The Library
University of Oresca
Eugene, Or 97403
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State highways, county roads, city streets and private parking lots have all been seriously
damaged by the recent thaw and flooding. This stretch of highway near the airport in
Lexington looked like a battlefield this week as trucks and pickups sank to their axles as the road
" gav.e"away beneath' the weight.
stave off further damage.
Heppner's
WATER
DA9s car vandalized
HHS students among witnesses
in grand jury drug probe
Nearly 20 witnesses many
of them Heppner High School
students have been called to
testify before a Morrow
County Grand Jury drug
investigation.
The grand jury met through
out the day Friday and on
Monday before adjourning
late Monday afternoon.
The drug probe has not yet
resulted in indictments, but
indictments are reportedly
expected to be handed down,
possibly next week.
District .Attorney Dennis
Doherty confirmed that the
School Board awards
North Morrow school
Groundbreaking could begin
as early as next month for two
new northern Morrow County
school buildings, following a
decision Monday night by the
Morrow County School Board
to award bids on the two
projects.
The decision to award bids
followed a session in which
board members trimmed
more than $220,000 from the
two construction projects.
Original bids for the build
ingsan elementary school in
Boardman and a junior high fn
Irrigon when opened earlier
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Hard road to go
Morrow -County has Imposed a
water woes remain
Residents of Heppner are
urged to boil their drinking
water until further notice.
Mayor Jerry Sweeney told
the Gazette-Times that city
crews had been unable to
locate the break or breaks
in a city water line located up
grand jury probe centered on
a drug investigation, but
declined to elaborate. He did
state that although the grand
jury has recessed, "the invest
igation cannot be considered
complete, in a final sense."
On Friday afternoon, a car
owned by Doherty, parked
near his home, was vandal
ized. According to a report
filed with the sheriff's depart
ment, the carburetor of the
vehicle was filled with mud,
electric wiring was pulled
loose, and two tires were shot
flat.
this month, were found to
exceed by far the amount the
board has budgeted for school
construction.
While the square footage of
the buildings was not trim
med, the school board did cut
costs by substituting less
expensive materials, deleting
some blacktopping projects
and cutting back on the
amount of equipment to be
installed.
About $91,000 was pared
from the original bid on the
junior high building, and
nearly $130,000 was trimmed
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voluntary -KMon weight limit to
unresolved
Willow Creek as of Wednesday
morning. The Mayor said
residents will be notified when
the water is safe to drink by
officers using the public
address system on the police
car.
When questioned about the
incident, Doherty commented
that "I can't say for sure that
it has any connection with the
investigation. ..If it does, it
wouldn't have any bearing on
the case, anyway."
Parents of students called to
testify in the investigation
were notified to explain their
absence from classes. Most
students were reported to
have spent nearly the entire
school day at either the
Monday or Friday grand jury
sessions. .
bids for
buildings
from the elementary school's
original bid.
Low bidder on the Board
man school, was the Timber
Co. of Hermiston, and low
bidder for the Irrigon facility
was R.A. Chambers and
Associates of Eugene.
Next Monday, the board is.
expected to take action on
giving official names to the
two new buildings.
Construction contracts are
expected to be drafted and
signed within the next week,
and construction could begin
within several weeks.
The Morrow County Court i
asking the State of Oregon to
declare the county a disaster
area, stating that the recent
week of flooding has caused at
least $500,000 in damage to
farms, roads and buildings.
In a letter to the director of
the Oregon Emergency Ser
vices ' Division, Judge D.O.
Nelson termed the $500,000
figure "a very conservative
estimate," stating that "the
total damage could be much
higher."
Damages totaling $250,000
were estimated for county
maintained roads, culverts
and bridges, with an estimate
of $150,000 set for damage
done to agricultural land. A
figure of $100,000 was set
buildings and homes, in
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VOL. 97 NO. 7
Northwest Medical Foundation leader
explains
About 80 persons took part
Tuesday night in a public
meeting held to disc fiss North
west Medical Foundation's
study and recommendations
regarding Pioneer Memorial
Hospital.
Northwest President M.J.
Blair reviewed findings.of his
firm's study, as he had done
during a late January meeting
before county, city and hos
pital officials. Since the find
ings were made public, they
have been the topic of consid
erable discussion in the com
munity. Northwest's report con
cludes, among other things,
that:
A change in management
is needed for the hospital.
