HHS Booster
Club elects
officers
BESSIE
ij
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WETZELL
ORE
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lip
EUGENE
97403
OK
HEPPNER
imes
VOL 117_______NO. 37
8 Pages
Wednesday, September 16,1998
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Health District in dire financial situation;
board to seek services from Good Shepherd
The Morrow County Health
District Board voted at their
regular meeting Monday night
to approach Good Shepherd
Hospital concerning provision
o f medical services for the
health district.
The board's
action follows news of the
district's dire financial situation
and imminent closure of
Pioneer Memorial Hospital and
Nursing Home.
George Koffler, president of
the Bank of Eastern Oregon
lambasted the board and
Adventist Health Systems, who
provides administrative and
other services for the district.
"I'm concerned about the
viability of the district," said
Koffler, "Your situation is bad,
as bad as I've ever seen."
"This pill would have been
easier to swallow," he said, "if I
thought the district had been
managed properly. It's just
awful."
"The billing mess is nothing
like I've seen," Koffler added.
Larry Mills, former CEO for
Morrow County Grain Growers
and president of the hospital
foundation, concurred, saying,
"You have some extremely
serious problems and those
problems are not going to go
away."
"I agree with George that
Adventist Health has done a
tremendous disservice to the
community (by not letting the
community know earlier),"
M ills
s a id .
"M y
recommendation to the board is
that you’ve got to move
forward. You can't sit around
and cry in your beer. It's not
going to be pretty and it's not
going to be painless."
Nurse Practitioner Wendy
Haack pointed out that if there
is no hospital, there are no
Adventists. "They do not
manage clinics." she said.
Roger Rieger, Adventist Health
Systems vice president and
representative to MCHD said
that they "were not going to run
away."
"We
understand
the
consequences
to
the
community," he said, adding
that they planned to "work with
the community."
Mills countered by saying, "I
would caution you. that if
you're going to make a smooth
transition, that you keep a low
profile."
At one point during the
meeting, board member Meg
Murray, who opposes the
closure
of the hospital,
threatened to resign from the
board. Board chair Cara Osmin
said that it was not the wish of
the board that Murray resign.
The board held a lengthy
executive session where board
members met with MCHD
administrator Susan Brock, who
is employed by Adventist
Health Systems, MCHD Chief
Financial Officer Dan Grant,
Rieger. Daniel F. Vidas with the
Portland law firm of Dunn,
Carney, Allen, Higgins &
Tongue, a bankruptcy attorney
hired by Adventist Health, and
MCHD
human
resources
director Scot Jacobson.
The group then invited into
executive session three of the
district's medical providers and
the director of nurses, Tami
Henderson. The three providers
were Wendy Haack, nurse
practitioner employed
at
Pioneer Memorial Clinic and
PMH; Dr. Clyde Bumham who
works at PMC, PMH and the
Boardman clinic; and Dr. Ken
Wenburg, physician at PMC
and PMH. Dr. Shanilka
DeSoyza, provider at the newly
opened Imgon clinic, was not
present.
According to Grant, the
problem is not the district's
debt,
but the
operating
expenses. According to Grant,
the district has only $36,000,
which is enough to meet payroll
for only another three weeks.
Grant said that the district is
losing $1,500 a day, amounting
to $45,000 a month. Total debt
for the district, including
current and long term debt and
payroll is around $850,000, he
said.
Brock said that the district
simply does not have enough
people to support a hospital.
"You cannot survive on 1.6
patients per day. You just don't
have the population to support
it."
Brock and Grant also
pointed out the declining
reimbursements for Medicare
and Medicaid patients.
The board discussed selling
the dental practices in both
Heppner and Boardman while
they are still viable, but
concluded that their sale would
just be a "band-aid" and would
not staunch the cash flow crisis.
The board also discussed
putting a tax measure before the
people, but feared such a
measure would not be approved
and could not occur soon
enough to bail the district out.
The board voted to have
Osmin and Brock speak with
the Morrow County Court
concerning
the
district's
financial situation. Murray
abstained.
In the earlier vote to contact
Good Shepherd concerning the
clinics, two board members,
Norma Stahl and Vicki Kent,
stated that they were employed
with Good Shepherd, but would
have no monetary gam if GSH
took over clinic operation.
Heppner city manager selected
farmed in northern Minnesota
from 1980-85 and was a planner
for the Georgetown Divide
Public Utility District in
northern California from 1975-
80. He worked as foreman for
Cioli
Landscaping
in
Sacramento from 1972-75 and
for Pacific Coast Landscaping
from 1971-72.
Breazeale attended Chico
State University from 1966-71
with a major in industrial arts
and a minor in biology and has
taken numerous continuing
education classes. He holds
Gerald W. Breazeale
The city of Heppner has hired
Gerald W. Breazeale, Madras,
as new city manager, replacing
former administrator Gary
Marks, who resigned to take a
position with the city North
Bend.
