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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (June 8, 2016)
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2016 Sen. Roblan’s septic loan bill signed by Gov. Brown SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown signed into law yes- terday a bill sponsored by Sen. Arnie Roblan (D-Coos Bay) that will help low- income Oregonians fix fail- ing septic systems. Senate Bill 1563 benefits the environment and helps low-income families, often in rural Oregon. The bill, which the Legislature passed in the 2016 Session, requires the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to award grants for develop- ment and administration of low-interest loan programs for repairing, upgrading or evaluating residential or small business on-site septic systems. “This is an incredibly important bill for the rural communities in my district and for the entire state. There is significant need in coastal communities, where failing septic systems are contaminating the envi- ronment and threatening pub- lic health,” Roblan said. “Many of my colleagues across the state can share similar stories and similar challenges. “Working class folks who have failing septic systems will benefit from accessing an affordable financing pro- gram to help them replace this critical infrastructure.” The bill appropriates $250,000 to DEQ to admin- ister the program and award grants throughout the 2015- 17 biennium. Grant recipients must meet certain criteria and are subject to DEQ oversight. Septic systems are the most common method of sewage treatment for homes and businesses that are not connected to an area-wide sewage system. More than 30 percent of Oregonians rely on septic systems to treat wastewater from their homes and busi- nesses. Properly functioning sep- tic systems treat sewage to minimize groundwater and surface water pollu- tion. Septic systems which fail or malfunction can pollute Oregon’s land and water- ways with raw sewage and create public health haz- ards. “In many cases, home- owners tell me they don’t have a good financial option to replace their systems,” Roblan said. “Without a financing program like I’ve proposed in this bill, a new system can be a signif- icant burden. And a failing septic system can be equally devastating to a fixed- or low-income homeowner, as to an average-income family struggling to make ends meet.” See Jim for your auto sales needs! 2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence (541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475 3 B Us TOO Flor ence Behind the headlines B Y B OB H ORNEY CANCER SURVIVOR U S TOO CHAPTER LEADER T he efforts to kill PSA screening for prostate can- cer don’t jive with statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Center for Health Statistics (CDC/NCHS). Nor do they reflect the personal experiences of more than 180 men, diagnosed with prostate cancer, who have attend- ed Us TOO Florence meetings. Men who agree with Oregon Urology Institute, “It is better to know than to not know.” Consider the following: It didn’t take long for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) to reconsider its 2012 recommendation against routine PTA PSA-based screening for prostate cancer. This is something it brought upon itself by charging headlong into its recommendation despite numerous public comments point- ing out problems with the data being used. Many of these com- ments were by experts in urology who diagnose and treat prostate cancer on a daily basis. In spite of pointing out over and over that the prostate, lung, colorectal and ovarian (PLCO) trial was not a screening-versus- no-screening trial, the USPSTF totally disregarded those com- ments and proceeded to its final recommendation. So, here we are about four years later. The USPSTF request- ed public comments last fall as it started reconsidering that recom- mendation. Its decision probably won’t be forthcoming until some- time in 2018. This is a startling turn around for a decision that the USPSTF stood behind so adamantly, even in the face of questions and criticism from urol- ogy groups, individual urologists, support groups, patients, their families and others. Then there was the 2015 effort by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which had contracted with Mathematica Policy Research (Mathematica) to develop a clinical quality measure entitled “Non-Recommended PSA-Based Screening.” The intent of the measure was to reduce the use of medical serv- ices that had been found to result in more harms than benefits (straight from the USPSTF rec- ommendation). The intent was to discourage the use of PSA-based screening in the general popula- tion of men even to the point of financially penalizing physicians who ordered those tests. Fewer PSA tests would equal higher per- formance! Unbelievable. After reviewing the public comments, CMS has stopped development of the measure and pledged to work with the American Urological Association, as well as additional