City receives $20,000 econom ic
developm ent grant
P r S S ! E W F T 2 F t.
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N E W S P A P E H L I P
E U a :: NE OR 0 7 î P 3
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V O L 110
The City of Heppner and Vision
2000 group have learned that they
will be the recipient of a $20,000
economic opportunity grant funded
by the Oregon Economic Develop
ment Department and administered
through the County Initiatives
Program.
Ten thousand dollars of the grant
will go towards a Main street
revitalization program, said Gary
Marks, city administrator.
The Bank of Eastern Oregon
originally agreed to set aside a
$250,000 revolving loan fund at six
percent interest from which
Main Street businesses may borrow
to renovate their business facades.
However, the bank has since upped
the fund to $300,000 and lowered
the interest to five percent. They also
upped the loan amount per business
from $10,000 to $20,000. The
$10,000 in grant monies will be set
aside to pay interest on the loans.
The remaining $10,000 in grant
monies will go toward paying Gary
Marks’ salary to administer both
programs and serve as a consultant.
Since the $10,000 will offset Marks’
salary, said Ann Spicer of Vision
2000, money that the city would
have paid him will go toward a new
computer system for the city, a
system that Marks says is sorely
needed.
Accounting ledgers now done by
Marks by hand will be entered into
the computer which will “ free up"
Mark’s time, allowing him to
become more visible in the com
munity, meet with business owners
and work as a liaison between them
and the bank. He said that a day’s
work now will be reduced to an
hour’s work with the help of a
computer.
Spicer said that plans call for an
architectural consultant for Main
Street renovation, but "definitely not
for a theme program.” Spicer said
that instead the program is designed
to “ enhance what we have.”
She said that the program is ex
pected to be in place and funds
received by July 10.
B-52 Bomber added to
lone 4th festivities
By Anne Morter
A B-52 bomber fly-by has ten
tatively been added to the lone
Fourth of July celebration, according
to event co-chairman, Marvin
Padberg. The plane, with eight
engines, is one of the largest on
Spokane’s Fairchild Air Base, and
will be piloted by Captain Leland
White. White is a graduate of lone
High School and the son of Tom and
Carol White. Tom White is an
agricultural pilot who does crop
spraying in the area.
The fly-by, although still tentative,
promises to be a thrilling sight.
Weather permitting, White is
scheduled to do several passes
demonstrating several different
capabilities of the plane, starting
around noon.
B-52 bombers were used to haul
bombs in Vietnam and in Saudi
Arabia and have long been con
sidered one of the military’s best
planes.
Forest Service to Superintendents
meeting set
oil 21 road
The Forest Service will be oiling
the 21 road on Thursday, July 11
from Thompson Corral, west six
miles.
N0. 27__________ 6 Pages Wednesday, July 3, 1991__________ Morrow County Heppner, Oregon
A M orrow
County
F air
Superintendents’ meeting has been
scheduled for Monday, July 8 at
1:30 p.m. at the fair annex building.
Fair workday is planned for Sun
day, July 28.
Group proposes P M H management South end list hospital as top priority
The Morrow County Medical
Board at their regular meeting Mon
day evening, July 1, in lone, receiv
ed a proposal from Western Health
Resources (WHR) an affiliate of
Adventist Health Systems/West, to
provide management services to
Pioneer Memorial Hospital in Hepp
ner. The board agreed to proceed
with the next step in negotiating with
WHR.
According to Stan Berry of WHR
the Seventh-Day Adventist hospital
management firm would provide, by
means of management fee, a com
puter networking system, purchas
ing advantages, consulting and train
ing. “ It’s like one-stop shopping
versus buying retail," said Berry.
He said that WHR could work with
the present administration, commen
ting, “ I’m being honest, I think
Ernest (Wick, current PMH ad
ministrator) is doing a good job.”
Berry said that one time costs for
an IBM computer system, if the
medical board decides to sign a con
tract with W estern Health
Resources, would be $50,907,
$12,372 for a disk drive and two
modems (long distance hook-up
system) which would remain at the
WHR headquarters in Roseville, CA
and $38,535 for modems, com
munication line, terminals, printers,
cabling and software at PMH.
Maintenance for the system would
come to $2,658 a month.
Management fees above and
beyond the computer system will be
evaluated once the medical board
decides what areas are included in
the contract, if it does indeed decide
to sign on with Western Health
Resources.
Representatives of the organiza
tion were in Heppner June 18 and
19 and formulated recommendations
concerning the hospital. " I think
you’re doing a good job (at the
hospital)," said Berry, “ your nurs
ing home is very well run.”
However, he cited improvement
recommended in the billing system,
board education, communications,
networking, public relations, and
employee relations. Berry said that
if the medical board agrees WHR
would formulate an in-depth study
whether or not a contract is signed.
