Now it's staffing
With financial fix near, opponents
now say hospital understaffed
P A S S I F WF T Z F L L
U CF ORF
n e w s p a p e r i . j b
E U G E N E OR 9 7 4 0 3
VOL. 117
NO 39
10 Pages
Wednesday, September 30,1998
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
lone homecoming game Oct. 2
lone High School students (left to right) Korey Morgan, Tori Odinet, Nikki McElligott, Niki Sullivan, Allison
Halvorsen, teacher Jim Raible and office manager Cathy McCabe show off their "jammies" on pajama day
Monday during homecoming week festivities. Students said enjoyed pajama day because they could sleep
in. Tuesday was celebrity day at IHS, Wednesday, "rainbow" day with a class color competition, and
"Thursday, Red, White and Black Day", featuring the school colors.
The week's activities culminate on Friday, Oct. 2, with a volleyball game at 5 p.m., the football game at
7:30 p.m., with the crowning of the king and queen during halftime, and the dance from 10 p.m. to 12:30 a m.
at the school.
This year's homecoming court includes freshman prince and princess, Colin McElligott and Cyndi Heagy;
sophomores, Zach Fabian and Ashley Carmack; juniors Jacob Neiffer, Steve Crum and Erin Crowell; and
seniors Ryan Bennetto, Serge Malouin, an exchange student from Quebec, Niki Sullivan, Lela Gribskov and
Tori Odinet.
Andrea Mortimore promoted at Klamath First
Klamath First Federal has
announced the promotion of
Andrea Mortimore at the
Heppner Branch to operations
officer. Mortimore has nine
years of banking experience.
Mortimore was raised in Kinzua
and attended school in Fossil.
She moved to Heppner in
November of 1978. She and her
husband, Roger, live in Heppner.
Her hobbies include reading,
latch hook and volunteering.
Mortimore and the Heppner
staff invite everyone to stop by
and say hello. "We're here to
help you with any of your
financial needs and if you have
any questions, We'd Be Honored
to
answer
them,"
said
Mortimore.
Annual Hardman oyster
feed Sat., Oct 3
The Hardman Community
Center will hold their annual
Oyster Feed, Salmon Bake and
Ham Dinner this Saturday, Oct.
3, from 4:30-8:30 p.m. at the
center in Hardman.
The menu will also include
pie, cake and coffee.
Cost is $ 12 for adults and
$4.50 for children with
preschoolers admitted free.
Special entertainment will be
provided
by
"Absolutely
Nobody", a BMCC quartet
including Joe Lindsay.
Kids aware/beware program
A Kids Aware/Beware II
program will be presented to
third and fourth graders at
Heppner Elementary School on
Wednesday, Oct. 7, beginning
at I p.m. in the HES
auditorium.
The safety awareness program
for children ages eight to 10
will include presentations by
representatives
from
the
Heppner Police Department,
the Heppner Fire Department
and the Oregon Trail Library.
Youngsters will receive free
dictionaries and treats made
possible with funding from
Oregon Together and the
Morrow County Commission
on Children and Families.
Parents are welcome to attend.
Andrea Mortimore
Flu shots offered
at Central Market
Flu shots will be offered at
Central Market in Heppner from
12 noon to 7 p.m. on Friday,
Oct 9.
Pie sale Oct. 2
The All Saints' Episcopal
Women will hold their annual
pie sale at the BP station in
Heppner on Friday, October 2,
beginning at 8 p.m.
With a financing deal that
would avert the immediate
closure of the Pioneer Memorial
Hospital and nursing home
seemingly in hand, the board of
directors Monday heard a new
problem some said could shut
down the Heppner facility.
Following news that a $400,000
loan package was well on the
way to being wrapped up, board
members
Monday
now
expressed
concern
that
inadequate staffing at the facility
was a problem and could also
cause a shutdown.
Despite a report from a state
nursing home inspector that said
staffing was okay, several
boardmembers said they were
afraid they could be sued and
lose their nursing licenses if
something happened at the
hospital or nursing home. They
said not enough nurses and
nurses aids were on duty at the
hospital.
Even when the medical district
attorney
said
individual
boardmembers would not be
liable, and the that the district
had an insurance policy to cover
any lawsuit, a motion to close the
hospital and nursing home was
still made.
The board voted down the
motion, but not after emotional
debate and testimony from the
crowd of about 128 attending the
meeting at the Senior Center in
Irrigon.
Larry Mills of Heppner, who
had worked on a plan to provide
emergency funding to keep the
facilities open, and obtain an
outside consultant to study the
situation, was upset at the board's
sudden turnaround.
"Last week we were told that it
was a financial situation that was
causing the closer," Mills said.
"Now we're are being told it is a
staffing problem." Mills asked
the board what was going on
"We are out of compliance. We
have had great difficulty staffing.
We don't think we can take care
of staffing in the near future,"
said Susan Brock, the soon to be
departing administrator of the
medical district.
Brock works for a company
called Western Health Resources
which the board has been paying
$170,000 per year to manage the
health district, but Monday gave
60 days notice of its intent to
sever relations with the district.
Dan Grant, chief financial
officer for the district, also
announced
his
resignation
effective Oct 1.
Dr. Clyde Burnham who
recently moved to Heppner and
went to work for the health
district, said the board was being
"taken for a ride" on the issue of
staffing. "The board is being
taken for a ride. They have been
intimidated. This is simply an
attempt to intimate and stampede
the board (into shutting down the
hospital and nursing hom e)," he
said.
