A4 The BulleTin • Wednesday, april 7, 2021
Families of COVID-19 victims to get funeral assistance
BY MARY JORDAN AND KEVIN SULLIVAN
The Washington Post
The Biden administration next week
will launch a funeral assistance program
that will give up to $9,000 to cover the
burial costs of each American who died
of COVID-19 — the largest program
of its type ever offered by the federal
government. The program is open to
families, regardless of their income, as
long as they show documentation and
have not already gotten similar benefits
through another program.
The Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency has reimbursed for burial
costs before, but it has never offered
as large a payment to so many people.
In 2017, for example, FEMA paid $2.6
million to 976 people for funeral costs
of victims of three hurricanes — an av-
erage of $2,664 per applicant.
But the novel coronavirus’s immense
toll means a burial assistance program
of an unprecedented scale is now being
assembled. More than 557,000 Ameri-
cans have died of COVID-19. FEMA is
setting up a dedicated toll-free hotline
— 1-844-684-6333 — and a call center
to answer questions about the program
and take applications starting Monday.
Funeral aid was held up during
the worst of the crisis last year until
then-President Donald Trump signed a
nearly $1 trillion COVID stimulus bill
Risk
Continued from A1
An Oregon Health & Sci-
ence University forecast re-
leased last week estimated the
current spike will lead to an av-
erage of 1,000 cases per day by
next month.
County risk tiers change
Evidence of the virus re-
bound was also found in the
latest infection risk level ratings
for Oregon’s 36 counties, issued
later Tuesday.
After a steady trend of coun-
ties moving lower in the four-
tiered risk ratings, the report
this week showed a number
of counties with infections on
the rise, requiring a return to
tighter controls on activities,
gatherings and dining.
Family gatherings, work-
place outbreaks and travel are
the main reasons for Deschutes
County slipping from moder-
ate-risk to high-risk categories.
And while it’s too soon to
know if spring break visitors
may have affected the rise in
cases, health officials are urg-
ing everyone to continue to
wear a mask, maintain a 6-foot
distance and to frequently
wash their hands.
In addition, with the an-
nouncement that anyone
16 and older can get a vac-
cine starting April 19, De-
schutes County Health
Services is encouraging peo-
ple to preregister at www.
centraloregoncovidvaccine.
com. When a vaccine is avail-
able, the county will send an
email with a unique link that
allows the recipient to sign
up for an appointment, said
Morgan Emerson, Deschutes
County Health Services
spokeswoman.
While COVID-19 deaths
have continued to stay lower
than previous peaks, health
officials have remained con-
cerned about possibly more
virulent variants of COVID-19
spreading across the country
and into Oregon.
Health officials are worried
about highly contagious and
potentially more lethal vari-
ants of the original virus that
Police
Continued from A1
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ular in community surveys.
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oped by the company in the
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Ken Hammond, a funeral associate in Hagerstown, Maryland, holds flowers for the family
of a man in his 50s who died of COVID-19 in January.
in the final weeks of his administration.
The details were never made clear, but
maximum benefit discussed at the time
was $7,000 and the funeral assistance
program was to be capped at $2 billion.
After President Joe Biden took office
and signed the $1.9 trillion American
Rescue Plan last month, the program
was expanded. The funeral aid — even
if it doubles from the $2 billion in the
measure signed by Trump — is still a
tiny fraction of the $1.9 trillion corona-
virus relief bill, which was opposed by
all but a few congressional Republicans.
“It’s a well-intended program that
will benefit many,” said Bryant High-
tower, a Georgia funeral director who is
a spokesman for the National Funeral
Directors Association.
But Hightower also said he thought it
would be a difficult program to admin-
ister. For instance, when an applicant
submits a funeral bill that is stamped
“paid,” he wasn’t sure how FEMA offi-
cials would know whether burial insur-
ance had been used to pay for it.
David Harrington, a Kenyon College
economist who has studied the funeral
industry, said the program would likely
end up giving more money to wealth-
ier families than poorer ones, at least
for funerals from January 2020 until
now. Those with more money probably
chose a pricier casket and more expen-
sive headstone and have receipts show-
ing they spent $9,000 or more, and so
can get the maximum benefit. But the
receipts from a low-income family who
opted for a no-frills burial will yield a
smaller government check.
Harrington said that may change af-
ter people become aware of this benefit.
In the early weeks of the pandemic,
many victims, especially those in nurs-
ing homes, were suspected of dying of
COVID-19, but testing was limited. In
many cases, overwhelmed doctors and
nurses were more concerned with car-
ing for the living rather than testing the
dead. Many death certificates, therefore,
did not mention COVID-19.
