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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (May 12, 2021)
OFF PAGE ONE Wallowa.com Wednesday, May 12, 2021 A5 Cloud: ‘‘I don’t think this should be brushed under the rug’ update for him.” Continued from Page A1 In the letter, the chamber tried to be supportive of the council, but repeatedly called for action citing the “dys- function” of city government. In response to Lockhart and the chamber’s letter, Mayor Belinda Buswell said steps will be taken. “I believe that we are going to address that and we’ll inform the public as soon as we have a meeting scheduled to address those things,” she said. “We’ll work with Wyatt and with Brock and we’ll get these things taken care of. Thank you for your patience. There’s been a little upheaval recently. We haven’t forgotten.” Thin skin? Toward the end of the meeting, individual council- ors had the opportunity to cite their concerns. “I’ll start with (Braden’s) resignation letter, where it says ‘constant harassment from members’ and at times I read that, I wonder if that means me. I don’t think so, but it seems rather open- ended,” Councilman Matt Soots said. “I’ve come to the conclusion that unless (Bra- den) basically points a fi n- ger, it remains just specula- tion and I don’t know if any action would ever be taken in legal means. I do know, as a fact, that there’s been this kind of situation going Another harassment claim Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain A cloud remains over Joseph City Hall on Friday, May 7, 2021, after the City Council received a scathing rebuke from the Joseph Chamber of Commerce over the council’s dysfunctional performance and another employee complaint of harassment surfaced at its meeting the previous evening. on within the city between employees I’ve contacted over a year ago. I didn’t think it was so widespread. But it seems there are people who need to leave their quarrels at home and, as the letter points out from the chamber, just get your job done. I’m not sure I’ve ever run across stuff like this happening on such a continuous basis. I feel I’m still a fairly new res- ident — I’ve been here since 2017 — but I’ve had family in the area for decades. I’ve listened and talked to a lot of people.” Soots told of one person he’d talked to before he lived here who said, “You’re lucky to not be working for (the council).” He wondered, too, about the sensitivity of those feel- ing harassed. “I’m afraid I’ve come to the conclusion that, and Mr. Eckstein brought this up at the fi rst of the meeting and it kind of surprised me, about being thick-skinned,” Soots said. “Knowing some of the things that I think other peo- ple don’t know about this sit- uation that I’ve seen in writ- ing and in emails and so on, I think some people may have been a little bit thin-skinned and all this stuff coming Hospital: Continued from Page A1 list, which was released ear- lier this year.” Constantly seeking to improve Davy said there consis- tently are meetings within hospital leadership and coun- cils that assess the hospital’s inner workings and where it can continue to improve, even with such a high ranking. “We internally have iden- tifi ed scores of things we want to get better at. We in no way feel like we have arrived,” he said. He said part of the reason perfection is the ultimate — even if unattainable because of human fallibility — goal is because it “feels unethical” to make the goal anything less. “You cannot set a goal that 95% of the time we’ll get our care right,” he said. “There’s not a guilt trip that you don’t get perfection. We celebrate success, but how can we edge closer to perfection?” Pace said the hospital being among the top in the country lets residents know they are in good hands. Council: Continued from Page A1 Councilwoman Kathy Bingham, who voted against the change, asked why it was considered. Councilwoman Lisa Collier, who serves on the committee, said com- mittee members agreed red went better with the West- ern motif downtown. Col- lier said that the state Depart- ment of Transportation says Wallowa County Chieftain, File Wallowa Memorial Hospital has been named a Top-100 Critical Access Hospital for the eighth time in 11 years, and a Top-20 CAH for the fourth time in fi ve years. “With all the metrics that they use, this really assures them they are receiving the best possible care in our rural community that is equal to the care they would receive in larger metro areas,” she said. “Because part of the metrics they look at is cost, charge and fi nancial effi ciency, they are not only receiving a high quality of care but at a (low cost). “They have access to this level of care in our remote corner of the world.” Last year, the hospi- tal received a percentile rat- ing of 99.7 based on a set of data from diff erent sources, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Ser- vices, and Quality Director Stacey Karvoski said that score was based on data from 2016 to 2019. A more recent score has not been made available. “They look at all the data and compile it into a percen- tile rating,” she said. Davy added that it’s not only about the care the hos- pital gives, but how the hos- pital can better help the com- munity, including in focusing resources for preventative care and in what are deemed the top community needs by the community. that although yellow is more common, red is an acceptable alternative. In another