Breazeale, 50, has been public
works director foi the city of
Madras since 1989. He was a
utility worker for the city of
Vencta from 1985-89. He
certificates
in wastewater
treatment system operation,
wastewater collection operation
as a water treatment plan
operator, water distribution
system operator and cross
connection inspector.
Breazeale, who is engaged,
has three children, a daughter in
Ukiah, CA, a son in Sacramento
and a daughter in Redmond.
Breazeale says that he plans
to spend time getting to know
people in the community and
wants to help the community
accomplish its goals.
The Heppner Booster Club
elected
parent
class
representatives and officers at
their meeting held Wednesday,
Sept. 9.
Officers are: Sonja McCabe,
president; Sherry Matteson,
vice president; Patti Allstott,
secretary; and Georgia Van
Winkle, treasurer.
Class representatives are
Bobbette Lovgren, seventh
grade; Tonia Adams, eighth
grade; Judy Barber, freshman
class; Debbie Scott, sophomore
class; Karen Clough, junior
class; and Judy Eckman, senior
class.
Members discussed the
tailgate barbecue held Sept. 11
and the steak feed and auction
to be held Saturday, Oct. 17.
The group also changed their
fiscal year to October 1-
September 31 and increased the
treasurer's term from two to
four years.
Cyde Estes spoke to the grou
about the upcoming advisory
vote concerning the funding of
school extracurricular activities
and community activities by the
Morrow
County
Unified
Recreation District. The ballot
will ask voters if they want to
continue funding MCURD.
The next Booster Club
meeting will be held October
14.
News deadline
5p.m. Monday
V o lunteers put up building
framework at Wilkinson arena
Volunteers began putting up the framework on the Wilkinson arena
at the Morrow County Fairgrounds in Heppner last weekend. A crew
is expected to put up the siding in mid October. Those volunteering
Sept. 12 included Greg Close, Burrel Cooley, Jim Lunders and
Jimmy Lunders, all of Irrigon, Ron Baker, Boardman and Tim Griffin.
Prime Equipment and N.W Metal Fabricators, both Hermiston, and
Baker Hay Co., Boardman, donated equipment.
NRCS reviews CRP contracts
Connie Holmquist makes a field
certification visit at Lyle Peck's
CRP grass
The Natural
Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) is
at the tail end of conducting
Conservation Reserve Program
(CRP) status reviews on 71,000
acres in Morrow County.
The status reviews determine
whether land placed in CRP is
meeting
contract
criteria,
including adequate grass stands
and proper weed management.
The contracts involved in this
review are from the 15th CRP
signup that took place in March,
1997.
NRCS staff from Heppner and
Pendleton are reviewing 230
approved contracts in Morrow'
County. NRCS will conduct
status reviews for the first three
years of the contract or until the
stands are certified, whichever
comes first.
Producers and the Farm
Service Agency will receive
copies of the completed CRP
status reviews.
New to this CRP signup is an
emphasis on wildlife habitat. In
order
to
meet
criteria,
landowners agreed to enhance
their fields with legumes or
shrubs that provide benefit to
wildlife.
In Morrow County, about 70
percent of the status reviews are
complete for this year. "So far,
the reviews have been going
well." says Connie Holmquist,
NRCS, Heppner.
"There is
some work left to be done in
enhancing stands for wildlife,
but landowners are gearing up
for that step."
The CRP program takes highly
credible cropland out of
production for 10 years,
reseeding the land back to grass.
The result is reduced soil
erosion, improved water and air
quality, and an increase in
wildlife habitat.
The first CRP signup was
established in 1985. Since that
date, 16 signups have been
implemented, with a total of 330
active contracts on 102,000
acres in Morrow' County. Each
contract is effective for 10 years.
Another program. Continuous
CRP.
emphasizes
riparian
buffers, filter strips, and grassed
waterways. Unlike the regular
CRP program, the Continuous
CRP program is not competitive,
and producers can sign up any
time.
The status reviews are taking
place throughout Oregon and the
rest of the nation.
Forest fire
precaution level
reduced
The Industrial Fire Precaution
Level (IFPL) went down to a
Level I on both the north and south
halves of the Umatilla National
Forest on Sept. 10. due to cooler
temperatures and scattered pre
cipitation. announced Je ff
Blackwood, forest supervisor.
An IFPL allows firew ood cut
ting and other operations to re
sume. Woodcutters are required
to carry a shovel and 8 oz. capac
ity fire extinguisher. Power saws
must be equipped with an ap
proved spark arrestor. In addition
to the IFPL change, travel, smok
ing and campfire restrictions are
rescinded.
Glow ball
tournament set
The Glow Ball Golf Tournament
will be held at the Willow Creek
Country Club in Heppner on Fri
day, September 18, at 8 p.m.
O il Change and Lube now available
for cars and pickups
Fluids checked * Repair recommended * Cenex oils * Fleetguard filters
Call for your appointment ask for Bruce
M o r r o w C o u n t y G r a in G row ers
Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396
For farm equipment, visit our web nt* at wwwmcgg net
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