Now, to be reimbursed, many fam-
ilies may need to seek out doctors or
coroners to amend death certificates.
New risk levels for Oregon counties that will go into effect April 9-22:
Under the new rules, three counties qualify as extreme risk but will be at high risk restriction levels: Josephine,
Klamath and Tillamook.
Five counties — Baker, Columbia, Lane, Polk and Yamhill — are in the two-week caution window allowed
when a county drops into a lower level, only to rebound in the next period back to a higher rate. They are al-
lowed two weeks to reverse the trend before higher restrictions are applied.
LOWER (15)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
• Wasco
• Wheeler
Baker
Crook
Gilliam
Grant
Harney
Hood River
Jefferson
Lake
Lane
Malheur (moved from moderate)
Morrow
Sherman
Wallowa
has killed 2.86 million people
around the globe, including
556,000 in the United States.
Oregon has maintained
some of the lowest infection
rates and death totals in the na-
tion, but has still reported just
under 2,400 deaths.
“Impending doom,” is how
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, direc-
tor of the U.S. Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention,
last week described the com-
bination of spreading viruses
and relaxed safety habits by a
pandemic- weary public.
The CDC has singled out
one variant originally found in
the United Kingdom — B.1.1.7
— as the main version of the
virus hitting about two-thirds
of the country. The Oregon
Health Authority has reported
19 cases of the U.K. variant in
Oregon, but believes there are
many more.
Shifting eligibility
Biden’s announcement on
Tuesday is the second time
a White House directive has
changed Oregon’s phased vac-
cine eligibility timeline.
Brown and the OHA had
originally set July 1 as the earli-
est date that a long series of pri-
ority groups would be finished
and the vaccine could be offered
to anyone who wanted a shot.
The sheriff’s office reviewed
one other vendor: WatchGuard
by Motorola. The trial period
revealed several problems with
the Motorola product, wrote
sheriff’s Capt. Paul Garrison
in a memo to the Deschutes
County Commission. He said
the difference in customer ser-
vice between the two was “as
stark as black and white.”
MODERATE (7)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Clatsop
Columbia
Polk
Umatilla (moved from high)
Union
Washington
Yamhill (moved from lower)
HIGH (11)
• Benton
• Clackamas (moved from
On March 11, Biden issued
a directive that states drop all
barriers to eligibility no later
than May 1 as a way to speed
up vaccination rates. Oregon
condensed the timeline for its
eligibility groups to meet the
deadline. Brown said it might
even be possible for some
counties to open eligibility as
early as April 26.
The new April 19 deadline
will only impact Oregon and
a few other states. A majority
of states already allow all resi-
dents over 16 to be vaccinated
and only two — Oregon and
Hawaii — had announced
plans to lift the final barriers
on May 1.
The Biden administration
has pushed for ramping up
vaccinations, saying at least a
third of adults in the nation
have received at least one dose
of vaccine and 3 million shots
are going into arms every day.
Brown and Oregon Health
Authority Director Pat Allen
have said the greatest imped-
iment to widespread inocula-
tion is supply of vaccine.
Over the past week, Oregon
has questioned the federal allo-
cation process state officials be-
lieve could be short-changing
the state on vaccine allocations.
“My office will work closely
with the White House to en-
Garrison wrote Motorola
offered a “closed” equip-
ment system, whereby all re-
pairs and upgrades must be
done through Motorola. Safe
Fleet-Coban, in contrast, was
said to offer an open system
that allows sheriff’s office staff
to troubleshoot local problems.
Reporter: 541-383-0325,
gandrews@bendbulletin.com
moderate)
• Coos: (moved from extreme)
• Curry: (moved from extreme)
• Deschutes: (moved from mod-
erate)
• Douglas
• Jackson
• Marion
• Lincoln (moved from moderate)
• Linn (moved from moderate)
• Multnomah (moved from mod-
erate)
EXTREME (3)
• Josephine (moved from high)
sure Oregon receives our fair
share of federal vaccine sup-
plies, so we can continue with a
fast, fair, and equitable vaccine
distribution process,” Brown
said.
The White House an-
nounced Tuesday that 150 mil-
lion shots have been adminis-
tered since Biden took office
on Jan. 20. He had promised
to get 100 million shots into
Americans’ arms by his 100th
day in office, April 30.
Oregon health officials said
it had injected over 2 mil-
lion doses of vaccine into the
arms of Oregonians. Most of
the shots are for the two-dose
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
The one-shot Johnson &
Johnson vaccine has accounted
for just over 50,000 shots in
Oregon. It remains in limited
supply nationwide due to a
botched processing system at
a subcontractor in Baltimore
that ruined 15 million batches
Ryan Brennecke/Bulletin file
Kerry Gillette, a physician assis-
tant with Mosaic Medical, fills
syringes with the Moderna vac-
cine Feb. 19.
