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U OF ORE 1 ' -NEWSPAPER
LIB
EUGENE OR 97403
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Willow Creek iU) am clears hurdles
Initial funding, authorization gets congressional OK
Decades after it was first
proposed, the Willow Creek
Dam is a reality.
An aide to Senator Mark
Hatfield told the Gazette
Times in a phone conversation
early Wednesday morning,
"We got it," referring to
initial funding and a change in
authorization approved by
Congress this week.
"The House has accepted
the Senate version of the
public works bill that will
allow construction of Willow
VOL. 96 NO. 33
County contracts for study of
health care requirements
With passage of the Pioneer
Memorial Hospital levy last
week, the search for doctors
and hospital planning has
gained a new momentum.
Members of the County
Court, Doctor Search Commit
tee and hospital board met
with M.J. Blair, president of
NnrthWpst MpHiral Founda
tion and contracted with that
firm for a study of health care
requirements for Morrow
County.
NorthWest Medical Founda
tion is a Seventh-Day Adven
tist health care corporation.
"We want to make it
perfectly clear that we have
only contracted with North
West Medical Foundation for
a study of health care needs in
the county and have not
entered into any contracts or
even serious discussion of
possible management of the
hospital by the Foundation,"
said Judge D.O. Nelson.
The contract calls for a
comprehensive study to be
completed in four to six weeks
at a cost of $3,500 about
$2,500 less than the normal fee
for a like study.
In addition, the Hyatt Hotel
Corporation has offered to do
a study at no charge, which
was accepted by the joint
committee. A public service of
the corporation, the study
would not be as complete as
the NMF study, but it will
provide some comparison be
tween the two.
The NMF study will gather
data on hospital utilization,
medical staff, economic data
On the county, historical
financial data on the hospital,
future financial outlook for the
hospital based on past exper
ience and it would also provide
a potential relationship for a
hospital management con
cept. Included in the study will be
public opinion and wishes for
health care in Morrow County.
The foundation will seek
community medical needs as
seen by a randomly selected
group of 250 individuals in
Morrow County; community
medical needs as seen by the
same number of people in
Fossil and Condon and needs
as seen by 25-35 civic, indus
trial and community leaders.
A questionnaire will be used to
obtain comment from indivi
duals and personal interviews
will be conducted with the last
group.
Creek Dam based on the 1974
Corps of Engineers report,"
said Steve Hickok, field repre
sentative for Senator Hatfield.
Hatfield made the Willow
Creek Dam the centerpiece of
his message to Congress this
year, citing it as an example
of poor water resource plan
ning at the federal level.
In order to fund the dam
originally authorized by Con
gress in 1965 a change in
wording of that authorization
updating it to the 1974 report
In addition hospital person
nel and the medical staff will
be asked their opinions.
With these studies the hospi
tal board and administration
along with the County Court
will determine the direction of
health care at Pioneer Memo
rial after taking the informa
tion and alternatives to the
public for comment.
One area at the hospital that
has already been funded
Doctor
return
Dr. Joe Gifford. who left
Heppner last March for a
residency program at the
University of New Mexico,
may be interested in coming
back to a family practice here.
Meeting with members of
the County Court, Doctor
Search Committee and the
hospital board, Gifford and his
wife Linda laid out their views
on returning to Heppner.
Gifford said he was interes
ted in opening a family
practice on his own at least
for the present time at the
county-owned clinic in Hepp
ner. Gifford told the group he
didn't feel the clinic was big
enough for two doctors to
properly treat patients. He
added that when and if he
Pioneer Memorial
gets emergency radio
Pioneer Memorial Hospital
has received a remote radio
transmitter reciever for the
emergency room, as a gift
from the Kinzua Corporation.
This remote station is an
extension to the emergency
room from the present radio
transmitter receiver located
at the nursing station, improv
ing and making more flexible
the hospital's radio communi
cation system.
Hospital personnel can now
be in radio communication
from the emergency room as
Veil as the nursing station,
with the ambulance; and,
had to be accepted by both the
House and Senate.
Physical characteristics of
the 1965 and 1974 dam are
essentially the same the dif
ference being in the allocation
of waters and prime purpose
of the dam . In the 1965 version ,
irrigation, municipal water
supply for Heppner, recrea
tion as well as flood protection
were specified uses. In the
1974 report and plan, the
prime use of the dam is for
flood protection although the
Morrow
HEPPNER, OREGON
through passage of the levy is
remodeling and updating of
surgical and emergency facili
ties. Some action on planned
renovation of emergency and
surgical facilities may be
forthcoming before the NMF
study is completed.
"With this information
available we will be able to go
to the residents of Morrow
county with facts and ask
them what direction they
Gifford contemplates
to Heppner practice
found the right doctor for a
partner or employee he would
recommend enlarging the cli
nic. The doctor also said that if
he comes back to Heppner he
doesn't want to be obligated
financially or "any other
way" to the Doctor Search
Committee or the county.
Citing health care needs and
direction of Pioneer Memo
rial, Gifford reiterated com
ments he and Dr. Richard
Carpenter have made to
heal Lii care officials over the
past three years.
Upgrading of emergency
care facilities both ambu
lance and emergency room
are number one priorities in
Gifford's opinion. He said an
emergency room at the hospi
when necessary, in radio
contact with physician spe
cialists and others at St.
Anthony's Hospital in Pendle
ton. St. Anthony's Hospital has
been designated as the Med
Com Control hospital for our
area, which means they have
available emergency medical
services on a 24 hour-per-day
basis to be disseminated via
radio to health care providers.
