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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 18, 2018)
News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, July 18, 2018 A9 Voters could see up to four initiatives on ballot By Paris Achen Capital Bureau Of the 45 initiatives pro- posed for the Nov. 6 general election, only four remain in play. Two of those are the subject of two separate signature-gath- ering fraud investigations by the Oregon Department of Jus- tice. The following proposals still have a chance of going before voters, after the Ore- gon Secretary of State’s Office completes signature verifica- tions. The deadline for verifi- cations is Aug. 6. • End publicly funded abor- tions: “Stop Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” (Initiative Petition 1) prohibits the use of public funds to pay for most abortions, unless medically necessary or required by fed- eral law. As a constitutional change, the measure needs at least Pamplin Media Group Multnomah County Clerk’s Office employees process ballots. Grocery taxes, publicly funded abortion, tax enactment restrictions and ending the state’s sanctuary law are all in the queue for the November ballot. 117,578 valid signatures to se- cure a place on the ballot. Petitioners turned in 139,286 signatures by the July 6 deadline, and the Secretary of State’s Office was still in the process of verifying their validity as of Friday, July 13. The state spent about $1.9 million in 2017-18 for abor- tions paid for by the Oregon Health Plan, the state’s version of Medicaid, according to the Oregon Health Authority. Last year, the state passed House Bill 3391 to require health insurers to provide abortions and other reproduc- tive health services without charge. The law also allows the Oregon Health Plan, to provide free abortions for un- documented immigrants. IP 1 allows public funds to be spent on abortions in cir- cumstances when federal law requires it, such as in cases of rape or incest, or when a wom- an is diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy. The proposal also would allow a woman with a health condition that would place her in danger of death to obtain an abortion. Brooks resident Marilyn Shannon, one of the initia- tive’s chief sponsors, said she expects the measure to make it on the ballot. • End the sanctuary state: Stop Oregon Sanctuaries Ini- tiative Petition 22 would re- peal the state’s 31-year-old sanctuary law. The law prohibits the use of state and local resources to en- force federal immigration law when a person’s only crime is being in the country illegally. Petitioners for the propos- al have submitted 110,445 signatures. Only 88,184 of those need to be verified to the measure to be included on the ballot. DOJ is investigating com- plaints that voters were mis- led into the signing the peti- tion. About 39 people filed the complaints, said Debra Royal, chief of staff for Secretary of State Dennis Richardson. • Three-fifths vote for rais- ing revenue: “A Tax is a Tax Amend- ment” Initiative 31 also is under investigation for alle- gations that signatures were obtained fraudulently. Despite that, the Secretary of State’s Office has qualified the measure for the ballot. The measure would amend the Oregon Constitution to re- quire a three-fifths vote of the House and Senate for raising revenue, including assessing fees and ending tax credits. A woman named Connea Derber filed a complaint with the Secretary of State’s Office and the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries alleging that a representative of Bal- lot Access LLC had fraudu- lently signed signature sheets and proposed improper per signature-compensation, Wil- lamette Week first reported. Ballot Access denied wrong- doing. • Tax-free food: “Yes! Keep Our Groceries Tax- Free!” Initiative Petition 37, has also qualified for the bal- lot. The constitutional amend- ment would prohibit local and state taxes on all foods for con- sumption, except for alcohol, tobacco and marijuana. Per- sonal hygiene products were excluded from the measure. Emergency medical flights save lives AirLink Blue Mountain Eagle AirLink began operations in 1985 as Air Life of Ore- gon with a Bell Long Ranger helicopter. In partnership with St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, the company grew over time into a regional air ambu- lance service, serving central, eastern and southern Oregon. AirLink has flown more than 24,000 missions since its inception. The service was ac- quired by the Med-Trans Corp. about four years ago. On board medical person- nel include a nurse with at least five years of experience at a high-volume Level 1 trauma center along with a respiratory therapist. “That way we provide a true ICU in the sky,” AirLink manager Kristin Lingman told the Eagle. Medical staff and pilots are staffed at AirLink’s base 24/7 so flights can be made at a moment’s notice. Lingman estimated AirLink flies to John Day about five or six times a week. When a medical emergen- cy occurs to residents in Grant County — whether it’s a heart attack or stroke, or the result of an accident at work, on the highway or at play in the woods — prompt critical care attention can mean the differ- ence between