After a 30 minute recess
Sharron Meyers, boardmember
from Boardman, was the only
one voting in favor of closing the
facility down. Vickie Kent
abstained from the voting, and
the motion failed.
George Koffler of the Bank of
Eastern Oregon outlined for the
board a financial plan that would
provide funding to the district so
no facilities would have to be
immediately closed. He said a
$400,000 line of credit was being
looked at to ease the district’s
cash crunch.
The cash flow problem has been
brewing for some time and was
apparently brought on by poor
re im b u rs e m e n ts
from
government agencies, slow
collections and the spending by
the board of cash reserves on
opening the Irrigon medical
clinic and the purchase of an
ambulance, purchases the board
now acknowledges should have
been funded with debt.
Koffler said the loan would be
secured by medical district real
estate, equipment and accounts
receivables, but would not
include the hospital property or a
lien against next year's tax
revenue. Tax revenues equal
about $525,000 per year, and will
begin coming into the district by
mid-November
"If you take advantage of this
loan you will be in no worse
shape in June that you are now,”
Koffler told the board. "We (the
Bank of Eastern Oregon), would
not be making this offer if we
thought you couldn't repay it.
The issue here is management,
and management is trying to
scuttle the ship," he said.
Last Monday at the board's
meeting in Heppner attended by
over 300 people, the board was
told that without an infusion of
cash, there would only be
enough money to operate for
about three more weeks.
It was reported this Monday
that in seven out of the last 10
years the medical district has
made money
The district,
however, lost $58,000 in 1996
and $306,000 in 1997.
Mills urged the board that with
the funding package on the way,
drastic action was not necessary.
He repeated his amazement that
the some people had apparently
found a new reason to shut down
the hospital and nursing home ,
after the earlier reason for
closure,
financing,
had
apparently been solved. Mills
also
repeated
his earlier
announcement that the Pioneer
Memorial Hospital foundation
was ready to put up $20,000 to
hire a consultant to come in and
take a look at the total picture at
the hospital and nursing home,
including financing and future
health services that could be
offered.
"All were saying is give us a
chance to take a took at the
thing," Mills told the board.
The financing package is still
being worked on and must be
approved by the board, which
meets next Monday night in
Boardman.
Health Dist. to
meet Monday Hospital
financial help
The regular meeting of the
Morrow County Health District
will be held Monday, October accepted
Anyone wishing to donate
money to help with the Pioneer
Memorial Hospital financial
crisis, may do so through the
Hospital Foundation, Foundation
chairman Larry Mills said
T uesday.
Mills said all donations are tax
deductible and can be mailed to
Pioneer Memorial Hospital
Foundation, PO Box 515,
Heppner, OR 97836.
"The funds will be used strictly
for the hospital and nursing
home," Mills said.
5, beginning at 7 p.m. at the
Riverside
High
School
auditorium in Boardman.
People wishing to car pool to
the meeting can meet at the
Heppner City Park at 5:30 p.m.
Scholarship
deadlines
announced
The South Morrow County
Scholarship Trust has announced
a deadline of Friday, Oct. 23 for
applications for the Elizabeth
Slottee Memorial Scholarship and
the Lexington Voter Precinct
Scholarship.
The Slottee Memorial Scholar
ship is awarded annually to ajun-
lor, senior or graduate student at
an accredited college. The schol
arship is awarded to a student
majoring or minoring in music. If
no applicants are found, the award
may be given to a student who has
been accepted into a school of
education. The scholarship
amount will be determined by the
earnings of the donations of the
community and the Slottee fam
ily. The fund totals more than
$
Central Market
program has
raised over
$50,000
Since the beginning of its one
percent of receipts donation
program in 1992, Central Market
of Heppner has donated over
$50,000 to community projects
The program was started as a
way for Central Market to give
something
back
to
the
community and has been quite
successful, says owner Fome
Burkenbine.
The money is donated when
customers put their grocery
receipts in a donation box at the
store The market then gives one
percent of the collected receipts
to ' a designated project. A
majority of the collected funds
has in the past been used to help
build the swimming pool in
Heppner, Burkenbine said.
10 , 000 .
The Lexington Voter Precinct
Scholarship is for $500 and will
be awarded to a college sopho
more, junior or senior living in the
Lexington voters’ precinct.
Applications in disk format
may be picked up at lone or Hepp
ner high schools from the coun
seling dept, or at the Bank of
Eastern Oregon or Klamath First
Federal in Heppner.
Contact George Koffler at
676-9125, or Sharon Harrison at
676-9164 for more information.
Heppner police
arrest man on
rape charges
Car wash Oct. 2
The lone High School
yearbook staff has planned a car
wash for this Friday, Oct. 2, at
the lone Fire Hall from 9 a m.
to 1 p.m.
On Sept. 24, the Heppner Police
Department arrested Robert C.
Maker, 22, on charges of Rape
III.
On that same day, in
conjunction with the Morrow
County Sheriffs Office, a search
warrant was executed at the Mt.
Glen Apts in Heppner. Juan
Villegas and Steven Epperson
were arrested for possession of a
controlled
substance
and
Frequenting a place were a
controlled substance is used.
Culver game
Oct. 10
The Heppner High School
football game at Culver will be
held Saturday, Oct. 10, rather
than Friday, Oct. 9.
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