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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 2016)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 27, 2016 - THREE HEALTH DISTRICT -Continued from PAGE ONE vehicles at $215,356 and a ning session. LaRue, who recently lost her husband, Del. -learned from Houser that MCHD has signed an agreement with Wenatchee Valley College to allow medical lab technician stu- dents to have rotations at Pioneer Memorial Hospital while they are earning their degrees. The board plans to discuss housing options for students on rotation during their upcoming strategic planning meeting. -learned that the new Heppner ambulance is ex- pected to arrive this week, earlier than expected. After radios are installed, the ve- hicle will be ready for use, said Houser. He said that the Boardman Ambulance will arrive the following week. The board voted to approve a capital loan for $197,000 from the Bank of Eastern Oregon for 3.75 percent for five years to- ward the purchase of the blood culture analyzer and a hematology analyzer for the hospital lab at a cost of $79,356. Total equipment cost is $276,356, with the loan at $197,000 and the remaining $79,356 paid by the district. Board members Parker, Boardman, and Aaron Palmquist, Irrigon, voted against applying for the loan; however, board Chair John Murray added his vote in favor of the loan to ensure its passage. “I think if we have the capital, we should put 50 percent down,” said Parker in her dissenting vote. Mahoney countered, saying, “I don’t like to bor- row for operations,” in the event that operating fund monies become low be- cause they are spent down paying for large purchases. Murray suggested that the subject of district bor- rowing be discussed at the upcoming strategic plan- -received a report on the structural integrity of the Morrow County An- nex, recently purchased by the district from Morrow County, indicating that the foundation of the building is weakened, according to Gary Fleming, structural group manager with Meier Architecture Engineering. He recommended that the storm water infiltration needs to be stopped and the wood decking, spalled concrete and rusted rebar be repaired, in addition to hav- ing a vapor barrier installed. Additionally, Houser said that the district plans to install patient privacy bar- riers. Houser said that the report was actually not too bad, adding that MCHD maintenance supervisor Carl Lauritsen indicated that much of the work could be done in-house. -approved authoriz- ing the county treasurer to invest MCHD funds until disbursement. -discussed a date and details for an upcoming strategic planning session. -heard from board member Parker concern- ing the farm labor camp proposed for the Boardman area. Parker suggested to the board that if the project goes through, it may pro- vide some opportunity for the district to help serve the employees who work there. The board also discussed reaching out to other clin- ics to remind them of all the services that MCHD provides, such as colonos- copies and endoscopies. -approved consent/in- formational items as fol- lows: department head minutes, EMR minutes, infection control minutes and safety minutes. -received the follow- ing draft profit/loss state- ment for June: $682,617 in gross patient revenue, A Key Strategy The importance of adolescent well care visits and vaccination in Morrow County Editor’s note: This is part of a series of messages provided by your Morrow County health care provid- ers. Are you 11-19 years old? If so, you need to be vaccinated against some serious diseases. Immuni- zation is the safest and most effective public health tool available for preventing disease and death. Thanks to vaccinations, many of the infectious diseases that gripped past generations such as polio, measles, ru- bella, diphtheria and tetanus are rarely seen anymore, but outbreaks can still occur. Vaccinating our families according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recom- mended immunization schedule not only protects our loved ones, but our entire community. See the American Academy of Pe- diatrics HealthyChildren. org website to learn more. The Morrow Coun- ty Health Department in partnership with Morrow County schools will be offering vaccines at fall school events. For informa- tion on these school events or if you have questions about immunizations, call the health department 541- 676-5421 or your health care provider. Adolescents who can easily access preventive health services are more likely to be healthy and graduate high school, con- tribute to a productive work force, and complete higher education or military ser- vice. Physical, social and emotional changes dur- ing adolescence increase the need for continuous, comprehensive preven- tive services, and immu- nizations are an important part of annual adolescent well visits to help keep youth healthy. Be sure to schedule an adolescent well care exam with your local health care provider by calling Pioneer Memorial Clinic, Heppner, 541-676- 5504; Ione Community Clinic, 541-422-7128; Ir- rigon Medical Clinic, 541- 922-5880; or Columbia River Community Health Services, Boardman, 541- 481-7212. Historical society to FINANCE DIRECTOR meet Aug. 21 -Continued from PAGE ONE it, returning to their roots, The quarterly meet- ing of the Morrow County Historical Society will take place at the Mustang Diner in Heppner on Sunday, Aug. 21, from 2 until 4 p.m. As a reminder, the 2016 Morrow County Fair and Rodeo is Aug. 14-18. Shan- non Hill will be contacting members to work in the Chronicles sales booth at the fair. The society will be dis- cussing the Frenchtown trip on June 25—what went well, and what didn’t go well. Also under discus- sion will be a possible trip to Fort Dalles this fall and perhaps a trip to the fossil beds. The group also will set some goals for the future. worked for Blount as an ac- countant. They then moved to Prineville, where she was first a risk analyst for Les Schwab before going into public accounting. The family then tried life in east Texas, where Knop worked as senior accountant for the Brookshire Brothers grocery chain, overseeing inventory at more than 100 stores. Tiring of Texas, the Knops heard of the sale of the Ione Market and bought and Eastern Oregon, in August of 2014. Aside from working on the new family business, Knop took a job