life and death. Area residents are accus- tomed to geographical isola- tion, surrounded by mountain passes that can be impacted by winter weather. But while braving a three-hour drive to Bend or La Grande might be acceptable for shopping, it’s not practical for medical emer- gencies. Air ambulances can not only transport patients quickly from the scene of an accident to a trauma center, they also come equipped with all the medical supplies and equip- ment needed to act as a mobile intensive care unit for infants and elderly. Common equipment for air ambulances can include medications, ventilators, elec- trocardiogram and monitoring units, cardiopulmonary resus- citation equipment and special stretchers. While the noise and cramped space make treatment difficult, air ambulances are equipped for advanced life support. Grant County is served by two air ambulance services: AirLink Critical Care Trans- port and Life Flight Network. Both utilize fixed-wing air- planes and helicopters to trans- port medical patients to hospi- tals outside Grant County. Life Flight Life Flight, the nation’s largest not-for-profit air ambu- lance service, serves Oregon, Washington, Idaho and west- ern Montana. Starting in 1978 as Emanuel Life Flight, one of the first hospital-based air am- bulance services on the West Coast and the fourth in the U.S., the company transported 121 patients in its first year us- ing an Allouette-3 helicopter. The nonprofit is owned by a consortium of Oregon Health & Science University, Lega- cy Emanuel Medical Center, Contributed photo/Jill Rosell AirLink personnel move equipment in front of a Eurocopter EC-135 air ambulance. Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center and Provi- dence Health & Services. “Air ambulances provide rural locations critical care they would not normally re- ceive,” Life Flight regional director Michael Weimer told the Eagle. Weimer estimated Life Flight aircraft fly to Grant County about once a week, with fixed-wing aircraft land- ing at Grant County Regional Airport and helicopters land- ing at Blue Mountain Hospi- tal or even on highways at the scene of an accident. Memberships Typical health insurance plans may not cover all air ambulance service cost, which can be expensive, so air ambu- lance companies offer mem- berships to help residents in rural areas plan for those costs. AirLink is part of the AirMedCare Network, and members transported by any of the network providers will not receive a bill for the flight and 68072 any supplies used. Member- ship for AirLink costs $85 per year and includes all household members. AirLink leaves it up to the household to define its mem- bership, Lingman said. The company also follows a phi- losophy of “compassionate billing,” Lingman said, under- standing that patients on their flights often face serious fi- nancial problems in addition to medical issues. AirLink membership is valid across 28 states and more than 300 base locations. There is no limit to the number of flights a member can have in a year, but flights must be con- sidered medically necessary. If a patient is transported to Bend and later needs to continue on to Portland, AirLink member- ship will cover both flights. AirLink also offers a ground-based ambulance membership called FireMed for $50 per year that is hon- ored by the Blue Mountain Hospital Ambulance service in John Day. For more information about AirLink, visit online at www. airlinkcct.org or call 541-241- 4772. Membership in the Life Flight Network costs $65 per year, but through Sept. 3, Life Flight will offer $40 annual memberships for new mem- bers in recognition of its 40th anniversary. Membership covers spous- es or domestic partners, depen- dents claimed on an income tax return, including elderly or disabled family members liv- ing in the same household. Members will not incur out-of-pocket expenses for medically necessary emergent flights with network providers or reciprocal partners. That in- cludes flights that continue on to a higher level trauma center. For more information about Life Flight, visit online at www.lifeflight.org or call 800- 982-9299. AirLink and Life Flight do not have reciprocity agree- ments. If a person had a mem- bership in one service but it wasn’t available during an emergency, the person would have to rely on the other ser- vice without the benefits of membership. HOME SCHOOL PARENTS Home school students are required by law to be tested by a qualified neutral person following grades 3, 5, 8, and 10. [OAR581-021-0026 (5) (a) (A)] However, students who participate in interscholastic activities are required by OSAA rules to be tested every year and must score in the 23 rd percentile to be eligible to participate in interscholastic activities. Grant ESD will offer assessment testing for home school students finishing grades 3, 5, 8, and 10. Cost is $20.00 per student. Payment is due at the time of testing. Register your student for assessment testing by calling Grant ESD, 541-575-1349, on or before July 24, 2018. Testing Dates: July 25, 2018 – 8:30am to 2:00pm July 26, 2018 – 8:30am to 2:00pm If you have any questions you may contact: Robert Waltenburg or Jo Sproul Grant County ESD 541-575-1349 66208 By Richard Hanners
