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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2002)
Bessie Wetaell U of j Ue«3,>apar L i b r a r y 9/4 J j Health district votes to enter new agreement with Boardman physician Eugene, OR VOL. 121 1 NO. 18 12 Pages Wednesday, M ay1,2002 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon ALL N EW S A ND A D V ER T ISE M E N T DEADLINE: the district had one card, which not only made it difficult for authorized employees to use the card, but authorized employees were sometimes not aware that the card had reached its credit limit. From now on the district will h av e o ne c re d it card for purchases with a $ 10,000 limit, one for staff travel with a $5,000 lim it and o ne fo r the administrator, also with a $5,000 limit The board also debated changing the district's accounting system. Board member Ed Glenn wanted to have expenses and revenues separated for each facility, for example. Pioneer M em orial H ospital, Pioneer M emorial Clinic. Boardman Ambulance, Irrigon Ambulance, Irrigon Clinic, etc. Administrator Victor Vander Does added that he a lre a d y re v ie w s each department regularly. “ I know where you’re losing money and w here you’re making money,” he said. Vander Does further said that Pioneer Memorial Hospital’s recent designation as a Critical Access facility would change the district’s financial situation in numerous ways that have not yet been determined. He recently atten d ed a C ritical A ccess conference in Washington, D.C., at no cost to the district, w hich he said was extremely helpful. He added that the d istrict was already at a “ base level o f staffing.” “I can’t cut anywhere,” he said . “ E v e ry th in g ’s so intertwined that if I take one out. it affects the other areas.” The The M orrow County Health District voted unanimously Monday night against extending the district's current contract with Boardman physician Dr. Robert Boss. The contract expires Sept. 1,2003. The board, however, said they would like to enter into a new agreement with Dr. Boss and the physician’s assistant he employs and would consider purchase of the Boss’ clinic building, land and equipment. The board indicated that their preference would be to hire Dr. Boss as an employee, much like the contracts the district has with the district’s physicians in south Morrow County, and invited him to respond with a proposal at his earliest convenience. In other business at the meeting, accounting/business office department head Nicole M ahoney rep o rted that the district ended M arch w ith a $7,638 profit. The district had a $50,819 lost for February and a $217,615 loss for the year. Mahoney also reported that the district is changing the clinic billing system which will make it easier for patrons. She said that once the system is operational, clinic billing will be done in-house and patients will receive one bill from the district w hich w ould include clinic charges as w ell as hospital charges. C urrently p atients receive separate bills for clinic and hospital charges. At the meeting, he board authorized a change in the district’s credit cards. Previously board, also at the advice of their accountant, instead voted four to one, with Glenn voting no, to retain the current system with a review of each facility’s revenues and expenses at the end o f the year. The board also agreed to use remaining USDA loan funds to improve the Irrigon Clinic, including paving the parking lot, putting in a new sidewalk and updating signage and equipment, and then perhaps improving the front entrance to Pioneer Memorial Hospital with a portico and other im provem ents. Mahoney said that the district looked into using the remaining funds to pay off the USDA loan, but will not be permitted to do so. USDA said that the district has to spend the money, Mahoney said. The district is also looking at replacing district vehicles, which are all at least 10 years old. If the cars are replaced with newer models, the district expects to save money on gasoline and repairs. The board unanimously approved the 2002-2003 budget with resources and expenditures o f $6,341,056. The budget adopted for 2001-2002 was $7,077,588. Out of the 2002-03 budget, collectible taxes are estimated at $629,565. Vander Does reported that the assisted living center construction is on track and is expected to open by August 1. The district will provide administrative services for the center. Heppner hosts Centennial students MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M. Deficit forces five-week closure for public health department The M orrow County Health Department, faced with an almost $20,000 deficit, will be closed for the month of June in order to balance to balance the budget before the end of the departm ent’s fiscal year. All department employees, except for the director, Laura McElligott, will be laid off for five weeks and no »immunization or other clinics will be held during that time period. » The employees have agreed to not •ask for vacation pay during that period. Their insurance benefits, however, will continue to be paid and the employees may apply for unemployment benefits after the first week. Morrow County Judge Terry Tallm an said that he anticipated that regular hours and programs would resume in July. According to Tallman, the deficit was the result o f several factors. He said that the health departm ent initially received indications from the state and local government that the department would receive around $72,000 in reimbursements for state-funded programs, but that figure was whittled to around $67,000 and then to around $ 16,000, partially due to legislative cuts. The health department is reimbursed for state and federal programs after the programs are im plem ented, much like the school district is reimbursed from the state school fund and hospital and clinics are reimbursed for Medicare and Medicaid. Another factor, he said was a mix-up in ordering vaccines. Tallman said that the health departm ent ordinarily also orders vaccine for the M orrow County Health District, which operates Pioneer M em orial H ospital, Pioneer Memorial Clinic and the Irrigon Clinic, but this year the district ordered its own vaccine because it wanted its vaccine earlier, unbeknow nst to the health department. McElligott ordered the vaccine for both entities which resulted in $600-$700 in additional costs. Additionally, “Many