Morrow County Health District
discusses purchase of CT scan
BESSIE
WE T Z E L L
U C F O R S
r. E t: SFA. ' E R
E U G E N t OK
va. us
NO. 1
6 Pages
LIE
y 7 -1 . 3
Wednesday, January 6,1999
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
■ Officials sworn in in courthouse ceremony
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In a move to expand services
and
subsequently
boost
revenues, the Morrow County
Health District Board is
considering purchase of a CT
(cat) scan for the district.
Board member Meg Murray
said that the CT scan would
"more than pay for itself." But
other board members, Sharron
Meyer, Boardman, and Norma
Stahl and Vickie Kent, both
Imgon, said that people in the
health district had contacted
them with concerns about the
purchase.
One of the issues included
concern that a CT scan
inexpensive enough for the
district to purchase would be
inferior and scans from such a
machine would not be accepted
by physicians at other hospitals.
However, Sheila Dahlman,
interim administrator of MCHD,
said that the difference between
a new scanner and an old one is
the time involved in scanning.
She said that the older
refurbished models provide
accurate scans, but the tests just
take longer to complete. She
added that the larger hospitals
require the newer equipment,
which is much faster, because of
the huge volume of scans
completed at those facilities.
Dr. Kenneth Wenburg, chief of
staff at Pioneer Memorial
Hospital and Clinic, said that he
felt that PMH would have no
trouble doing five or more tests
a week.
Concerns raised at the meeting
suggesting that any patient
requiring a CT scan is too ill to
be treated at PMH. Wenburg,
however, assured the audience
that a CT scan is not necessarily
for critical illness.
Dahlman and Wenburg also
stated that a CT scan can be used
to determine whether a parent
should be sent to another facility
or could be treated at PMH. It
would cut down on costly and
unnecessary trips out of town for
Students attending the school
must pass the class and agree to
work for the district for at least a
year or they must pay the district
back.
Dahlman said that 10 people
have applied for the program.
In other business, the board:
-approved the transfer of
$100,000 from savings to pay
all of the district’s accounts
payable over 60 days old.
Dahlman reported that the
district had $655,000 in savings.
-agreed to consider
negotiations with Dr. Robert
Boss in Boardman. MCHD and
Boss, who at one time had a
contract with the district, have
attempted to negotiate a contract
numerous times, but were unable
to arrive at an agreement.
-heard a report that the district
lost $21,434 for the month of
November,
which,
says
Dahlman, is an improvement
over previous months.
-learned that a computer
sy sttn for the Irrigon clinic,
purchased by the district for
$7,000, was to be installed
Tuesday and training is to begin
Thursday.
-received a report on patient
numbers at all three clinics in
the district. The Pioneer
Memorial Clinic had 664
patients during December; the
Boardman Clinic, 57; and the
Irrigon Clinic, 176.
-heard a report on ambulance
runs throughout the district. The
Heppner Ambulance had 15
runs, the Boardman Ambulance,
11, and the Irrigon Ambulance,
5. No life flights were made in
December.
-listed the following board
meeting schedule (all are at 7
p.m. unless otherwise noted):
Feb. 1-Ione City Hall; March 1-
Pioneer Memorial Hospital, joint
conference at 6 p.m., board
meeting, 7 p.m.; April 5-
Boardman Ambulance Hall;
May 3-Lexington School; June
7-PMH, joint conference 6 p.m.,
meeting, 7 p.m.; July 5-Irrigon
City Hall; August 2-Ione City
Hall; Sept. 13-PMH, joint
conference 6 p.m., meeting 7
p.m.;
Oct.
4-Boardman
Ambulance Hall; Nov. 1-
Lexington School; Dec. 6-PMH,
joint conference 6 p.m., meeting
7 p.m.
patients.
They added that when
telemedicine is implemented in
the MCHD, CT scans can be
sent via computer to experts in
other areas.
