Irish eyes smile on St. Pat's festivities
P F S S I F! W E T 2 E L L
U OF ORE
•• r v; S P A r F R L I B
E U S E N E OR 9 7 4 0 3
Visitors from Ireland
Irish eyes smiled upon the 17th
annual St. Patnck’s festivities
held in Heppner March 12-14.
An enthusiastic audience at the
KUMA Coffee Hour at the Elks
Club Saturday welcomed some
special guests all the way from
Ireland. The four from the
Emerald Isle were accompanied
by their cousin and former
Heppner resident, Bill Mitchell
from Daly City, CA, who makes
the trek to the festivities each
year.
Pictured from left to right are:
Josephine (Josie) O’Brien Carr.
Bill Mitchell; Boede O’Brien
Lyons, who was a former queen
of the Heppner St. Patrick's
festivities; Michael Carr, Josie’s
husband; and Patsy O'Brien
Reilly. Bill's mother and the
three O'Briens' father were
brother and sister. Bill was also
bom in Ireland.
The quartet from Ireland
arrived March 10 in Portland and
stayed there two nights before
traveling on to The Dalles where
they stayed with cousins. In
Heppner they visited with the
Campbell and O'Brien families.
During the coffee hour, Patsy
took second place in the Brogue
contest and Michael was coaxed
into singing an Irish song, much
to the delight of the crowd.
From Heppner, they planned to
go to Reno and then Chicago,
where Michael's son lives, before
returning home.
Health district gives CAT scan go ahead
VOL. 118
NO. 11
8 Pages
Wednesday, March 17,1999
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
New school superintendent named
Culminating a five-month
search process, the Morrow
County School District has
chosen
Bruce
Anderson,
Prineville, to replace retiring
Chuck Starr as superintendent of
schools, beginning July 1, 1999.
Anderson
is
currently
completing his seventh year as
superintendent of the Crook
County School District in
Prineville.
After extensive interviews,
reference checks, and visitation
to communities, the Morrow
County School Board agreed
with the Superintendent Search
S creening
C om m ittee
(composed of three Board
members, four local advisory
committee
members,
two
teachers,
two
classified
employees, two principals and
the
district
administrative
secretary) in selecting Anderson
for the position.
Seventeen qualified people
applied for the job.
Bruce Anderson, 53, is married
and has three grown children.
He has 25 years of school
administration
experience,
including the past 20 years as a
superintendent in Oregon.
Anderson earned both his
bachelor's and master's degrees
at California Polytechnic State
University.
He started his
teaching career in 1968, as a
vocational agriculture teacher in
Selma, California. In 1969, he
began a three-year stint as an
officer in the U. S. Army. In
1972, he returned to teaching in
Modesto, California.
Anderson moved to Oregon in
1979, where he became
superintendent/principal of the
Adrian School District. Since
then, he has served as
superintendent of the Nyssa,
Colton and Tillamook School
Districts, before moving to
Prineville in 1992.
"I am very pleased to have
been selected to serve as
superintendent of schools in
Morrow
County,"
said
Anderson.
Morrow County
School District has an excellent
reputation for quality education
which is a tribute to the staff,
school board and community.
Students have, and will, continue
to benefit from the district's
commitment to quality. The
challenge for me is to continue
to build on this reputation and
meet the higher educational
expectations of the community
and state."
My wife, Dana, and I are
looking forward to relocating in
Morrow County,"he continued.
"Our desire to live and work in a
rural community is truly realized
in this opportunity. Being an
active
member
of
the
community is part of my
commitment."
It is my plan to build on the
good work already in progress,
listen to the concerns and
interests of the communities, and
provide support to the board and
staff as the district moves
Dr. Boss, health district start
strategy discussions
Dr. Robert Boss and the
Morrow County Health District
have announced that they have
started discussions about closer
collaboration to serve the health
care needs of the Boardman
area, according to a news release
from the district
The health district board of
directors has given Interim
administrator Sheila Dahlman
the go-ahead to enter detailed
discussions with Dr. Boss
regarding the future of clinic
operations in north Morrow
County.
Dahlman noted that both
parties
are
entering
the
discussions with the hope that an
agreement can ultimately be
reached regarding the clinic
operations in Boardman. "We
know that we must find a way to
maintain the best possible clinic
service for the people of
Boardman," said Dr. Boss. "It's
my hope that we can ultimately
see
an
expanded
and
consolidated clinic operation
here. We're working toward that
end."
"While we know that there
have been diverse opinions
regarding the health service,"
said Dahlman,
"the health
district is committed to serving
all of Morrow County. This
means that we need to ensure
that the Boardman area will have
the services of Dr. Boss and
other providers, while enhancing
outpatient services and planning
for the future."
Dahlman and Dr. Boss
indicated that they hope to come
to agreement to form a single
clinic in Boardman that will
build on the services that already
are offered. "Ultimately, we'd
like to find a way to build a new
clinic in Boardman," said Ms.
Dahlman. "This will require that
we all pull together."
"While we have much work to
do, we are hopeful," Dr. Boss
said of the discussions with the
health district.. "I'd like to retire
in Boardman someday. If we
can build a clinic that win be
stable into the future, that will be
our small contribution to the
long-term health of the area."
For more information contact
Alan R. Yordy of The Infinity
Group at 541-451-7900.
forward with
its
school
improvement effort. Getting
students ready to be successful
citizens in the 21st Century, is
my top priority. Whatever I can
do to cause this to happen will
be my focus."