matter, Buswell told the council word should be coming soon on the $229,109 the city is to receive under the Ameri- can Rescue Plan Act signed by President Joe Biden on March 11. “We’re still a few weeks out before the feds give us the operating parameters and dis- burse the money, so … hope- fully by Friday (May 14), we’ll have some regulations from the feds and discuss the monies disbursement, which I’m sure Brock will be han- dling,” Buswell said. The council also approved a liquor license for the Kokanee Inn. Co-owner Michelle Britt said when she and co-owner Eric Makela opened the inn two years ago, they didn’t want a liquor license because the focus of the inn is primar- ily families. However, now they’re ready for a change, Local assessment a key piece of data The data the hospital uses to inform it includes a together has brought about this problem, not just one thing. I’m just hoping, per- haps, this is a turning point.” Councilwoman Lisa Col- lier appreciated Soots’ com- ments, but disagreed. “I don’t think this is about thin skin. I don’t think this should be brushed under the rug. We do need to move for- ward, but I think we have a real issue that I would like to have an executive ses- sion over. I don’t think this is about thin skin. I was con- tacted by an employee who has been off for quite some time. He called me yesterday and asked if I would give an Collier gave an updated on behalf of City Parks and Main Street Supervisor Den- nis Welch, who has been off on leave and faces a tough decision on his plans to return to work. According to Collier, Welch has until May 14 to declare whether he plans to return to work or not. He has been diagnosed with severe stress stemming directly from his employ- ment, Collier said. Welch has been diagnosed as a victim of gaslighting, a form of abuse that causes someone to doubt their sanity or perceptions, belittling and harassment. “He reports being heart- broken,” Collier said. “This is not a matter of being thin- skinned. We as a council need to do something. We’re losing good people.” Soots agreed with Col- lier and she asked Eckstein to reach out to Welch. At this, Buswell said the council needs additional legal advice. “(City Attorney) Wyatt (Baum) had discussed hav- ing an executive session at some point, so I think Brock should touch base (with Baum),” she said. “It will be addressed, but we have to follow the attorney to see what executive session we want to have.” Eckstein said he hopes to Community Health Needs Assessment done every three years within the community, as well as federal data. “We are often amazed at the high levels of tobacco, diabetes, lifestyle-related ill- nesses, (and) by seeing the latest data, it helps us focus our resources. What do we need to focus on the next three years?” Davy said. “We want to get really good at helping you prevent that from happening.” As for what the distinc- tion means within hospital walls, Pace said the staff is proud of what it has contin- ued to accomplish. “I think the word that really comes to mind is pride, in not only ourselves, but our team that we continue to deliver the type of care that delivers the best outcomes for our community,” she said. The CEO added that the community does play a role in the success of WMH, and should be lauded for it, as well. “It’s not just about the hospital, it’s about the com- munity. They have been sup- portive,” he said. “This is about 7,000 people working together. They need to share the credit for it.” be able to eff ectively help with relations between the council and employees. “I am the shield between you guys and the employees and between the employees and you guys,” he said. “All information should come through me and should get disbursed to the employees and if the employees have an issue, it should be brought to my attention disbursed to you folks.” Eckstein, who works with his wife’s La Grande-based law fi rm, Laura Eckstein Law, also said he could help with minor legal advice. “What I would recom- mend is maintaining Baum and Smith as your attorney of record just in case you got into any sort of major trial,” he said. He also agreed to help with the budget the city must have completed by June 30, along with Deyette Perry CPA, who also was pres- ent at the meeting. City offi - cials noted that Braden had completed part of the bud- get before his resignation, so it’s not like they’re starting from scratch. However, he said, the budget process usu- ally starts in February, so the city’s a bit behind. He said the council likely will have to call special meetings to allow for the public comment required by law prior to fi nal council approval. The coun- cil voted to appoint Eckstein as its budget offi cer. adult Cats available now! including a happy hour. “We thought we’d give it a try,” she said. But they still want to keep the serving of liquor limited. “We don’t want to be a party destination,” she said. “We don’t want to be called that.” Your choice of 6 fuzzy felines Brought to you by, Available for Adoption $45 adoption fee http://www.wallowacountyhumanesociety.org/ BARGAINS OF THE MONTH ® While supplies last. FINAL PRICE 18.99 22.99 SALE PRICE MAIL-IN -4.00 REBATE* Roundup® 36.8 oz. Qeed/Grass Killer Concentrate Plus Fast-acting formula kills weeds and grasses to the root. Fore use in a tank sprayer. L 147 895 B12 *Limit 2 per offer. Consumer responsible for taxes. 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