“ Even if you reject the study we’ll
give you a good overview,” he add
ed. If the medical board agrees to a
study, WHR is asking up to $7,500
to formulate it.
Stan Berry
The organization has managed
Pioneer Memorial Hospital in
Prineville for the last 13 years and
the Tillamook Hospital for the past
20 years.
The board agreed to send Wick
and two board members to Califor
nia to further conference with WHR
representatives.
North spends more tax money in
medical operations than South
According to figures released at
the Morrow County Medical Board
meeting Monday evening, July 1,
North Morrow County receives
more county taxes to support
medical operations there than does
Pioneer Memorial Hospital and
clinic in Heppner.
Estimated tax monies absorbed by
Boardman and Irrigon for medical
operations, including the Boardman
Clinic, Boardman ambulance and the
Irrigon emergency vehicle, amount
to $188,229 in county taxes. Total
revenues were $35,725 and expenses
were $223,954.
Taxes absorbed by the south end
clinic and hospital were $177,752,
$10,477 less than the north end dur
ing the same 11 -month period from
July 1, 1990 to May 31, 1991. ac
cording to Ernest Wick, county
health administrator and Pioneer
Memorial Hospital CEO. Estimated
revenue for the hospital and clinic
was $2,808,364 and expenses total
ed $2,968,803 for a deficit of
$160,439, although it received
$177,752 in tax monies.
The previous years ending June
30, 1990 figures uphold the trend,
with Boardman and Irrigon medical
operations receiving $218,956. their
deficit amount, in taxes and the
hospital receiving $173,901 in taxes.
Although the hospital-clinic showed
a loss of $281,841. Boardman and
Irrigon revenue was $108,985 and
expenses were $327,941, compared
to the south ends $2,646.573 in
revenue and $2,928,414 in
expenses
In the fiscal year 1989. however,
B oardm an-Irrigon’s tax offset
amounted to $127,863 less than half
of the hospital and clinics $267.179
in property taxes. That year north
end operations brought in $66,645
and expended $194,508, compared
Heppner’s $2,359,536 in revenue
and $2,549,158 in expenses for
$189,622 in losses.
According to Dr. Robert Boss,
who operates the Boardman Clinic,
the m edical board pays him
$ 130,000 from the medical fund to
run the clinic. With that $130,000
Boss completely oversees the clinic
and pays all costs resulting from the
clinic’s operation. Any revenues
generated at the clinic, however, go
to Boss. Boss said that the original
agreement with the medical board
specified that 20 percent of receipts
over $130,000, (not including the
$130,000 from the county medical
fund) would to go to the medical
fund and he would retain 80 percent.
But he said, the agreement has been
rescinded and a new “ agreement is
in the offing."
Boss says that $130.000 from the
county medical fund is not enough,
maintaining that it takes around
$180.000 to cover expenses which
include salaries for a full time and
a part time receptionist, two nurses,
supplies, utilities and bookkeeping
and other costs.
The county’s 20 percent portion of
the receipts has been waived up un
til now, so that Boss may use the
funds for renovation of the clinic. He
has added four new examining
rooms and a testing area to the clinic.
Boss, who has been at the clinic
full time for the past year, says that
patient volume has increased three-
to-four fold.
He says that he has moved to
Boardman and likes the community
and expects to stay.
The medical board’s agreement
with Drs. Ed and Jeanne Berretta,
Heppner physicians for the past three
years specifies that the Berrettas are
salaried employees. The Berrettas
receive no portion of the clinics
receipts, nor do they pay for ex
penses incurred by the clinic. They
receive a salary of $75,000 each a
year. Besides maintaining clinic
hours the Berrettas are also on call
at PMH 24 hours a day, including
weekends, except when the hospital
is covered by relief doctors.
Court rules in favor of
school board during strike
Judge Olsen, Morrow County Cir
cuit Court, has granted summary
motions which were filed on behalf
of Morrow County School district
and individual school board
members in a lawsuit arising from
the teacher strike in 1989.
Acccording to a district news
release. Judge Olsen ruled that:
♦ “ The Morrow County School
District and the individual board
members did not violate the strike
breaker statute;”
★ “ The plaintiffs could not
prevail on their claim that the defen
dants improperly failed to fill a va
cant school board seat, because (a)
the Morrow County School Board
relied upon advice of legal counsel,
and (b) violation of the statute does
not give rise to a legal remedy.”
South Morrow County residents
overwhelmingly favored keeping
Pioneer Memorial Hospital open as
their first priority at a health care
meeting held Thursday, June 27, at
the Morrow County Fairgrounds in
Heppner.
