Health district discusses race track clinic plans
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heppner
imes
VOL. 120
NO. 39
8 Pages
Wednesday, September 26,2001
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
The Morrow County
Health District Board, at their
September 24 meeting in
Boardman, agreed to begin
discussions with representatives
of the proposed Boardman race
track concerning health care
facilities.
According to MCHD
administrator Victor Vander
Does, plans for the race track
include a clinic/emergency
facility. He said that Stelian
Onufrei, CEO of Racing
Unlimited,
indicated
that
construction of the clinic could
begin as early as February or
March, with completion expected
in about a year. Completion of
the race track is estimated around
a year after construction of the
clinic. (The race track would be
located south of the Boardman
airport and 1/4-1/2 mile south of
1-84, approximately six miles
from Boardman.)
Vander Does said that
the district could "potentially
operate the clinic during the
week" with responsibility of
weekend clinic operation left up
to Racing Unlimited.
Vander Does said he
anticipates that the proposed
clinic would require the services
of a physician or a mid-level
provider, such as a physician's
assistant or nurse practitioner.
"We could be that person and
provide
services
to
the
community,' said Vander Does.
Memorial sevice held to honor police and fire fighters
Troy Jameson of the Tri Cities plays "Amazing Grace" on his
bagpipes during the ceremony held in Heppner on Sunday
commemorating the police, fire fighters and other emergency
M orrow
C ounty
emergency personnel held a
memorial service Sunday to
honor the policemen, firefighters
and others who responded to the
attack on the World Trade Center
in New York and the Pentagon
and to those who died.
EMS
responders,
including
sheriffs
office
personnel, police department
personnel from Heppner and
Boardman,
firefighters and
EMTs from all communities in
the county, and American Legion
members assembled at the mini­
park in Heppner. The group
made
the
route
through
downtown Heppner with a long
parade of a variety of emergency
vehicles and then traveled to
Lexington, lone, Boardman and
Imgon for similar ceremonies.
Andrew Johnson, pastor
of the Heppner First Christian
Church, Heppner volunteer
fireman and emergency medical
responder, praised those who
gave their lives, "so we may have
life, that we may have liberty."
"When it really gets
personnel killed or injured during the Sept. 11 attack on the World
Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon. Similar ceremonies
were held in each community in Morrow County.
down to it," said Johnson, "the
only thing left is prayer."
"We stand because they
were there for somebody," said
Glenn Anderson, pastor of the
Lexington Baptist Church and
also a volunteer fireman and
emergency responder.
Heppner Mayor Bob
Jepsen also spoke at the
ceremony. The American Legion
presented colors and Matthew
Van Cleave played Taps. Sam
Van Doom and Karen Zeiler,
with the Morrow County
Sheriffs Office, and Juli
Howard, who is employed with
the health district, sang the
National Anthem and the
Twenty-third
Psalm.
Troy
Jameson from the Tri-Cities,
played "Amazing Grace" on his
bagpipes in full regalia.
"Everybody wanted to do
something," said Merle Cowett,
acting Heppner Police chief, and
organizer of the event. "Nobody
turned us down when we asked
for help. It just got bigger and
bigger. We wound up with over
30 vehicles by the time we got to
Imgon."
Recall election set October 30
Oyster Feed planned Saturday
Morrow County School County Courthouse; Lexington-
County
Road
Board
members,
Gary Morrow
Department
Office;
Ione-Bank
of
Fredenckson, Pat McNamee and
Eastern
Oregon
until
4
p.m.,
lone
John Rietmann, had until
Wednesday to respond to a recall .City Hall from 4-8 p.m.;
Boardman, Morrow County
petition naming them.
Health
Office;
Frederickson, McNamee Behavioral
and
Rietmann
had
until Irrigon-Morrow County Annex
Wednesday, September 26, to Building.
Morrow County Clerk
either submit their resignations
Barbara
Bloodsworth reminds
or respond to the Morrow County
voters
who
mail in their ballots,
Clerk's Office with a reply to the
that
the
office
will not accept
recall statement.
ballots
with
insufficient
postage.
If any of the board
The drop boxes do not require
members respond, a mail-in
postage.
recall election will be held on
October 30. The clerk's office
plans to mail the ballots by
Friday, October 12. They plan to
A
Chemical
mail out-of-state ballots on
Demilitarization
Citizens
October 5.
Advisory Commission will be
Voters must turn in their held Thursday, October 18,
ballots by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, beginning at 7 p.m. at Good
October 30, at the following Shepherd Community Health
locations:
Heppner-Morrow Center.
The
Har dman
Community Center and Willow
Creek Valley Assisted Living
will hold their annual Oyster
Feed/Salmon Bake/Ham Dinner
at the Hardman Community
Center this Saturday, September
Advisory meeting
Meeting set on
school bond
project
A Heppner/Lexington
Advisory Committee meeting
will be held on Wednesday,
October 3, at 7 p.m. at the
Heppner Elementary School
Library.
The committee will
continue discussion of the school
bond construction project in
Heppner.
A meeting on the
construction project was also
held Tuesday. September 25.
29, from 4:30-7:30 p.m.
The dinner will also
include salad and dessert. Cost is
$12 for adults and $4.50 for
children 12 and under. Preschool
children will be admitted free of
charge.
The
Hardman
Community Center is located at
Hardman, 25 miles south of
Heppner on Highway 207.
"It seems like they're on track,"
he added. "They don't seem to
have money obstacles."
Ed Glenn, Morrow
County Health District Board
member, was the only board
member
present
against
beginning a dialogue with Racing
Unlimited concerning the clinic.