The hospital's radio com
munication system, as well as
being used on a day-to-day
basis, is an integral part of the
hospital's disaster plan.
dam still has multiple-use
capabilities.
A conference committee of
senators and representatives
met this week to hammer out
differences in the public works
appropriation bill which inclu
ded the Willow Creek Dam.
The bill's language specifies
that $500,000 be made avail
able to Corps this year for
initial engineering and right-of-way
acquisition.
"At this point the bill goes
back to the Senate and the
The Heppner
County's Award-Winning Weekly Newspaper
would like to see the hospital
move in with the monies
available," said Nelson.
Kent Goodyear, chairman of
the Doctor Search Committee,
also praised the study. s
"We can show prospective
doctors that positive action is
taking place in regards to
health care and it will provide
much needed patient informa
tion that doctors desire before
locating in a community,"
tal with adequate x-ray equip
ment was a must if emergency
care was to be provided in
Heppner.. Ambulance facili
ties and equipment both for
transfer and emergency use
also needed upgrading, ac
cording to Gifford.
Heptachlor use will be discussed at
Dept. of Ag. hearing Aug. 25
Continued use of heptachlor
for treating seed grain will be
discussed at an August 25
meeting called by the Oregon
Department of Agriculture.
The meeting, set for 10 a.m.
in the conference room of the
Oregon Department of Agri
culture Building, Salem, is in
response to a recommenda
tion from the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service that the
departments of agriculture of
Oregon, Washington and
Idaho assume a leadership
role in bringing about early
discontinuance of the chemi
cal's use for seed treatment.
Heptachlor is used by grain
growers for the control of wire
worms, a serious pest that can
greatly reduce grain yields.
The Fish and Wildlife Ser
vice has voiced concern over
the wild bird die-offs in areas
where heptachlor-treated
seeds have been planted.
Center of the die-off area is
Umatilla and Morrow coun
ties, the Fish and Wildlife
Service said.
Represented at the August
House for a quick vote and
then on to the president for his
signature," said Hickok. The
House of Representatives is
taking a recess through Labor
Day sothe bill may not be sent
to President Carter until after
the first of September.
By inclusion in the massive
public works appropriation
bill the Willow Creek Dam is
safe from presidential veto
unless Carter would veto the
entire bill, which is unlikely.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 1978
said Goodyear.
"In addition, NorthWest
Medical Foundation through
its Verticare program (the
business side of NMF) has
. nacte a request for funds to
the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, which will be
very helpful since money is in
short supply in the county and
hospital budgets," said Good
year. The Giffords are looking
into practices in several other
communities seeking physi
cians. The doctor did not wish
to speculate on when a
decision might be forthcom
ing. 25 meeting will be the Oregon
Wheat Growers League, Ore
gon State University's Exten
sion Service and Fish and
Wildlife Department, the U.S.
World class table tennis
championships coming to Heppner
World class table tennis
coming to Heppner?
It's true. Regional wire
services and news media last
week began reporting on the
city's being selected as the
site for the seventh annual
World Professional Table Ten
nis Table Title Match. News
releases issued by the Interna
tional Table Tennis League,
Inc., in Seattle stated that
Heppner was an ideal location
for the title match, since
"there is no terrorism in
The initial $500,000 that has
been approved for the Willow
Creek dam project will be
used mainly lor final design
planning, expected to be
completed in time for a
construction contract to be let
in September of 1979.
Actual construction could
begin on the dam as soon as
ME
V,
I
f
h
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Oregon's Department of Fish
and Wildlife, and the Oregon
Department of Agriculture.
Results of the survey taken
in Morrow County by Harold
Heppner, no statistical crimes
of any kind, and.. .political
unrest in Heppner is unknown.
The match, to be held Nov.
18 in the Heppner High School
gymnasium, will see the
current world champion pro
team from Haiti defend its
crown against the challenging
team from Thailand.
Needless to say, the arrival
of the team members, train
ers, and newsmen in Heppner
could result in a number of
logistical problems in terms of
Corps plan told
the contract is let, according
to the U.S. Army Corps - of
Engineers office in Walla
Walla.
In addition to drafting the
final specifications of the
dam, the initial funding yill be
used to update the 1973 report
on the economics of the
structure.
TWO SECTIONS 26 PAGES
Wll 111 (hv
Special Fair & Rodeo Section
is included in this issue
of the Gazette-Times.
Kerr, . County Extension
Agent were forwarded to
Oregon Wheat League office
to be included in the testimony
presented on September 25.
Only 20 growers responded to
food, lodging and transporta
tion. To iron out these problems,
Jackie Jensen, Heppner Elks
Club manager and executive
director of the Heppner table
Weather
by Don Gilliam
The funding will also go to
building a new Willow Creek
Bridge just above the back
waters of the impoundment.
The new bridge will be needed
at a highway crossing where a
diverted Willow Creek will
flow.
20-cents
the survey in Morrow County,
Kerr reported. Kerr commen
ted that he felt the growers are
under-estimating the benefits
they receive from heptachlor
in controlling wire worms.
tennis match, has scheduled a
meeting for Tuesday, Aug. 22
at 7:30 p.m. at the Elks club.
The public is invited to attend
and get involved with making
the match a success.
Hi Low Pre
Wed, Aug. 9 99 65
Thurs., Aug. 10 93 56
Fri., Aug. 11 84 53
Sat., Aug. 12 73 59 .20
Sun., Aug. 13 73 51 .23
Mon.,Aug. 14 81 50
Tues., Aug. 15 72 53 .60