members of the community such as providers and patients. By taking the time to engage stakeholders it can then determine the path forward. It seeks to devel- op quality measures that facilitate effective, safe, efficient, patient- centered, equitable and timely care. And then this: The American Cancer Society (ACS) decided in 1996 to establish a goal of reduc- ing deaths from cancer by 50 per- cent over a 25-year period, from 1990-2015. The 50 percent was determined by looking at each cancer and figuring that if they applied all that was known then (1996), cancer mortality could be reduced by 40 percent, with another 10 percent reduction being achieved through new dis- coveries in treatment. The results, obtained from the CDC/NCHS, were just released and the reduced cancer mortality for the 25-year period was only 26 percent. However, there was one shining star among the data: Prostate cancer mortality was reduced by nearly 50 percent.. Yes, prostate cancer was the only cancer to meet or exceed the 50-percent goal and, not surpris- ingly, for 22 of those years, early detection of prostate cancer with PSA screening was considered life saving. For many of us, it truly was. For many men to come, it will be… if they have access to it. From the above ACS report: “The 50 percent reduction goal was more fully met for the cancer sites for which there was enact- ment of effective approaches for prevention, early detection, and/or treatment.” Those are clearly supportive factors in prostate cancer’s 53 per- cent reduced mortality from 1990- 2015 and it took all three working together. AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS TO SENIORS The Florence Community PTA announced its 2016 Senior Scholarship recipients. Scholarships were present- ed to the students at the annu- al Siuslaw High School Scholarship Award Night held May 26. First consideration for PTA scholarships is given to stu- dents who intend to pursue careers working with children or teaching. If enough applicants don’t meet this first requirement, other conditions considered include academic potential, leadership, character and financial need. This year, the PTA was able to award four $500 scholar- ships to local graduating sen- iors. Funds for PTA scholar- ships are obtained primarily through Box Tops for Education collections throughout the school year; PTA earns 10 cents for each Box Top redeemed. The following students COURTESY PHOTO PTA Scholarship Committee member Alice Burns, student scholarship winners Holly Hicks, Taylor Richards-Sykora, Mikaela Siegel and Nikita Williams and PTA President Diane McCalmont were awarded 2016 scholar- ships: Mikaela Siegel, who plans to attend the University of Idaho; Holly Hicks, attend- ing George Fox University; Nikita Williams, who will attend Western Oregon University; and Taylor Richards-Sykora, planning to attend the University of Oregon. To find out more about Florence Community PTA, visit www.florencepta.org, or on Facebook by typing Florence Community PTA. To join, download a form from the website. ‘Based on a True Story’ comes to FEC Tuesday 5/31 Conrad Anderson Brenda McDaniel Florence Westlake Safeway Grocery Outlet Wednesday 6/1 Jimmy Dean Alex Bochum Camano Isl, WA Florence True Value Grocery Outlet Thursday 6/2 Lynda Collier Terri Taniguchi Florence Florence Safeway Safeway Friday 6/3 Marge Eichenberger Kerstin Johnson Florence Florence UR Worth It Grocery Outlet Saturday 6/4 Richard McPhedran Bear McDaniel Florence Westlake Firehouse Restaurant Grocery Outlet Sunday 6/5 Betty Blake Keith Kersey Florence Florence Books N Bears Safeway/Florence Monday 6/6 Pattie Panther Ronelle Kuert Florence Florence Safeway/Florence Potter’s Tire Factory “Based on a True Story” (“BOATS”) is the Last Resort Players’ upcoming show set for Friday and Saturday, June 17 and 18, at the Florence Events Center, 715 Quince St. First presented two seasons ago, “BOATS” proved extremely popular with audi- ences, who enjoyed listening to true stories (or slightly embellished) that were also poignant, laugh-out-loud- funny, provocative and in some cases life-changing. The storytellers are your local friends, relatives, teach- ers, city councilors, pastors and restaurant servers. It’s a lineup not to be missed. Between stories, Debra Young, musician and vocal teacher at Siuslaw High School and Middle School, will provide brief piano inter- ludes as transitions. Young, in the Florence community for two years, is already an established per- former with the players, hav- ing played in the onstage band for “Chicago: the Musical” last season. At the “BOATS” perform- ance, picture taking is encouraged, not prohibited. Informality and good sto- ries are the theme of the evening. This flat-floor production has table seating with food and drinks available for pur- chase. The program begins at 7 p.m. on both nights. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the FEC box office or online at www.eventcenter.org. 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