at Blue Mountain Com- munity College in June of 2015, working as a grants and operations accountant until taking over as finance director for Morrow County last month. “As a Morrow County native, I am excited to be working with a knowledge- able team and a county so rich in history,” says Knop. The Loop to meet Aug. 2 Morrow County Road Department would like to remind all motorists that with any road maintenance project to be aware of the workers, they are very important to us. Watch for signs, flags and work-zone employees and equipment. Morrow County’s goal is to provide a safe roadway. However, it is always up to the motorist to drive according to conditions. Be patient and plan ahead. Leave early if you know you will be driving through work zones. Please use extreme caution and common sense. They will do their best and would appreciate your patience. Some areas to be aware of and use caution this summer/fall around are July 11-21 Ione-Gooseberry / Dry— Fork chip seal project. On or around July 25 – Aug. 12. Bombing Range Road Overlay Project. July 25— 28 Big Butter Creek Chip seal project. August 1–4 Basey Canyon / Upper Rhea Creek chip seal Project. August 8—11 Jordan Grade Overlay Project. August 15—18 Dee Cox Overlay Project. As the time and equipment allows Laurel/Wilson Intersection. Keene bridge and Snider Bridge on Rhea creek and some overlay projects on the North end. Kunze and Tower road overlay along with Paterson Ferry road included with some smaller overlay projects. 3rd street and others. Again be prepared and be safe. Questions or concerns may be addressed to 541-989-9500 Morrow County Road Department. less $3,684 in provision for bad debts and $139,117 for contractual and other adjustments, plus $160,269 in tax revenue and $28,366 in other operating revenue for $735,819 in total operat- ing revenue, with $846,603 in total operating expenses and a $55,148 non-oper- ating gain for a loss of $55,636. Mahoney said that she expects the bottom line will be looking “really good” in 60 days, with cash now being deposited electroni- cally. -received the following report: Pioneer Memorial Hospital had three admis- sions in June, one swing bed admission, five admis- sions for observation, one hospital respite admission, two swing nursing facil- ity admissions, 513 total outpatients, 71 emergency room encounters, 2,571 lab tests, 114 x-ray procedures, 24 CT scans, 30 EKG tests, two lower endoscopy proce- dures, one upper endoscopy procedure, 54 respiratory therapy procedures; Home Health had 92 patient visits; Pharmacy had 2,412 drug doses for $108,414 in drug revenue; Heppner Ambu- lance had 23 page-outs with 21 transports for $35,217 in revenue; Boardman Ambu- lance had 32 page-outs with 11 transports for $16,500 in revenue; Irrigon Ambu- lance had 32 page-outs with 21 transports for $28,228 in revenue; Ione Ambulance had one page-out with no transports; there were two flights; Pioneer Memorial Clinic had 426 patient visits with seven new patients, 31 seen by a nurse and 29 no-shows; Irrigon Medical Clinic had 250 patient vis- its, 14 new patients, 63 seen by a nurse and 42 no shows; Ione Community Clinic had 38 patient visits, three new patients, four seen by a nurse and five no-shows. Local churches team up for VBS next week “Growing in God’s Garden,” a vacation Bible school to celebrate God’s creation, will be held in the evenings from Sunday, Aug. 7, through Wednes- day, Aug. 10. Several local churches are teaming up to sponsor the event for all children ages four to 12. A kick-off barbeque dinner for parents and chil- dren will begin at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 7, on the lawn at Hope Lutheran Church on Alfalfa Street, below the dam in Heppner. Reg- istration can be completed during the dinner hour, 5-6 p.m. Then, from 6-8 p.m. there will be music, art, Bible lessons, science and games for the children. There is no cost to attend. The remaining three evenings will begin with a light supper at 5:30 p.m., and conclude at 8 p.m. Shared Ministry plans outdoor worship This Sunday, July 31, Hope Lutheran Church and All Saints Episcopal Church will worship outdoors at Hager Park beginning at 10 a.m. Everyone is welcome to attend this informal camp-style service and to stay for a meal featuring Dutch-oven specialties slow-cooked on site. Salads and desserts would be welcome additions to the menu, but are not required. Beverages, plates and utensils will be provided. More information about Shared Ministry activities is available by calling the church office at 541-676-9970. Palmer receives Northwest FCS scholarship SPOKANE, Wash.—Heppner graduate Skyler Palmer is the recipient of a $2,000 scholarship from the Northwest Farm Credit Services 2016 scholarship pro- gram, the agency has announced. Palmer is the son of The Loop Morrow County Transportation will meet Larry and Tina Palmer. Skyler graduated from Heppner Aug. 2 at 2 p.m. in Boardman City Hall. The public is High School and will continue his education at Brigham welcome to attend. Young University Idaho. FREE Household Hazardous Waste Event LAST SEEN: LURKING IN YOUR HOME, UNDER THE SINK, IN THE GARAGE IN THE BASEMENTS. THESE HAZARDOUS WASTE ITEMS ARE DANGEROUS. THEY CAN HARM STREAMS, WILDLIFE, DRINKING WATER AND WE NEED TO KEEP THEM OUT OF OUR LANDFILL. MORROW COUNTY IS HOLDING A FREE HAZARDOUS WASTE EVENT SO YOU MAY TAKE SOME OF THESE ITEMS. For more information, please call Morrow County Public Works at 541-989-9500 or email: mcpublicwork@co.morrow.or.us SEPTEMBER 2ND, 2016 8AM - 11AM Remember the Transfer Stations accept all your paint for FREE at both Transfer Stations all year long. 69900 Frontage Lane, Boardman, OR 97818 ACCEPTED DURING THE EVENT: Some items accepted during the event: Used oil, Oil filters, Spent Antifreeze, Automotive batteries, Alkaline & rechargeable batteries, Propane Tanks (smaller than 25 gal.), Roof and asphalt patch, Adhesives, glues and contact cement, Caulks sealers and joint compounds, Lawn and garden chemicals and fertilizers, Pool chemicals, Household cleaners (including bleach, ammonia, furniture polish, toilet bowl cleaners, carpet shampoos) Sludge (soil contaminated with oil) Mercury thermometers, Fluorescent lamps, All types of aerosol cans, Used cooking oil, Road flares, PCB ballasts, Organic peroxides (hardening agents) ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.