Much of the hospital's
equipment is obsolete.
A new wing must be built
to the hospital.
A family practitioner, a
physician with surgical exper
ience, and an internist should
be located in Heppner.
Pioneer Memorial will
always require a subsidy to
continue to operate.
Since the report was issued,
several hospital officials have
criticized Northwest's "spec
ial interest" in making the
study, since the firm is
involved in the health man
agement field and is interest
ed in negotiating for the new
management of Pioneer Mem
orial. Board members have
also stated that the report
contains little information
that was not already known by
hospital and county officials,
and Northwest's relationship
with the Seventh Day Advent
ist faith was questioned during
a recent hospital board meet
ing. Blair told those attending
Tuesday's meeting that "we
came to do a study on the
hospital. We don't want to get
involved in a community
controversy." Northwest's
president stated that his firm
is "not pressuring anyone,"
and has "never asked for a
commitment" from county or
hospital officials. "We're not
politicians," he said. "We
manage hospitals. We would
not have come in if the
hospital board and the county
did not feel that a problem
existed."
Judge D.O. Nelson, at the
outset of Tuesday's meeting,
stated that the decision to
authorize the Northwest
report was reached with the
cluding an estimated $30,000 in
damages done to lone schools.
The move could mean that
persons who lost property in
the flooding would become
eligible for low-interest dis
aster loans, and that some
financial relief may be avail
able to pay for damage done to
county school buildings and
roads.
Gov. Atiyeh would have to
declare the county a disaster
area in order for such aid to
become available. Before he
would do so, state officials
woule make an independent
assessment of property dam
age and make recommenda
tions. Just how long that process
would take is not immediately
known.
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sorrow-tounty s
HEPPNER, OREGON
Pioneer Memorial
support and consent of the
hospital board.
He, also emphasized that
decisions regarding North
west's recommendations
would be up to the hospital
board and not the county
court to make.
"The court wants to make it
clear that any decisions to be
made about running the hospi
tal will be done by the hospital
board except for budget mat
ters," Nelson said, noting that
"in the past, the county court
has possibly overstepped its
bounds in running the hospi
tal." Hospital board member
John Maas stated' that the
possibility of hiring Northwest
or a similar management firm
to run the hospital has not
Hospital trustees, Dr.
search for additional
Dr. Joe Gifford met with
members of pioneer Mem
orial Hospital's Board of
Trustees and representatives
of the Doctor Search Commit
tee last week, to map out
strategies aimed at bringing
an additional physician to
Heppner at the earliest pos
sible date.
According to a news release
from the hospital board, Dr.
Gifford "listed basic needs
that an incoming physician
would require a place to
practice, equipment to prac
tice with, and a place to live.
All three require substantial
cash outlays."
Citing a "tight money"
policy in effect currently by
local banks, "Dr. Gifford
questioned if a new doctor
would be able to find a money
source to begin practice in the
area," the release stated.
As a result, the hospital
board agreed to meet with
local bankers to determine
"bank policy on loan support
of local doctors."
The news release stated that
the hospital board, Doctor
Search Committee and Dr.
Gifford "are pledged to work
.in an aggressive, unified effort
to bring competent personnel
into the area at the earliest
date," as well as seeking
temporary measures "to in
sure that the community will
Meanwhile, although flood
waters have receded, prob
lems remain. Heppner re
mains without sanitary drink
ing water, after floodwaters
apparently demolished a sec
tion of main line near the Dick
Wilkinson Ranch on Upper
Willow Creek. Impurities are
entering the system, appar
ently at the pipe rupture,
contaminating the water. On
Tuesday health ofiicials re
ported that the bacterial count
was dropping, but remained
above the safety level, and
ordered that precautionary
boiling be continued into a
second week. City crews have
yet to locate the exact site of
the rupture.
County roads may be free of
surface water, but the sudden
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Awarq-winning ifrady newspaper
THURSDAY, FEB. 15, 1979
been ruled out by his panel.
"If the most viable route is to
go through a foundation like
Northwest, we'll go that way."
With only one board member
having more than four months
experience as a trustee, "we
just won't jump in the first
parade that comes through
town," Maas said.
"Things need to change at
the hospital," Maas contin
ued, noting that board mem
bers and Heppner physicians
"are moving into a better
relationship," and are work
ing together to attract an
additional physician.
