Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (July 29, 2009)
New health district CEO presides over first meeting Bessie We,«II Newspaper I ibnir\ University of Oregon Eugene. OR 9740.1 t VOL. 128 NO. 30 8 Pages Wednesday, July 29, 2009 By April Sykes N ew M o rro w County Health District ad ministrator Michael Blauer presided over his first meet ing as CEO at the district’s regular meeting held in lone Monday night. Blauer said that he and his wife really like the community and are in the process of getting settled in. .C h ief F in an cial Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon K icking o ff fair and rodeo w eek Officer Nicole Mahoney told Blauer and the board that the district ended the month of June with a $31,042 gain. The district ended the fiscal year with a $152,543 loss. She em phasized that the financial figures are prelimi Michael nary, pending end Blauer of year reconcili ation. B lauer to ld the board that the district is encountering difficulty in recruiting a mid-level pro vider for the Irrigon Clinic, but added that he will con tinue the search. Two of the clinic’s mid-level providers have relocated over the past year. Blauer said that current providers with the district will continue to fill in at the clinic in the mean time and he will continue to work with recruiters. Some scheduling difficulty may arise with scheduled provider vacations and time off for their continuing edu cation. Blauer added that he is planning to contact firms that may be able to provide temporary' placement. Also at the meet ing, the board: -discussed the pos sibility of once again estab lishing a connection with a cardiologist since Dr. Hanlon, who previously scheduled local appoint ments through MCHD, is no longer associated with the Bend clinic. -discussed resum ing plans to remodel the Heppner clinic. -discussed sched uling a strategic planning meeting and may invite a representative with the Office of Rural Health to attend. -heard a report from Director of Nursing, Home Health and Hospice, Molly Rhea. Rhea said she recently participated in a conference call w ith the Senator Ron Wyden’s staff as a representative for Home Health agen cies for O regon. Medicare reimburse ment levels continue to be a concern, es pecially considering pro posed federal changes to the health care system and proposed drastic cuts. -learned from Rhea the number of miles and ex panse the Pioneer Memorial Home Health nurses cover visiting their patients in Morrow County. She also spoke on the percentage of people who have been recently released from the hospital who end up being readmitted. -learned from Rhea that the district’s long-term care patient numbers are holding steady with the possibility of an additional patient. -learned from Rhea that two aides are in the process of completing their training. She told the board that Willow Creek Val ley Economic D evelop ment Group has received a $ 17,900 workforce training grant which will provide the funding for healthcare training. -discussed the dis trict’s ongoing relationship with Columbia River Com munity Health Services in Boardman. -expressed concern over logos placed on two emergency vehicles that are used for emergency ser vices at the OHV park. The vehicles, which are owned and insured by the district, are operated by volunteers to provide emergency ser vices at the park. While the board expressed apprecia tion to the volunteers, board members are concerned that the vehicles currently have logos on them that have not been approv ed by the MCHD and may not be considered appropriate. They were also concerned that the v ehicles also do not have any logos on them that indicate they are the prop erty of the district. -learned that the on-site survey of the Irrigon Clinic has been completed and the plan of correction has been submitted and accepted. -heard the follow ing report for June: Pioneer Memorial Clinic in Hep pner had 474 patient visits with 30 new patients, 37 patients seen by a nurse and 17 no-shows; Irrigon Clinic had 160 patient visits, 17 new patients, 46 seen by a nurse and eight no-shows with no providers on four occasions; Pioneer M e morial Hospital had five admissions, two swing bed admissions, 18 admitted for observation, 498 total outpatients, 85 total emer gency room encounters, 94 x-ray procedures, 35 CT scans, 32 EK.G tests, eight colonoscopy procedures, tw o endoscopy procedures; B oardm an A m bulance had 25 page-outs with 17 transports for $19,807 in revenue; Irrigon Ambu lance had 28 page-outs with 19 transports for $18,344 in revenue; and Heppner Ambulance had 21 page outs with 18 transports for $20,324 in revenue; there were four flights. Methamphetamine arrests made in Heppner 4-H members recently participated in their fair horse show on Saturday, July 25. Pictured is Jenna Taylor at the games. More photos can be found on Page FIV'E. -Contributed Photo New health clinic set for Boardman B o a rd m a n h as needed a new facility for several years. Pinnacle Ar chitecture of Bend, OR has been awarded the contract for the design of this new facility. Pinnacle Architec ture team includes Princi pal Peter Baer, Architect Mark Rossi, Interiors Bri- ana H agerty and Intern Doug Alley. Construction is expected to begin sum mer 