Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 2019)
A4 East Oregonian Thursday, October 24, 2019 CHRISTOPHER RUSH Publisher KATHRYN B. BROWN Owner ANDREW CUTLER Editor WYATT HAUPT JR. News Editor JADE McDOWELL Hermiston Editor Founded October 16, 1875 OUR VIEW Oversight needed of state forest division Y ou can be savoring an IPA along the Umatilla River after a long day of adven- turing in Oregon’s forests and hon- estly wonder if things couldn’t get much better. But sometimes those charged with managing this beau- tiful state let us all down. State government is not a place brim- ming with simple problems with easy answers. Still, The Oregonian reported over the weekend the Ore- gon Department of Forestry’s state forest division is “failing on almost every front.” The division manages approxi- mately 745,000 acres of forestlands across Oregon. Its budget is a mess and getting worse. That’s because, in part, it is funded solely by tim- ber sales that aren’t happening. That’s led to cuts in staff. Fewer staff, in turn, makes it harder for the division to solve its problems. On top of everything, the agency is facing a lawsuit from 14 Oregon counties who claim they have not been getting the revenue they are Photo contributed by Katy Nesbitt Oregon’s state forests are supposed to be managed to deliver a balance of benefits, from sustainable timber harvests to habitat for fish and wildlife, from clean air and drinking water to well-managed recreation spaces. entitled to from timber sales. They say they’ve been shortchanged $1.4 billion. Legislators and Gov. Kate Brown have failed to provide ade- quate oversight of the division. Do you remember the special series of hearings called this past session by our legislative leaders to get to the bottom of this? Nope. They didn’t happen. What are they going to do about it? Even members of the forestry board have grown frustrated. Brenda McComb, a board mem- ber and former forestry profes- sor at Oregon State University, has “repeatedly asked staff mem- bers for more information around the existing inventory of trees and whether current harvest levels are sustainable,” according to The Ore- gonian. That’s a fundamental piece of knowing how well any manage- ment plan would work. She has not gotten it. Forest policy is going to be divi- sive. There is no shared, statewide vision of how a state-owned forest should be managed. That may help explain but does not excuse the absence of oversight and leader- ship from the Legislature and Gov. Brown in managing the state’s forests. OTHER VIEWS Oregon’s rural patients deserve access to quality hospice care I YOUR VIEWS Hermiston schools in need of updates, expansion When I came to Hermiston as superin- tendent of schools in 1991, we had about 3,500 students in six schools. Today, 28 years later, we have almost 6,000 students in seven schools. Though some remodeling has been accomplished, four replacement schools built and many temporary portable classrooms brought in, our student popula- tion is almost 2,500 more than in 1991, with only one additional school. Classrooms are needed, and schools are over capacity. As I recall, Rocky Heights Elementary is sneaking up on 60 years old. By the way, 60 years is the average lifespan of a school in America. A school gets a great deal of wear and tear from its use by students as well as the many community groups who use the schools well into the night. I can assure you that the maintenance needs of old schools are a money pit, not to mention the unmet safety needs for students, staff and the com- munity. To draw an analogy, I don’t see many of us driving a 1959 car as our daily driver. Our schools are in need of more capac- ity for our present student population and some room for future growth. Plus, our schools need to be safe, up-to-date and efficient. As an educator in Oregon since 1967, I have seen a great many school bond plans presented to the public by superintendents and school boards. This is a very good plan. I urge you to vote for capacity, safety and efficiency in our Hermiston schools. Jer Pratton Hermiston CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES U.S. SENATORS REPRESENTATIVES Ron Wyden 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 202-224-5244 La Grande office: 541-962-7691 Greg Barreto, District 58 900 Court St. NE, H-38 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1458 Rep.GregBarreto@state.or.us Jeff Merkley 313 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753 Pendleton office: 541-278-1129 Greg Smith, District 57 900 Court St. NE, H-482 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1457 Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us U.S. REPRESENTATIVE SENATOR Greg Walden 185 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6730 La Grande office: 541-624-2400 Bill Hansell, District 29 900 Court St. NE, S-423 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1729 Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily that of the East Oregonian. come from eight generations of trust their doctor at the local health Oregonians, many of whom have clinic are incapable of keeping that worked in the medical field, so physician as their end-of-life care choosing a career as a nurse here in provider. Burns was an easy decision. While Needless to say, given the already being a nurse has created some of my severe healthcare obstacles rural fondest memories, it has also opened patients face, this unnecessary barrier my eyes to the difficult decisions that to care must end. And while I have many rural residents face in order to seen caregivers at RHCs go above and access high-quality, compassionate beyond to provide uncompensated end-of-life care. hospice care to patients and families As one of the first coordinated in need, this should not be the norm. models of care, hospice is an example We should not penalize those who of how person-centered care are willing to sacrifice their can and should work. Expert own well-being to care for medical care and pain man- the dying. We also should not agement is combined with penalize patients by block- ing them from accessing their emotional and spiritual sup- port to address the unique trusted physician at the most end-of-life needs of patients vulnerable point of life. and their families. Unfortu- Fortunately, U.S. lawmak- nately, due to our aging pop- ers from both sides of the J odi ulation, shrinking resources, political aisle have recog- M c L ean nized this problem and intro- and a stretched-thin work- COMMENT force, hospice providers face duced a simple legislative fix. growing difficulties meet- The Rural Access to Hos- pice Act was introduced in both the ing the care needs of our commu- nity. These problems are only further House and Senate earlier this year to aggravated by Medicare reimburse- allow physicians employed in RHCs ment policies, which stifle access to and FQHCs to receive equitable reim- bursement for providing person-cen- hospice care for Oregonians living in tered hospice services when acting as rural and underserved areas. the attending hospice physician for Our small hospice agency serves rural patients. the largest county in Oregon. Car- ing for those at the end of life who This bipartisan bill represents a are spread across over 10,000 square practical, common sense legislative miles is a challenge, but what makes fix that is long overdue. this difficult situation worse is a cur- Here in Oregon, we need our mem- rent Medicare reimbursement policy bers of Congress, including Sen. Ron Wyden, to step up as a champion for that prevents doctors at rural health clinics from serving as a hospice our state’s rural population and the patient’s attending physician. amazing hospice professionals who Rural health clinics (RHCs), much care for them. like federally qualified health cen- Patients deserve the best care for ters, serve as an essential healthcare their end-of-life journey, regard- less of where they live. That means safety net for an estimated 675,000 protecting patients from the impos- rural Oregon residents and 27 million sible decision of keeping their doc- rural Americans nationwide. Simi- lar to other rural communities where tor or electing hospice. I call on Ore- gon’s delegation to support the Rural healthcare treatment options are lim- ited, many Eastern Oregon residents Access to Hospice Act so that patients rely on RHCs for their primary care. across our state can access the qual- ity end-of-life-services they need and But a statutory oversight in the Medi- care program restricts physicians deserve. or nurse practitioners who work in ——— these clinics from providing compen- Jodi McLean is executive director sated hospice care. As a result, rural of Harney County Home Health and patients who have come to know and Hospice. The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public policies for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper reserves the right to withhold letters that address concerns about individual services and products or letters that infringe on the rights of private citizens. Letters must be signed by the author and include the city of residence and a daytime phone number. The phone number will not be published. Unsigned letters will not be published. Send letters to the editor to editor@eastoregonian.com, or via mail to Andrew Cutler, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801
