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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 27, 2020)
THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020 BAKER CITY HERALD — 3A BAKER COUNTY RESIDENTS ELIGIBLE TO ENROLL IN THE NEW INSURANCE OPTION Eastern Oregon hospitals launch Summit Health Medicare plan By Jade McDowell East Oregonian Eastern Oregon hospitals are partnering to launch a new health insurance option. The newly formed Summit Health will offer Medicare plans to residents of Uma- tilla, Morrow, Baker, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Lake, Mal- heur, Sherman, Union, Wal- lowa and Wheeler counties. The plans will be available when open enrollment for Medicare begins on Oct. 15. Harry Geller, CEO of CHI St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton, said the hospitals involved have already had a unique and “very successful” partnership with each other and Moda Health in improv- ing outcomes for Medicaid patients through the Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization. “That mutual respect and collaboration is a fundamen- tal reason it has been so successful,” he said. “It’s a very refreshing working relation- ship.” Those same founders of Summit Health are St. An- thony, Good Shepherd Health Care System, Grande Ronde “This product is for Eastern Oregon, and operated by Eastern Oregon providers.” — Sean Jessup, president, Summit Health Hospital and Clinics, Saint Alphonsus Health System, GOBHI, Eastern Oregon IPA, Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic and Moda. Geller said right now in Eastern Oregon there aren’t many senior citizens partici- pating in Medicare Advantage plans, and Summit Health will be able to offer them more choices. He said the providers were excited and optimistic about the benefi ts to resi- dents. “There’s a big gap in the market for this sort of plan,” he said. Medicare Advantage is an all-in-one type of Medicare plan offered by private health insurance companies under a contract with Medicare. Those plans bundle parts A, B and D of Medicare coverage together and sometimes offer addi- tional benefi ts, such as dental CANDIDATES Continued from Page 1A The deadline to fi le as a candidate was 5 p.m. on Tuesday. The list of candidates includes three incumbents — Doni Bruland, Arvid Andersen and Jason Spriet. The other candidates are: Shane Al- derson, Annie Croucher, Joanna Dixon, Kerry McQuisten, Betty J. Milliman, Damon Rose, Heather Sells, Gretchen Stadler, James C. Thomas and Johnny Waggoner Sr. Voters will pick six candidates in the or vision that traditional Medicare doesn’t cover. Dennis Burke, CEO of Good Shepherd Health Care System in Hermiston, said offering Medicare Advantage plans through Summit Health will offer area senior citizens more options, but it also gives greater local control and fl ex- ibility to the hospitals involved. By receiving a fl at, con- tracted rate from Medicare instead of per-procedure reimbursement, Burke said they can use the money more creatively for preventive care and measures that can help improve outcomes for patients before they need an expensive treatment. One example he gave was the hospital’s CareVan program, which gives patients free rides to appointments to ensure they don’t end up canceling a doctor’s appoint- ment or not seeking treatment in the fi rst place because they don’t have a ride. A missed appointment can mean a missed opportunity to catch a problem early, result- ing in more expensive and invasive treatment down the road. Nov. 3 election, as six of the seven seats on the City Council are up for election. Typically there are only four openings. But this year there are six because two councilors resigned earlier this year, and their replacements, appointed by remaining councilors, serve temporary terms that end Dec. 31. The two appoint- ed councilors are Spriet, who is running for a full term, and Larry Morrison, who did not fi le as a candidate. Councilor Lynette Perry is the only councilor whose term continues into 2021. She was elected in 2018 to a 4-year term. Coordinated care orga- nizations, such as Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization, were founded on a similar idea of reducing health care costs through preventive care and overcom- ing barriers to care, such as limited transportation. Those organizations focus on Medicaid patients, such as those on the Oregon Health Plan, but Burke said the Eastern Oregon care partners have learned a lot from that partnership that can be ap- plied to the population using Medicare. “I think we’ve gained quite a lot of experience doing that,” he said. Sean Jessup, the president of Summit Health, said the insurance group is a partner- ship of local providers with a track record of working successfully together, that patients already know and trust. He said there has been “limited options” for Medicare Advantage in Eastern Oregon in the past. “This product is for Eastern Oregon, and operated by Eastern Oregon providers,” he said. Mayor Loran Joseph and Councilor Randy Schiewe can’t run for re-election due to the term limits clause in the city charter. Among the six candidates who are elected Nov. 3, the top three, in terms of votes received, will serve 4-year terms. The three others will serve 2-year terms. The newly elected councilors will begin their terms in early January. Baker City Council members receive $10 per meeting, to a maximum of $150 per year. Voters in the May 2020 primary rejected a measure to remove council pay from the city charter. Baker School District will deliver lunches, breakfasts Although Baker School District students will be learning online rather than in their school when classes start Sept. 8, the District will be delivering meals on school days. Meals will be available to students enrolled in the District for pick up at sites around town. Each day workers will deliver a hot lunch and a cold breakfast for the following day. People who pick up meals should stay at least 6 feet away from those who aren’t members of their household, and face coverings are highly recom- mended. Students or parents who pick up meals will need to provide the student’s