2010. C olum bia R iver Community Health Services (CRCHS) provides a wide range of health services to the greater Boardman com munity including migrant/ seasonal farm works and other low income popula tions, regardless of ability to pay. The new 13,480 square foot building will be located one block south of the existing facility. It will include services include exams, emergency, and x- ray among other programs. This project is planned to be the first LEED certified Health Clinic in Eastern Oregon. Pinnacle has ex tensive experience with public projects, especially for small com m unities. Peter Baer, principal o f Pinnacle Architecture said, “We’ve spent a lot of years working on public projects across Oregon. Our firm has strong Oregon roots, and this project really reso nates for us. Most of our staff is from small towns in Oregon. We really enjoy working for communities like Boardman.” Pinnacle architec ture is located in Bend and has been in business for since 1990. They provide architectural services to com munities across Or egon, California and Wash ington. On July 19 the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office received informa tion about a possible meth amphetamine laboratory located in the Heppner area. Investigation led to a search of a residence located at 54467 Upper Rhea Creek Road in Heppner. M em bers o f the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police If left untreated, these con ditions may lead to a life time of unnecessary vision impairment and possibly blindness. Whi l e s o me school districts offer vi sion screening programs, formal screening should begin by age three. Good vision is essential for proper physical development and educational progress. Early detection provides the best opportunity for effective, inexpensive treatment. The vision screen ing is sponsored by the Angela Marie Cur- rin, 36, and her husband Michael Wayne Heifer, 52, w ere arrested in their home and lodged in the Umatilla County Jail on charges of possession of a controlled substance, manufacturing a controlled substance and unlawful possession o f fireworks. Bail was set at $23,000 for each suspect. New Morrow County Chronicles issues to go on sale The 2009 issue o f the M orrow County Chronicles will go on sale on Wednesday afternoon, August 5, at the Morrow County Fair. The cost re mains $5 this year. This issue of the periodical represents the 26,h year of the local his torical society’s effort to preserve the history of Morrow County. It offers information about people, places, and events, and is especially representative of the entire county. Elks Children’s Eye Clinic Included are bi- at the Oregon Health & Science University Casey Eye Institute, in partnership with the Oregon State Elks Association. For more than 50 years, the Oregon State Elks Association has con tributed millions of dollars in research and equipment and thousands of volunteer hours toward the prevention and treatment of pediatric eye disease. For more informa T h is s p e c ia l tion or to schedule an ap LIMITED EDITION SET, pointment, call 541 564- IN BLACK, RED 6878. OR BLUE, in c l u d e s : OHSU, Elks sponsor free vision screening for kids in Boardman A fre e v is io n screening for children ages 3-5 will be held on Thurs day, July 30 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Boardman. A screening was also held in Irrigon on Tuesday, July 28 . The screening will be held at Umatilla-Mor- row County Head Start, 240 N.E. Boardman Ave., Boardman. Approximately one in every 10 children ages 3-5 has a vision problem. Most require treatment be fore the age of seven to avoid long-term damage. and Blue Mountain En forcement Narcotics Team searched the residence and discovered a significant amount o f m ethamphet amine, methamphetamine laboratory equipment and supplies. Over $10,000 in methamphetamine was seized along with evidence of methamphetamine man ufacturing from the resi dence. ographical and autobio graphical sketches, family histories, an article about the displacement of Bomb ing Range families, retro spections of the Willow Creek Dam and the county school district, an article about the intriguing "pruter- berry,” one veteran’s look at his introduction to WW1I, a look at a long-existing fam ily business, and a history of one fraternal organiza tion. Articles come from rural areas and from the communities of Boardman, Irrigon, lone, Lexington, and Heppner. The Morrow Coun ty Chronicles continues because of individuals w ho are interested in preserv ing historical information and individuals who are willing to contribute articles for publication. The Morrow County Historical Society gratefully accepts sugges tions of stories and wel comes contributing w riters. Contact information w ill be available at the society's booth at the fair. Harvest lime TOOL BOX SPECIAL Look for our special 24 page Fair Edition inside. 4rWx17y/Dx21!CH ano Inside you will find schedules and fair and rodeo activity information. 11 ÜHAWf H Rou NO C abin * t 42"Wx 18'A"Dx38VH ■m ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE: Morrow County Grain Growers M O NDAYS AT 5:00 P.M. Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396 For (arm equipmenL visit oar veb site &t vwv.mcggjiet 1 I r
