East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, November 02, 2019, WEEKEND EDITION, Image 2

East Oregonian : E.O., November 02, 2019, WEEKEND EDITION, Page 2, Image 2

Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR

About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 2, 2019)

Prev Page of 26 Next Prev Issue Next Text PDF JP2 (1.4 MB) Clip/Print Image

Return to Top

Prev Page of 26 Next Prev Issue Next

Newspaper Page TextNORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Saturday, November 2, 2019 Hospital won’t be held in contempt for wait times AG won’t defend secretary Disability Rights Oregon plans to continue ﬁ ghting for Oregonians By SAM STITES Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — After sev- eral months of noncompli- ance, wait times for patients being admitted to the Ore- gon State Hospital are back in compliance with a 2002 rule requiring the facil- ity to take just seven days to admit patients who have been ordered there. That’s according to a fed- eral judge in Portland, who released an opinion Tuesday throwing out a legal chal- lenge by Disability Rights Oregon, an advocacy group suing to hold the facility accountable for violating people’s rights by keeping them jailed while awaiting court-ordered treatment. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Michael Mosman afﬁ rmed a Sept. 12 denial of Disability Rights Oregon’s motion to hold the hospital in contempt. Mosman also denied the group’s request for legal expenses. Disability Rights Ore- gon Legal Director Emily Cooper said the hospital fell out of compliance with the 2002 rule a year ago. The EO Media Group Photo A federal judge released an opinion Tuesday denying a Dis- ability Rights Oregon’s motion to hold Oregon State Hospi- tal in contempt for violating wait times to admit patients. group met with hospital ofﬁ - cials until April, when it decided to take legal action. The group wanted the hos- pital held in contempt for not complying with the rule. It also wanted the court to track how long it took patients to be admitted. “We had no other option and were forced to go to court to get them to bring wait times down,” Coo- per said. “While the order denies our motion, we’re so pleased that the hospital was able to reduce wait times because that’s ultimately what we wanted.” According to records obtained by The Oregonian, between January and Octo- ber of 2018 more than 200 patients were forced to wait longer than the seven days allotted by the rule. Some had to wait as many as 36 or 42 days. Records found that dozens of longer wait time cases were due to factors outside the hospital’s con- trol, such as late-ﬁ led court orders and sheriffs depart- ments transporting patients only on certain week days. Hospital spokeswoman Rebeka Gipson-King said the issue was caused by an inﬂ ux of aid-and-as- sist patients — those sent to the facility to recover so they can be competent to stand trial — which staff could not have foreseen and weren’t equipped to handle. In June, Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen told Gov. Kate Brown about measures the hospi- tal was taking to remedy the problem, including set- ting priorities for aid-and- assist admissions, as well as reducing the length of stay for patients to make room for new admissions and increasing community ser- vices for those who do not need hospital-level care. Allen said he’s proud of the work the hospital has done for the past ﬁ ve months to bring the facility back in compliance. “The judge’s decision afﬁ rms all the hard work that’s gone into addressing the hospitals’ capacity chal- lenges, however, there’s still more work to be done to combat the criminalization of people who are homeless and mentally ill,” Allen said. “We look forward to con- tinuing our partnerships with counties and local courts to ensure every per- son in Oregon who needs mental health care has timely access to treatment in their own community or, when necessary, at the state hospital.” According to Cooper, Disability Rights Oregon isn’t taking the ruling as a defeat. She said the group was committed to making sure Oregonians have timely access to mental health care by continuing work on Sen- ate Bill 937, which sent $10.7 million to community men- tal health programs where people who don’t need hospital-level care can be treated under aid-and-assist. SUNDAY MONDAY Sunshine, but chilly Partly sunny 49° 29° 53° 32° TUESDAY Sunshine and patchy clouds WEDNESDAY Sunshine mixing with some clouds Times of clouds and sun PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 55° 33° 50° 31° 56° 30° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 50° 25° 53° 27° 55° 30° 53° 30° 55° 28° OREGON FORECAST ALMANAC Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Seattle Aberdeen Olympia 56/38 Pullman 48/29 50/27 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 48/32 Lewiston 58/36 49/26 Astoria 50/31 Portland Hermiston 60/38 The Dalles 50/25 Salem Corvallis 60/35 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 52/28 PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene Bend 59/33 62/32 59/31 Ontario 48/22 Caldwell Burns 50° 16° 58° 35° 72° (1988) 8° (2003) 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Albany 59/34 SALEM — Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is refusing to defend Secretary of State Bev Clarno in litigation over Clarno’s rejection of three proposed ballot initiatives to tighten state forestry laws. The Oregonian/Oregon- Live reported that Rosen- blum also challenged Clar- no’s legal basis for tossing the proposals, which Clarno said violated a state require- ment that legislative mea- sures stick to one subject. The rule applies equally to voter initiatives and bills in the Legislature. Rosenblum, a Demo- crat, said she couldn’t rep- resent Clarno, a Republican, because the Oregon Legisla- ture is also a client and she didn’t want to make argu- ments that would impede its work. She said she autho- rized Clarno to ﬁ nd another lawyer due to the conﬂ icting interests. “There is no question that, under current law, the legislature could pass a mea- sure such as this one and it would be in full compli- ance with the ‘single sub- ject’ requirement,” Rosen- blum told the newspaper in a statement. “I do not believe there is any compelling rea- son to argue for a change in the current law.” 0.00" 0.00" 0.03" 4.94" 6.45" 7.31" Today