Dahlman detailed one plan for
purchase of a CT scan, which
would include an ultrasound
machine and mammography
equipment for around $376,000
or around $5,000 a month. "Just
10 CT scans a month would
cover the cost," said Dahlman.
She said that the mammography
machine, while not a big money
maker, would be able to pay for
itself and would supply a mu^h
needed
service
for
th“
community.
Included in that $376,000
package is: purchase of a
Toshiba CT scanner and new
imager, estimated at around
$150,000; a laser scanner, file
serve and ultrasound interface to
network-$ 100,000; ultrasound
demonstration
unit-$50,000;
mammography unit-$66,000;
and view cassettes and kit for
mammography
equipment-
$10,000.
Purchase of the equipment
may also necessitate remodeling
to accommodate it. Remodeling
estimates include $47,250 to
convert the current central
supply room to the CT scan
room; $31,200 to convert the
oxygen area to central supply;
and $12,000 to build a small
storage building to house the
oxygen and provide other
storage.
In related business, the board
approved funding to send two
people to the Portland School of
Radiology so that they may
obtain limited permits in x-ray
technology. Costs are estimated
at around $1,100 per student,
including tuition, motel and cost
for the use of a district vehicle.
The Pioneer Memorial Hospital
Foundation agreed to pay
expenses for two additional
students.
Step back in time at Town &
Country banquet
Incoming DA David C. Allen
Outgoing Morrow County Judge Louis Carlson (left) passes keys and
credit card to incoming judge Terry Tallman
Justic« of th« P«ac« Charlotte
Gray Is sworn in.
-----Guest speaker for the 1998
January 14 Town and Country
Banquet is Mema Debolt who
enjoys her retirement
by
recreating Lucy Meriwether
Marks,
the
mother
of
Meriwether Lewis.
Debolt, who is a retired tutor,
teacher and librarian, first began
telling tales of Meriwether
Lewis and the Corps of
Discovery from a mother's
perspective at the Columbia
Gorge Interpretive Center in
Stevenson, Washington.
Debolt has performed at the
National Convention of the
Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage
Foundation, Fort Clatsop in
Astoria and at the Museum of
the Rockies in Bozeman,
Montana.
Attendees will be entertained
by local talent performing a
variety of music. Talented
teenagers, temporarily known as
David Bates and Company,
including Jeff Currin, Travis
Bellamy and Meghan Bailey,
will kick off the evening
followed by The Sentimentalists.
Rick Drake and Brent Dickenson
will conclude the variety dinner
hour.
The audience will then have the
opportunity to win the gem
donated by Peterson's Jewelers
and learn the identity of Man,
Woman, Educator, Business and
Lifetim e
A chievem ent
recipients. The 1999 Morrow
County Fair and Oregon Trail
Pro Rodeo Court will be
crowned during the evening's
festivities.
Social hour hosted by the
Morrow County Grain Growers,
will be at 6 p.m.
Some tickets for the annual
prime rib dinner are still
available at the Bank of Eastern
Oregon, Klamath First Federal,
Murray Drugs and Morrow
County Grain Growers.
Chamber luncheon looks back,
MSWCD plans forward
The Chamber of Commerce
meeting
Board members Chris Meyer,
Morrow County Clerk Barbara Bloodsworth swears In county
commissioner Dan Brosnan
Filing deadline nears
The filing deadline for the
Morrow County School Board
March election is this Thursday,
January 7, at the Morrow County
Clerk's office.
School board and advisory
board positions up for election
include:
School board: Zone 1, now
held by Gary Fredenckson; Zone
3-now held by John Rietmann;
Zone 4-now held by Russ
Morgan; and Zone 5-now held
by Scott Johnson.
Advisory
committee:
Boardman-Irrigon position 2,
now vacant, position 3, now held
y Kate Close, Irrigon; Heppner-
Lexington position 3, now held
by Marcia Kemp, Lexington,
position 5, now held by Greg
Smith, Heppner and position 6,
now held by Steve Hill; Ione-
Lexmgton position 1, now held
by Anita Orem, lone, position 4,
now vacant, and position 5, now
held by George Miller, Cecil.