When asked by a citizen how
much control Northwest
. would be given should it be
decided to hire the firm, Blair
stated that "we would want
have continued local medical
expertise." Also being investi
gated is the possibility of
bringing in a nurse practi
tioner. Hospital board members
restated their commitment to
provide a medical practice
area within the hospital,
stating that "space could be
made more available in the
existing facility with a modest
amount of change." The
Bellamy introduces rural
health bills in Legislature
State Representative Billy
Bellamy has introduced legis
lation aimed at increasing the
medical services available to
his constituents in District 55.
Bellamy's office announced
that the freshman legislator
has co-sponsored a bill which
would provide scholarships
and loans to medical students
who will conduct their prac
tices in rural areas, and will
support another measure
which would allow nurse
practitioners to dispense med
icine and to purchase three
party liability insurance.
The Culver Republican is
also sponsoring a legislative
thaw has taken its toll on
pavement. The 55 mile per
hour limit was probably never
more stringently adhered to
than during the past week,
since speeds above that level
could only result in serious
damage to vehicles traveling
on hundreds of miles of county
roads rutted by runoff and
pocked with chuckholes.
Along Hwy. 207 between
Lexington and Cutsforth Cor
ners, a log truck Tuesday had
to be towed away when it
became stuck in ruts in the
pavement. Two county
bridges in the Valby and north
lone area washed away, and
the Morgan Street Bridge,
weakened by the floodwaters,
remained closed to traffic.
Ranchers are faced with
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TWO SECTIONS 14 PAGES
study to public
internal control sufficient to
do a good job," the terms of
which would be outlined in a
contract of at least three
year's duration. Northwest
would seek the right to hire
and fire employees, but Blair
stated that his firm would
retain current workers, al
though "we would have to
have our own administrator."
Regarding Northwest's
links to the Seventh Day
Adventist Church, Blair stated
that "we're not out to twist
peoples' arms to make
Seventh Day Adventist Christ
ians out of them. Our 's is not a
hard-sell program... If you
visit any of our hospitals, you
won't feel put upon."
Blair said that he could not
guarantee that Northwest
Gifford launch
physician
trustees also plan to add
outpatient examination rooms
and office space for doctors in
an addition to the hospital that
appears relatively certain to
be funded by a grant from the
federal Department of Health,
Education and Welfare.
Prior to Dr. Gifford's return
to Heppner, Pioneer Memorial
"had a tentative agreement"
with the emergency staff at St.
Anthony's Hospital in Pendle
task force on rural health care
needs of rural areas and
recommend appropriate legis
lation. Bellamy said he is "seeking
suggestions and comments
from the people in our rural
Sweeney appointed to
Pioneer Memorial Board
In a late announcement
Wednesday morning, the Mor
row County Court said it had
appointed Dan Sweeney of
Heppner to the Pioneer Mem
removing tons of silt and
debris from fields along creek
bottoms, repairing fences and
trying to salvage water
damaged hay.
Al Osmin of the Heppner
Water Control District told
members of the Heppner
Morrow County Chamber of
Commerce Monday that div
ersions, debris basins and
waterways along Willow and
Hinton creeks, Balm Fork and
Shobe Canyon prevented the
flooding from "being a lot
worse than it was."
A number of the soil
conservation constructions
were ruined in-the flooding,
Osmin said, but federal emer
gency funds may be available
to help pay for their replacement.
20 cents
would be successful in obtain
ing the mix of physicians
outlined in the report, but
stated "in all liklihood, yes,
we could. ..We've done it in
many other areas."
Those attending Tuesday's
meeting were asked to fill out
"straw ballots" regarding
several hospital questions.
The ballots were made avail
able by Merl Cantin.
Of 60 persons who filled out
the ballot forms, 47 indicated
that they favored hiring a
management firm, seven
voted that they did not, and six
wrote qualified endorsements
of the concept.
All 60 respondents indicated
that they wanted the hospital
to remain in Heppner.
ton "to provide consultation
here in case of Dr. Wolff's
absence," the release stated.
Pioneer Memorial Admini
strator Bob Byrnes "is seek
ing to reaffirm that agree
ment. Such an agreement
would guarantee that the
hospital would always have
medical consultation even if
the local doctors were out of
town."
communities and towns as to
the most equitable solution to
the problems of inadequate
health care. I'm firmly con
vinced that the final solution
must involve as much local
control as possible."
orial Hospital Board of Dir
ectors. Sweeney replaces John
Cont. on page 3