The meeting drew over 100 par
ticipants, mainly from south coun
ty, who listed their priorities with
icgaid to health care as: first, with
112 votes-keeping the hospital and
nursing home open; second, with 51
votes-establishing a county-wide
health district; third, 48 votes-
obtaining more doctors for relief and
retention and keeping the current
doctors and clinic services; fourth,
26 votes-making changes in the
bookkeeping and billing system; and
fifth, 21 votes-providing more elder
care.
The result of this meeting was a
reversal of a similar meeting held in
Boardman June 20 in which par
ticipants there listed closing Pioneer
Memorial Hospital as their second
priority. First priority at that meeting
was to spend health care dollars
equally throughout the county; third
was to open a 24-hour clinic with full
time param edics,
physician
assistants, locally administered for
Boardman and Irrigon; fourth was to
have bilingual personnel in medical
services at all times; and fifth was
to have no increase in health care tax
dollars.
At the Heppner meeting par
ticipants were divided into groups
representing industry, religion, retail
business, education, agriculture, and
the health care field. The groups
brainstormed, listed concerns and
then prioritized them. Group leaders
presented their goals and then the
goals were consolidated and placed
on a bulletin board. Each person at
tending had five votes and could
place his votes wherever he wished.
The process was moderated by
Morrow County Encourager Pam
Sagely, and project director Paul
McGinnis, Salem, of Mountain
States Health Corporation of Boise,
Idaho. The community encourager
progam is funded through a private
grant from the Northwest Area
Foundation. Sagely’s part time
salary is funded through the Morrow
County Medical fund and her office
space is donated by Columbia Basin
Electric. The project is expected to
last 18 months.
In the next step of the process,the
health care council, comprised of
Dick Allen, Judy Brown, Stan
Hoobing, Grace Drake, Cheryl
Taliman, Meg Murray, Roger
Scharen. Carleana Britt. Chris Gar
cia, Jack Strege, Donna Moeller,
Ray Michael. Ann Murray, Dave
Zachary and Diane Kilkenny will ex
amine and research the goads, deter
mine what information is needed anc
share the information with the focus
group and members of the communi
ty. McGinnis said that eventually the
results will be included in a plan and
presented to the medical board, in
cluding costs and implications, a
county-wide economic impact study.
In other words, said McGinnis,
“ This is what you want. This is what
it would mean.”
Although the atmosphere in South
Morrow County was tense following
the Boardman meeting, the mood at
the June 27 meeting was positive and
procedure orderly. Heppner physi-
cian Dr. Jeanne Berretta, who at
tended the meeting commented, “ It
was really positive, and a real show
of support.” Morrow County
Medical Administrator and Pioneer
Memorial Hospital Chief Executive
Officer Ernest Wick said later that
the medical board funded the pro
gram because the board really
wanted to find out how the people
of Mot tow County felt about their
existing health care services and
what they wanted in services.
McGinnis said that Curry Coun
ty, the Grand Ronde Indians, and the
cities of Reedsport and Newburg are
also involved in the same process.
Smith voices concern over
preservationist movement
Congressman Bob Smith speaks to R-L Frank Pearson, Merlyn
Robinson and Ruth Nutting.
Concerns over a nation-wide
preservationist movement was the
main topic of discussion when Con
gressman Bob Smith paid a visit to
Heppner Monday.
Speaking at a coffee held at the
Senior Center, Smith said much of
the efforts by what he called
“ preservationists” is aimed at lock
ing up public lands in the west, and
stopping all commercial uses of the
lands.
Smith said the endangered species
act is now being used in ways con
gress never intended, when the laws
were passed.
“ The Sockeye Salmon may very
well be ruled endangered," he said.
“ And the real purpose of all of this
is to tear down the dams (on the Col
umbia and Snake Rivers), and I
don’t have to tell you what that will
do to our part of the world.”
Smith said the salmon and the
spotted owl were being used as “ sur
rogates" by the preservationists to
stop all commercial uses of public
lands and rivers.
He pointed to a current effort in
the government to raise grazing fees
on public land from $1.96 per
animal per month to $8.50, as
another example. This was nothing
more than an effort by preserva
tionists to force cattlemen off the
public lands. Smith said.
Although the bill to raise the fees
lost by a close margin in the House
of Representatives, he expected it to
be defeated when it reached the
Senate.
“ BLM land is in good condition.”
he said “ Elk. Antelope and other
wildlife has actually increased on
public lands.”
On other subjects. Smith said he
didn’t know at this time if the
Umatilla Army Depot will remain
open, and the chemical weapons
destroyed there, or whether the
base will be closed, and the
chemicals transported elsewhere for
destruction.
He also said the federal budget
deficit is dangerous, and that the
country should adopt a constitutional
ammendment requiring a balanced
budget.
Computerized Bookkeeping
Saving the farmer and rancher time and money
BEO’s Agridata
See your branch loan
officer for details
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