Hoop Shoot set Jan/17
The annual Elks Club Hoop
Shoot, for Heppner, Lexington
and lone kids, will be held
Sunday, January 17, beginning
at 4 p.m. at the Heppner High
School gym.
Categories are eight-nine years
A regular board meeting of the
Morrow Soil and Water
Conservation
District/Weed
Advisory Board will be held
Monday, January 11, at 8 a.m. at
the Pettyjohn building in
Heppner.
Installation of newly elected or
reelected directors Judy Barber,
Chris Rauch and Joe Taylor will
be conducted.
Agenda items include: the
strategic plan with the Natural
Resource Conservation Service
and Morrow SOIL AND
WATER
CONSERVATION
DISTRICT; Tom Straughan with
the Oregon Department of
Agriculture
will
discuss
Department of Environmental
Quality
requirements
for
complying with the clean water
act on Willow Creek 303D list;
the manager's report; the weed
report; and agency reports.
The meeting is open to the
public.
old, 1C-11 years and 12-13
years.
Trophies will be awarded to
first and second place in each
age category.
Dave Gunderson is organizer
of the event.
Advertising Deadline
12 noon T uesday
annual luncheon attendees will
look back at some of the past 30
to 50 years and look forward to
a vision of what's to come,
Tuesday, January 12, at noon at
All Saints Episcopal Parish Hall.
The annual "Hats Off' award
and other presentations will be
made. Outgoing President Mike
McGuire will hand over the
gavel to incoming president Bob
Kahl.
Where’s the beef?
Heppner High School (HHS) p.m.
The menu includes barbecued
senior class is having a beef din­
beef, a dinner salad, baked potato,
ner on Friday, Jan. 8, in conjunc­
tion with the Heppner-Pilot Rock french bread and drinks.
All proceeds will go to the se­
basketball games.
nior
class fund for their gradua­
The dinner will be served in the
tion
trip
to Disneyland.
HHS home ec. room starting at 4
The Morrow County Tourism
Committee
will
meet
Wednesday, January 20, at 3
p.m. at Corbin's Bowl & Diner,
180 N. Chase Street, Heppner.
Agenda items include: sharing
community information about
upcoming events, activities, and
visitor amenities; update from
Columbia River Heritage Trail
Advisory Committee; new ideas
from the 1998 Oregon Rural
Tourism
D evelopm ent
Workshop; and discussion about
the lack of Morrow County
information at the Boardman I-
84 Rest Stop.
Prior to the January 20
meeting, committee members
are encouraged to browse the
newly refurbished Corbin's Bowl
& Diner (formerly Heppner
Bowl).
Morrow County Tourism
Committee is open to all
interested Morrow County
residents and visitor-related
businesses. Meetings are held
quarterly and rotate among
county communities. There are
no membership fees or dues.
For more information, contact
Carol Michael, committee chair
541-481-3014, Nancy Snider,
541-422-7410,
or
Claudia
Hughes 541-676-5536
NEWS DEADLINE
5 p.m. Monday
CALKINS PARTS SALE
' calkins
10% OFF
Lim ited to Stock on H an d • Sale through January 3 0 th
M orrow C ounty G rain G rowers
Lexington 9 8 9 -8 2 2 1
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Tom Sly, Delanne Ferguson,
Cliff Green, Jerry Breazeale,
Darrel Raver, Sharon Harrison
and Trish Sweeney will lead the
Chamber in 1999. Student
representatives are Heppner
High School junior Abby Kahl
and senior Jill Barber.
Lunch will be Italian. RSVP
to Claudia Hughes, Chamber
executive director at 676-5536.
Tourism
committee to
meet
• 1 -8 0 0 -4 5 2 -7 3 9 6
For farm equipment, wit our web site at www.mcgg.net