Boardman Pendleton Medford 70/36 Gov. Brown to lead trade mission to Japan, South Korea SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown announced Thursday she’ll lead a delegation of 41 Ore- gon government and business ofﬁ cials on an 11-day trip to Japan and South Korea. The Nov. 5-16 trip is meant to boost foreign investment in Oregon and exports of Ore- gon products to Asia. Stops include Seoul in South Korea, and Kyoto and Tokyo in Japan. “A thriving economy here in Oregon is inﬂ uenced by markets across the world,” Brown said in a statement, adding, “I am proud to share Oregon’s unique products, services, and companies with the rest of the world.” South Korea and Japan rank as Oregon’s third and fourth largest trading partners, buy- ing $3.93 billion in Oregon goods — about 15% of the state’s total exports, according to Business Oregon, the state’s ofﬁ cial business development agency. The biggest export is Oregon agricultural products. China is the top trade partner, followed by Canada. The state counts 150 Japanese companies doing busi- ness in Oregon. The group includes state ofﬁ cials involved Clarno’s deputy, Rich Vial, declined to answer questions. Clarno, a Republican who has taken $36,000 in donations from timber inter- ests in her career, is not back- ing down in a suit brought by environmental advocates trying to ensure their origi- nal petitions advance. She will instead be rep- resented by Schwabe Wil- liamson Wyatt, a Portland law ﬁ rm that advertises itself as “one of the nation’s top timber law practices.” The ﬁ rm says on its website it is “involved” with the Oregon Forest & Industries Council, one of the leading opponents to the ballot measures. Clarno on Sept. 24 rejected Initiative Petitions 35, 36 and 37. The measures are substantially the same, calling for tightening the state’s aerial herbicide spray- ing laws. They propose more logging restrictions in steep, landslide-prone areas. They would prohibit conﬂ icts of interest for state forestry board appointees. Clarno rejected the initia- tives proposed by environ- mental advocates, includ- ing the group Oregon Wild, saying each of the proposals covered more than one sub- ject. The Oregon constitu- tion says a ballot initiative can only address a single policy topic. NE 3-6 W 4-8 SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls 62/25 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 7:36 a.m. 5:41 p.m. 1:26 p.m. 10:23 p.m. First Full Last New Nov 4 Nov 12 Nov 19 Nov 26 NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 91° in Miami, Fla. Low -15° in Boulder, Wyo. Former plutonium plant demolition could resume RICHLAND, Wash. — Demolition of a former nuclear weapons production plant could resume next week, nearly two years after the dangerous work was halted because of safety concerns. Work to demolish the Plutonium Finish- ing Plant on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation was halted in December 2017 after particles of the radioactive substance contaminated workers and the environment. The Tri-City Herald reported that dem- olition work on the 1940s-era plant could resume as early as next week. — EO Media Group and wire services Girls’ �i�� Sun. ENE 3-6 NNW 4-8 with business development, agriculture, tour- ism, Portland city ofﬁ cials working on the port and tourism, plus Hillsboro Mayor Steve Callaway and two city economic develop- ment ofﬁ cials will make the trip. Fourteen executives from Oregon’s business commu- nity will also take part, representing outdoor apparel and gear, precision instruments, heli- copter manufacturing, wireless, wineries, beef and fruit. �r� �� l �� WINDS (in mph) 48/22 54/20 0.00" 0.00" 0.04" 11.31" 8.15" 10.03" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 50/27 60/35 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date HERMISTON Enterprise 49/29 53/31 51° 21° 56° 36° 76° (1901) 12° (1935) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake Yakima 50/26 56/35 58/40 46/29 48/32 56/34 Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 55/41 Tacoma Associated Press BRIEFLY Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY of state over ballot measures NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Wed. Nov 6th. ��s�� • 5:00 �� 2:00 - 4:00 - 7:00 �� ri�� l�� l�r �� l�� i�ls �� ls� PRIZES! Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -10s -0s 0s showers t-storms 10s rain 20s flurries 30s snow 40s 50s ice 60s cold front E AST O REGONIAN — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211 Oﬃ ce hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed major holidays EastOregonian.com To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to EastOregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published daily except Sunday, Monday and postal holidays, 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. Copyright © 2019, EO Media Group 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low Bring someone new and earn an extra discount! Subscriber services: For mail delivery, online access, vacation stops or delivery concerns call 1-800-522-0255 ext. 1 SUBSCRIPTION RATES EZPay 52 weeks 26 weeks 13 weeks Local home delivery Savings (cover price) $13/month 60 percent $173.67 41 percent $91.86 38 percent $47.77 36 percent *EZ Pay = one-year rate with a monthly credit or debit card/check charge Single copy price: $1.50 Tuesday through Saturday Circulation Dept. 800-781-3214 ADVERTISING Regional Publisher and Revenue Director: • Christopher Rush 541-278-2669 • crush@eomediagroup.com Advertising Manager: • Angela Treadwell 541-966-0827 • atreadwell@eastoregonian.com Multimedia Consultants: • Lora Jenkins 541-276-2214 • ljenkins@eastoregonian.com • Jeanne Jewett 541-564-4531 • jjewett@eastoregonian.com • Audra Workman 541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com Business Oﬃ ce Coordinator • Dayle Stinson 541-278-2670 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com Classiﬁ ed & Legal Advertising 1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678 classiﬁ eds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com NEWS • To submit news tips and press releases: call 541-966-0818 or 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 eastoregonian. com/community/announcements • To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com Business Oﬃ ce Manager: 541-966-0824 COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com