" 0.05" 6.59" 4.94" 5.97" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today Last New Aug 14 Aug 21 First Aug 29 104° 70° 101° 69° Seattle 89/63 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 105° 66° 5:47 a.m. 8:14 p.m. 8:52 p.m. 6:42 a.m. Full Sep 5 Spokane Wenatchee 95/66 98/70 Tacoma Moses 89/59 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 101/67 95/57 76/58 91/56 102/65 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 90/59 100/70 Lewiston 103/61 Astoria 101/66 72/55 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 93/64 Pendleton 92/55 The Dalles 103/62 100/64 102/69 La Grande Salem 95/58 97/60 Albany Corvallis 96/58 96/56 John Day 94/64 Ontario Eugene Bend 97/61 94/54 95/58 Caldwell Burns 95/60 90/51 REGIONAL CITIES Today Classified & Legal Advertising 1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678 classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com NEWS • To submit news tips and press releases: • call 541-966-0818 • fax 541-276-8314 • email news@eastoregonian.com • To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: email community@eastoregonian.com or call Tammy Malgesini at 541-564-4539 or Renee Struthers at 541-966-0818. • To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: email rstruthers@eastoregonian.com or visit www.eastoregonian. com/community/announcements • To submit a Letter to the Editor: mail to Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. • To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com 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 72 92 95 65 90 92 94 97 103 94 85 95 94 98 64 68 97 103 100 93 96 97 95 93 94 100 102 Lo 55 50 58 56 51 55 54 64 62 64 53 58 54 69 52 56 61 61 64 64 54 60 66 52 62 70 65 W pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Wed. Hi 72 93 95 65 89 92 95 99 104 95 83 96 94 96 64 67 97 104 101 95 97 97 95 94 95 100 103 Lo 55 49 59 55 52 56 55 66 63 64 51 58 56 68 52 55 61 61 65 64 55 60 66 54 63 70 64 W pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc s pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 92 93 89 64 79 72 71 91 86 65 90 Lo 72 85 70 55 54 55 54 72 74 49 81 W t t s r pc c t pc pc s sh Wed. Hi 85 93 91 62 75 73 70 91 91 69 93 Lo 71 84 71 53 56 53 54 73 75 48 78 W t t s r pc s t pc pc s pc WINDS Medford 98/69 (in mph) Klamath Falls 85/53 Boardman Pendleton REGIONAL FORECAST Coastal Oregon: Low clouds followed by some sun today; smoky. Eastern Washington: Smoky today with hazy sun. Mainly clear tonight. Eastern and Central Oregon: Hazy sunshine today; hot across the north and near the Cascades. Western Washington: Smoky today; hazy sun, except low clouds followed by some sun at the coast. Cascades: Hazy sun and smoky today with a thunderstorm; hot. Clear tonight. Northern California: Low clouds followed by sunshine at the coast today; partly sunny elsewhere. Today Wednesday WSW 3-6 NW 4-8 NNW 3-6 NNW 4-8 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. 1 WAPATO, Wash. (AP) — A 25-year-old man who was swept down the Yakima River has been rescued near the diversion dam in Wapato. The Yakima County Sheriff’s Office says an irrigation worker heard Izacc Tuinei calling for help Monday morning. Rescuers found him standing on a narrow ledge and clinging to a pipe. Authorities say he had been there for several hours. He had been swimming earlier near a boat launch upstream. Rescue teams from several agencies responded. Rescuers lowered a lifejacket to the man and used an inflatable raft to rescue him. He did not have major injuries. COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com SATURDAY Partly sunny and hot Man clinging to pipe near dam rescued from river A brief in the weekend edition of East Oregonian about a Real- tor safety class being offered Thursday contained errors. There is a fee for the class, $79, which is discounted for Realtor mem- bers. Members should register online at http://bit.ly/2fo0aTo, while non-members can call 800-252-9115 or register online at www.oregonrealtors.org. The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and sincere- ly regrets any errors. If you notice a mistake in the paper, please call 541-966-0818. Copyright © 2017, EO Media Group Forecast down and interferes with sizing,” crop consultant Tom Peerbolt said of the blueber- ries. “Fortunately a lot of the commercial folks have installed cooling systems, and they pay for themselves in an event like this.” With temperatures topping 100 in Portland and throughout Western Oregon the first three days of August, some growers ran the misters eight hours a day, Peerbolt said. He said the systems are a large infrastructure expense, but are intended to handle situations of extreme heat. Climatologist Greg Jones, incoming director of Linfield College’s wine education program, said the current heat wave is unusual for its magnitude and length, and may turn out to be Oregon’s most extreme since 1981. Vineyards could see sunburn on the fruit and dried out leaves, he said. Corrections ADVERTISING Advertising Director: Marissa Williams 541-278-2669 • addirector@eastoregonian.com Advertising Services: Laura Jensen 541-966-0806 • ljensen@eastoregonian.com Multimedia Consultants: • Danni Halladay 541-278-2683 • dhalladay@eastoregonian.com • Jeanne Jewett 541-564-4531 • jjewett@eastoregonian.com • Dayle Stinson 541-278-2670 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com • Angela Treadwell 541-966-0827 • atreadwell@eastoregonian.com • Audra Workman 541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com Subscriber services: For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255 — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — Wildfire forces closure of eclipse viewing territory 4 6 6 4 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. ©2017 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -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: Showers and storms will raise the isolated flooding risk in the South Central and Southeastern states today. Storms will dot the Rockies as a heat wave contin- ues in the Northwest. The Northeast will dry out. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 109° in Needles, Calif. Low 28° in West Yellowstone, Mont. 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 88 78 79 80 85 79 94 72 85 78 83 78 90 79 83 94 76 84 88 90 80 90 79 105 84 87 Lo 67 70 64 59 56 72 66 61 71 56 62 59 74 55 60 72 54 58 76 76 59 75 60 81 69 66 W s t pc pc pc t pc pc t pc s s pc pc s s pc pc pc t s t pc s pc pc Wed. Hi 92 80 80 82 79 81 93 82 82 82 83 83 92 78 85 95 79 80 89 92 82 89 79 106 86 86 Lo 69 70 61 59 54 72 66 64 73 62 65 61 76 54 63 75 57 58 76 76 61 74 65 82 69 66 W s t s s pc t s s t pc pc s pc t pc s pc t sh t s t t s c pc Today Hi Louisville 83 Memphis 87 Miami 92 Milwaukee 82 Minneapolis 83 Nashville 84 New Orleans 89 New York City 80 Oklahoma City 86 Omaha 82 Philadelphia 80 Phoenix 109 Portland, ME 71 Providence 75 Raleigh 79 Rapid City 82 Reno 89 Sacramento 91 St. Louis 84 Salt Lake City 87 San Diego 79 San Francisco 72 Seattle 89 Tucson 104 Washington, DC 82 Wichita 81 Lo 61 70 81 64 65 65 76 65 65 65 62 84 56 60 66 55 62 61 65 67 69 60 63 77 65 64 W s pc c s pc pc pc pc pc pc pc s pc pc t pc s s s pc pc pc pc s pc pc Wed. Hi 84 87 91 82 80 85 89 82 89 78 84 111 81 82 85 82 90 93 86 90 78 72 91 105 84 82 Lo 68 72 79 66 64 69 75 67 70 65 62 86 60 62 67 52 61 61 66 66 69 60 63 78 66 68 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W pc pc t pc t c t s pc t s s s s pc pc pc s pc pc pc pc pc s s t