Being part of the Morrow
County School District is an
experience I look forward to
with anticipation. See you in
July."
The school board will take
formal action on Anderson's
contract at their April 12
meeting at lone High School.
The Morrow County Health
District, at its March 1 meeting,
voted to pursue a lease/purchase
plan for a CAT scan machine
which would be installed at
Pioneer Memorial Hospital in
Heppner.
The board decided to go with
the
lease/purchase
option
following community concern
about outright purchase of the
scanner, considering previous
financial difficulties of the
district.
Administrator Sheila Dahlman
and district medical providers,
however, had assured the board
that they currently
send
numerous patients out of town
for scans, more than enough to
pay for a machine if it were
available locally. According to
Dahlman, a "very conservative"
estimate of only 20 scans a
month completed at the hospital
at $600 each, for example, would
bnng in $ 12,000 a month in gross
revenue.
According to Dahlman, having
a CAT scan machine at Pioneer
Memorial would enable some
patients to stay at PMH after
scan results indicate that they do
not have to be sent to specialists
elsewhere.
In addition to using the
scanner to diagnose medical
problems
on-site,
PMH
eventually plans to use the
scanner for telemedicine, by
which the image is sent via
computer to specialists virtually
OTPR float St. Pat's Leprechaun's choice
gp*
tâN
ir
!# ?
„Jr
? '
Hospital gets best float
The Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo
float took the Leprechaun's
Choice award at the 17th annual
St. Patrick's Parade held
Saturday, March 13, in Heppner.
The OTPR float also took first
place in the community floats. St.
Patrick's Church was second in
that category and the Heppner
Day Care float was third.
"Die Pioneer Memorial Hospital
float was first in the floats
category; Kirk & Robinson
Ranch, second; and Morrow
County Fair Committee, third.
The Heppner High School band
was first in bands and musical
group entries; lone Elementary,
second;
and
Heppner
Elementary, third.
In the Irish character entries.
Lexington Polaris received the
first prize and Cub Scout Pack
661 was second.
The Heppner FFA Club was
first in the Irish open class, with
Katie Bacon, second, and
Morrow County Gram Growers,
third.
In the bicycle entries, Matt
McCabe took first place, the
Wambeke Wagon, second, and
Wacey
Coil
and Tomas
Elguezabal, third.
Scott Dougherty and Deona
Hodges were first in the golf cart
entries, with Taighler Dougherty,
second.
In antique autos built prior to
1945, Pat and Linda Johnston
were first; Ken Nehls, second
and Jack and Eileen Burger,
third.
In antique autos built after
1945, Ed Longhorn was first;
Larry and Cindy Curry, second;
and Dennis Long (Hermiston
Classic Car Club), third.
Charles Reiber was first in the
custom and special events cars.
Bud Englert, second; and Steven
and Sandy Jellison, third.
'Life After
Kinzua' town
hall meeting
A town hall meeting,
"Preparing for Life after Kinzua,"
has been planned for Thursday,
March 18, at 7 p.m. at Heppner
High School cafeteria.
The meeting will include a
panel
discussion
with
representatives from Morrow
County, Port of Morrow, Oregon
Economic
Development
Division, Morrow County School
District, Heppner Economic
Development Corp., city of
Heppner and CAPECO.
anywhere.
"My feeling is without this
technology, we will be closed,"
said board member Meg Murray,
in approving the request. "We
have to upgrade. We have to
have telemedicine."
One company's leasing
proposal lists payments for the
machine at around $3,643 a
month for a five-year lease and
$2,747 for a seven-year lease.
The board is considering leasing
a refurbished unit for $150
thousand. In other business the
board:
-Heard about Dahlman's
concerns about the computer
system currently in use at PMH.
The district haa a contract with
Western Health Systems to
provide computers services, but
the district has terminated that
contract and must find an
alternative system by November
of this year.
-Heard from Dahlman the
district has over $70,000 in bad
debt and that she had instructed
staff to send out final demand
letters and turn the debts over to
a collections agency.
-Approved a request from Jay
Straley, PMH lab manager, to
purchase a new chemical
analyzer. A new analyzer is
estimated at around $96,000-
98,000, including chemicals,
with lease purchase payments
around $2,900-$3,000 a month.
However, since chemicals would
be much less for for a new
machine, monthly payments
(including lease and reagents)
would be around $ 1,500 less than
the current payments.
-Received the following report
on the number of patients seen at
district
facilities:
Pioneer
Memorial Clinic: total-726, Dr.
Bumham-154, Wendy Haack,
nurse practitioner-273,
Dr.
Wenburg-227, Dr. Berretta-16,
nurse (injections)-56; Irrigon
Medical Clinic: total-198, Dr.
deSoyza-106, Sheridan Tamasky,
physician's assistant-92, new
patients-61; Boardman Medical
Clinic-total 141, Dr. Bumham-
44, Tamasky-88, Dr. Wenburg-9,
new patients-34.
-Heard the following
ambulance run report: Heppner-
11 total runs; Boardman -12 total
runs; Irrigon-11 total runs.
-Received monthly financial
reports which indicated a
$11,379 loss for the month of
December and a $7,435 loss for
the month of January.
-Heard a report from Home
Health director Molly Rhea.
continued page 2
Lawn Thatcher Rentals Available
Lawn & Garden Items
M orrow
Lexington
Arriving Daily!
C ounty G rain G rowers
989-8221 • 1 - 800 - 452-7396 For farm iquipmtnt, vnit our w*b lit* at www mcgg.not
1