name. Meal accounts will be charged to those who have not been pre-approved for the current school year for free meals through the District’s application process. Jessica Dalton, the District’s food services director, said more families now qualify for free meals because the Oregon Legislature increased the income guide- lines by 62%. Visit baker5j.strataapps.com to apply. Those who are unable to access meals at the current sites can call Dalton at 541-524-2260 to discuss other arrangements. The schedule of meal deliveries: Route 1 • 11:30 a.m.: Missouri Flat Grange at Hughes and Cedar • 11:40 a.m.: Idlewood Park • 11:50 a.m.: Birch and G streets • Noon: Elm Street Apartments • 12:10 p.m.: 13th and H and 15th and H Route 2 • 11:30 a.m.: Churchill School • 11:40 a.m.: Quail Ridge Golf Course • 11:50 a.m.: South Baker Park on Colorado Street • Noon: Baker City Christian Church • 12:10 p.m.: Elm Street Laundry Route 3 • 11:30 a.m.: Baker Middle School • 11:45 a.m.: South Baker • Noon: Brooklyn Elementary Baker High School • 11:30-12:30 p.m. Haines • 11:30 a.m.: Haines Elementary • 11:45 a.m.: 3rd and Olson streets Sumpter • Pre-set addresses The District website — baker5j.org — will have up- dates about any changes to meal delivery schedules. CALF Continued from Page 1A Westfall is an unincorpo- rated town about 10 miles north of Harper, which is near Highway 20 about 22 miles west of Vale. Romans said he was home that Sunday when he saw smoke billowing around 1 p.m. He said he drove to the area that evening and by then the fi re, the cause of which is still under investiga- tion, had burned onto part of the allotment where his fam- ily’s cattle were grazing. Romans said the cattle usually use that allotment from July 1 through Nov. 1. He said he wasn’t overly concerned in part because the cattle were in a pasture with lots of rocky areas but not much heavy fuel to sustain a fast-moving fi re that could threaten the animals. Romans said he and other family members spent much of the fi rst half of that week, Aug. 17-19, helping to fi ght the fi re to try to protect un- burned parts of the allotment. On Thursday, Aug. 20, Romans said he and other relatives were busy trying to protect private land that’s part of the Becker Ranch. Finally on Friday, Aug. 21, he started tracking down his family’s Charolais, knowing they would start dropping Photo courtesy of Jeff Romans The calf was reunited with its mother on Sunday. the BLM’s Snake River Valley crew No. 7, based in Vale, found the calf near the Photo courtesy of Bureau of Land Management reservoir where the herd had Russell Hamilton, a fi re operations trainee from Spokane, Washington, delivered a gathered two days before. newborn Charolais calf to its owners from the Romans Ranch on Sunday. The fi refi ghters coaxed the calf and brought her to female calf wasn’t old enough Russell Hamilton, an incident “We as ranchers in the Westfall Valley are thankful to go with the rest of the herd, fi re operations trainee from for our local BLM fi refi ghters and the way they look Romans said. Spokane, Washington, who is out for our livelihood. Not everyone would have cared The next day, Saturday, part of the multi-agency team Aug. 22, Romans said he that’s managing the 48,000- about that one calf.” returned to the canyon and acre Indian Creek fi re. The — Jeff Romans, Romans Ranch found all the cows — includ- blaze was 40% contained as of ing the one that had had the Wednesday morning. Investi- calves soon and that the scanty, and a helicopter calf. gators concluded the fi re was newborns would be less able dropped a bucket of water on But the calf wasn’t there. human-caused but they have to fl ee should the fi re start the hottest spot to protect the “Typically when a cow not identifi ed a suspect. spreading rapidly. cattle, Romans said. leaves a calf she’ll go back Hamilton hefted the calf That day he found about 40 He drove the cows into a and grab it,” Romans said. into the front seat of his cows congregated at a reser- nearby canyon away from the He notifi ed fi re offi cials pickup truck and brought the voir, with the fi re burning all fi re, but with one exception. that the calf was missing. animal back to the herd. around them. At that point only one A day later, on Sunday, “We’re very happy about Fortunately the fuel was cow had given birth, and the Aug. 23, fi refi ghters from that,” Romans said in a phone Save Now On Home Security ® Monitored by ADT the #1 home security company in the U.S. We Cancel TIMESHARES for You Every year 150,000 people reach out to us for help getting rid of their timeshare. In 2019, we relieved over $50,000,000 in timeshare debt and maintenance fees. ADT ® 24/7 Monitored Home Security 24/7 monitoring provides peace of mind Yard sign and window decals help deter crime Quickly connect to fi re and emergency response May qualify for a homeowners insurance discount MONITORING CALL US TODAY FOR A FREE ESTIMATE WE’RE AVAILABLE 24/7—CALL TODAY! Get your free information kit and see if you qualify: 855-385-4473 1-855-536-8838 PER MONTH 1-855-384-7995 We can help. NO MORE GUTTER CLEANING, OR YOUR MONEY BACK GUARANTEED! GREAT LOW PRICE interview on Tuesday. His father, Bill Romans, and daughter, Mollie, later found that the cow and calf had been reunited. Jeff Romans said he actu- ally had met Hamilton a few days before, while helping to build a fi rebreak. Romans said the calf could be worth about $1,000 next year and around $1,800 as a bred heifer. Romans said he had a great appreciation for fi re crews even before they res- cued his family’s calf. “We as ranchers in the Westfall Valley are thankful for our local BLM fi refi ghters and the way they look out for our livelihood,” he said. “Not everyone would have cared about that one calf.” BASIC SYSTEM: $99 Parts and Install. 36-Month Monitoring Agreement required at $27.99 per month ($1,007.64). 24-Month Monitoring Agreement required at $27.99 per month ($671.76) for California. Offer applies to homeowners only. Basic system requires landline phone. Offer valid for new ADT Authorized Premier Provider customers only and not on purchases from ADT LLC. 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