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.
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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
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NEWS
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fax 541-276-8314 • email news@eastoregonian.com
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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
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— 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