• Klamath (moved from moderate)
• Tillamook (moved from moderate)
that had to be destroyed. Doses
currently offered are the cor-
rect mixture.
Several weeks of falling in-
fection numbers had led the
state to relaxing limits on eat-
ing at restaurants, holding
public events and the number
of customers allowed in busi-
nesses at one time.
The rise in numbers will
lead to the return of some re-
strictions. Brown announced
Tuesday that the most extreme
limits would only go into effect
if more than 300 people with
COVID-19 are hospitalized
and the number increases 15%
or more over a 7-day period.
As of Tuesday, Oregon hos-
pitals reported 205 patients
with COVID-19.
gwarner@eomediagroup.com
Bulletin reporter Suzanne Roig
contributed to this report.
Pilot Butte
Continued from A1
“If someone thinks we
missed a step, that’s the kind
of comment that we’d expect
to hear now,” Havel said.
Public comments will be
accepted until 5 p.m. May
7, and can be made on-
line, via email at OPRD.
publiccomment@ oregon.
gov, or in writing at: Ore-
gon Parks and Recreation
Department, attn.: Helena
Kesch, 725 Summer St. NE,
Suite C, Salem OR, 97301.
The master plan will
guide the park’s priorities
for the next 20 years, Matt
Rippee, district manager
with Oregon Parks and
Recreation, said in a press
release Tuesday.
“It sets priorities for the
next two decades, such as
adding or improving trails,
parking, facilities and signs,”
Rippee said.
Since the process to up-
date the master plan began
in 2018, public feedback
has been submitted, and it
was similar to the results
of a 2016 survey of day-use
visitors. The survey found
visitors consider hiking,
sightseeing and outdoor
photography as the most
popular activities on the
141-acre park, which has
7 miles of trails. The sur-
vey also found the majority
of visitors are local, living
within 30 miles of the park.
A draft of the new mas-
ter plan calls for several im-
provements to access points
and trails. It proposes a new
trailhead entrance at Lafay-
ette Avenue on the west side
of the butte and an access
point at Derek Drive east of
the butte. From the Lafay-
ette entrance, the base trail
would connect to Juniper
Elementary School.
Another new trailhead
at Greenwood Avenue and
Summit Road would con-
nect to nearby Pilot Butte
Middle School.
The plan would maintain
the two-lane road, but add
marked parking spots at the
summit. A vista trail would
be added at the summit for
hikers.
Previous public feedback
led to several recommenda-
tions in the draft plan, such
as providing more wayfin-
ding signs, enforcing dog
leash rules and considering
an off-leash area and mak-
ing the park more accessible
for seniors.
In addition, the plan ad-
dresses the need for land-
scape restoration and the
reconstruction of the exer-
cise area and trailhead that
were destroyed during the
2018 Fourth of July fire. The
fire burned about 10 acres
around the base of the butte.
All of the proposed im-
provements would be com-
pleted within 5 to 10 years,
according to the state parks
department.
Reporter: 541-617-7820,
kspurr@bendbulletin.com
OBITUARY
Gary Arnold Town
of La Pine, OR
Nov 19, 1948 - March 31,
2021
Arrangements:
Baird Memorial Chap-
el of La Pine is hon-
ored to serve the Town
family. Please visit our
website, www.bairdfh.com,
to share condolences and
sign the online guestbook.
OBITUARY DEADLINE
Call to ask about our deadlines
541-385-5809
Monday - Friday, 10am - 3pm
No death notices or obituaries
are published Mondays.
Email:
obits@bendbulletin.com
Cal Elshoff
1928 - 2021
Aft er graduati ng from high school in Ohio and serving
two years in the Navy, Cal came to Oregon where he
earned two degrees from Oregon State, and met and
married Alice Morgan, a marriage that persisted lovingly
for 62 years. Together they moved to Bend in 1961 where
Cal began teaching sophomore and advanced placement
biology at Bend High. He thoroughly enjoyed his teaching
and many of his former students remain friends today.
When not in the classroom he enjoyed running Oregon’s
rivers in his McKenzie River drift boat, catching steelhead
on the lower Deschutes on fl ies he ti ed himself, or
hunti ng chukars with one of the dogs he trained himself.
He is predeceased by a son, Don, and daughter, Megan,
and survived by his wife, loving daughter, Dana Howell,
and a passel of grand and great grandchildren.
A celebrati on of his life will be held at a later date.
Contributi ons can be made to a conservati on group of
choice or to Partners In Care.