He told the board that the board
should instead begin a dialogue
as soon as possible with current
Boardman physician Dr. Robert
Boss, concerning Boss' plans for
retirement.
Dr. Boss had earlier
indicated that he may retire
within two to five years.
"Do we have any
intention of drawing a successor
agreement (with Dr. Boss)?"
asked Glenn. "He would like to
know the posture of the district.
He
wants to sit down
immediately and begin those
discussions."
"I'm not excited about
the contract (with Dr. Boss) as it
sits," said Vander Does. "I
certainly oppose any buy-out of
the building when we already
have a building. I need very, very
clear directions from the board."
The health district has a clinic on
Kincade Street in Boardman,
which was operated by Dr. Boss
before he established his own
clinic next door to the district's
clinic.
"He (Dr. Boss) has told
me that he would sign a contract
like Dr. (Ed) Berretta's in a
flash," said Glenn.
"Then why didn't he
when he was offered one?" asked
board Chair Larry Mills. "He
said at that time that he would
not."
Dr. Ed Berretta is an
employee of the district who
receives a salary, benefits and
medical malpractice insurance.
He worked for the district before
establishing a practice in Walla
Walla and recently signed a new
contract with the district. Under
Berretta's contract, he works
during office hours at Pioneer
Memorial Clinic and also covers
emergency care at Pioneer
Memorial
Hospital
some
evenings and weekends. The
district receives clinic and
hospital receipts and pays
expenses for operation of those
facilities.
Dr. Robert Boss is self
employed and operates his own
clinic. He receives $50,000 a
year from the district towards
operation of the clinic, $5,671
each month to pay the salary of a
physician’s assistant, $5,000
every September as a bonus for
exceeding a certain number of
patients, $1,000 a year for
continuing education for the PA
and $1,500 a year for the PA's
malpractice insurance. Dr. Boss
receives the clinic receipts and
pays all other expenses.
Glenn
objected . to
Vander Does choice of words
when he said the contract with
Boss "has no significant
advantage to the district". He
also accused the board of basing
their decisions concerning Dr.
Boss on "politics" and said that
Dr. Boss needed to • know
whether the board was influenced
by former board members.
The board had previously
asked for an audit of Boss'
financial operation and patient
numbers, which he declined to
offer, and negotiations broke
down.
The current board said
that they still had no way of
knowing exactly how many
members of the Boardman area
community that Dr. Boss serves.
"I do know that twice as
many people go to that clinic
(Dr. Boss' clinic) as any other
clinic in that area," said Glenn.
He added that Dr. Boss would
now be willing to disclose patient
numbers.
The board agreed that
they would like to open
discussion with Dr. Boss and his
physician's assistant.
In other business, the
board:
-learned that the district
lost $95,290 for the month of
August. They stressed, however
that August is traditionally the
worst month in terms of district
finances and learned that the
number of patients at the clinic
and hospital already increased
greatly in September. The district
also anticipates receiving tax
monies shortly.
-discussed the board's
procedure for medical provider
"credentialling".
-accepted the donation of
an ambulance from Arlington to
the
lone
community.
Regulations will not permit
patients to be transported in the
ambulance unless there was a
"dire emergency", but the vehicle
would instead be used as a first
responder vehicle to transport
medical personnel, equipment
and supplies.
-learned from Vander
Does that Medicaid will pay
around $10 a day more than
previously for nursing home
patients.
-learned
that
some
maintenance has been completed
at the Boardman clinic.
-learned that the hospital
remodeling project continues on
track and they plan to move into
the temporary emergency room
next week.
-learned that the assisted
living project has stalled due to
"technical
and
contractual
problems". Vander Does told the
board that the project had been
temporarily halted because of
insufficient water pressure at the
site. Vander Does said that he
believed that the water pressure
problem had been resolved and
added that he would be able to
focus on the project and assist
the board with problems that had
delayed construction. He said
that
he
anticipated
that
construction would begin soon.
Vander
Does
commended the Willow Valley
Assisted Living board for its
work toward establishing an
assisted living center in Heppner.
"These people have been
extremely dedicated. They have
put in a lot of time and energy ."
-learned that the census
at the nursing home has
increased and will soon be at the
maximum capacity of 20.
-heard a report from
Vander Does that the hospital
exterior will be painted and the
project will soon go out to bid.
Class on Islam
to be offered
Recent events have underscored
the importance of learning about
the religion of one-fifth of the world's
population: Islam. Eight million
United States citizens are Muslim,
so informed citizenship reinforces
this need, according to Craig Strobel,
Ph D., Heppner
Strobel will be offering a four-
week class on Islam to be held
Sunday evenings from 7-8:30 p.m.,
in the basement of Heppner United
Methodist«Church, at the comer of
Gale and Church Streets in Heppner.
Classes begin Sunday. Oct. 7.
Topics to be covered include
basic beliefs, sources of Islam,
religious practices, history of Islam
and the diversity of Islam Special
attention will be paid to recent
developments within Islam as well
as a brief look at historical
relationships between the so-called
"Western" nations and the Mideast
Dr Strobel recently received his
Ph D in religious studies from the
Graduate Theological Union in
Berkeley, and his course work
included the study of Islam. In
addinon. Strobel is a member of the
American Academy of Religion,
the professional society' for scholars
and teachers of religion across the
North American continent.
For further information, call
Strobel at 676-9224. There is no
charge for this class, although a free
will donation to cover utility
expenses will be taken. The class
is open to the public.
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