people chose to get flu vaccines from Costco or Sentry sub-contractors, rather than wait for ours and many people never ended up getting vaccines,” said McElligott. The result was that the departm ent spent more on vaccines than was needed. Tallman said that McElligott implemented cost cutting m easures, but the department will still remain about $19,900 in the red for the fiscal year. Tallman said that McElligott has remained within the budget in previous years and the department had around a $7.000 surplus at the end of the last fiscal year. He said, however, that monies left over at the end o f the year cannot be returned to the departments. This year, he said, because o f a tight county budget, he had the health Gazette-Times hires new editor Sarah Coller The Heppner Gazette- Times has a new editor. Sarah Coller, a native of Heppner. began working for the paper on April 15. Coller is the daughter of Christy Virgil of Lexington and Wayne Bourrie of Baker City. She was born in Heppner and attended grade school there through the first grade. She then moved to Hermiston, and then to Baker City, where she graduated high school in 1997. Coller attended college at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande for three years before taking a job teaching kindergarten at Baker Valley Christian Assembly in Baker City. Sarah and her husband. Jamie, have two children, Lynzic, 2; and Michael. 5 months. Jamie is employed at the Red Lion Hotel in Pendleton as the banquet manager. The Coller family now lives in Heppner. “I'm very excited to be here,” says Coller, “it's great to be in my hometown again working at a job that 1 love.” department hold to last year’s budget. Tallman said that while he understands M cE lligott's desire to help people, “expenditures cannot exceed revenues and when that happens, w e’ve got to take drastic measures. I want to meet people's health care needs, but at the same time, I don’t think government can be all things to all people.” “It was really hard for Laura,” added Tallman. “She was under a lot of pressure. She thought she could get us into the black, but as time went on it just became worse and worse. I’m very sorry it turned out this way.” McElligott says that the closure will leave some of the most vulnerable people without services and adds that she is “saddened” that the county will not chip in financially to relieve the deficit, especially when the health department had a $7,000 surplus of funds last year. The M orrow County Health Department assists at-risk families starting during pregnancy through “ Healthy Start” and “Nurse Family Partnership" and at-risk babies through the “Babies First” program, all home visitation programs, in addition to providing immunization and blood pressure clinics, family planning services, com m unicable disease investigations and case m anagem ent and tobacco prevention. Health departm ent employees were given several options, but, after meeting with Tallman and a union representative, chose the plan which would shut down the departm ent for a five-w eek period. Another plan would have resulted in retaining the current full-time employees at half time and laying o ff the part-tim e employee. The department has nine employees (6.8 full-time equivalent), including the director, registered nurses, office staff and translators. Saturday night card party Due to the request of those who enjoy the Saturday night card parties at the IOOF hall in Lexington. Holy Rcbckah Lodge will host another card party on May 4 at 7:30 p.m. The public is invited. Refreshments will be provided and prizes awarded. Heppner High School rodeo participants show Centennial students how to tie goats By Merlyn Robinson It was a w eeklong lifestyle change for 30 o f Gresham’s Centennial Middle Students who were hosted by Heppner families during the last week o f April. M eanw hile, H eppner’s eighth graders experienced metro activities while staying with Gresham families. For over 20 years, this annual exchange has helped to give students a better understanding of the people who live and work in vastly different areas of the state. The trade works both ways-urban bustle and neon lights versus w ide-open spaces and hands-on agriculture experiences. G resham students had a woodsy experience when hosted by the Forest Service. After learning about forest service management practices they were treated to an outdoor hot dog roast at Anson Wright Park. Another tour featured farming operations at w here they exam ined “monstrous” machinery needed to grow wheat on thousands of acres. Some Gresham students didn't seem to appreciate the smell of burning hair and the sight of calves being castrated at the Anderson and Rietmann cattle ranch, as they learned about necessary livestock practices. Following that experience they were taken to the Morrow County BMCC and Walla Walla Community College show Centennial kids how to rope. Ashley Ward. Meghan Bailey and Fairgrounds in Heppner. The Madison Bailey gave a fast- Morrow County Livestock paced demo on barrel racing and Growers hosted a hamburger pole bending. Centennial students barbecue after which they were not only had a hands-on treated to rodeo event opportunity with live horses, they demonstrations. also participated in stick horse Showing o ff their steer barrel racing. Others took lessons wrestling, calf roping and team in roping on the ground while live roping cowboy skills to an goats were used to perfect the art appreciative audience were the of goat tying. following college athletes: Ryan A tour of processing plants Matteson. Heppner and Blake and dairy farms in the north end West, Union, both Walla Walla of Morrow County accentuated Community College rodeo team the county’s major role in food members; and Travis Carnine, production, from the field to the Condon, Duke W illiams, table-providing food for thought to Redmond, and Levi Day, urban students. Redmond, of the Blue Mountain (Editor's note: impressions of Community College rodeo team. Centennial and Heppner students Heppner High School rodeo participating will appear in participants Lacey Matteson, subsequent issues of the G-T.) Cenex Land O'Lakes 500 BAG 1 6 - 1 6 - 16 - 1.5 LAWN 6E GARDEN PLANT FOOD Regular Price $ 8.25 Sale Price $ 6 .9 9 5a/e price good through May 4th Morrow County Grain Growers Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396 i . farm nuipmew. m t aw «W ute at **» ikq net I
