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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (May 8, 2019)
KayRene Qualls retires from Bank of Eastern Oregon HEPPNER G T 50¢ azette imes VOL. 138 NO. 19 8 Pages Wednesday, May 8, 2019 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Local group participates in MS Walk held in Pendleton Pictured at the MS Walk are back row (L-R): Dan Bennett, Bill McDowell and Danielle Burnside. Front row: Barb Orwick, Merilee McDowell and her grandson Henry Burnside. The “Together we are Stronger” eastern Oregon MS Walk was held May 4 at Roy Raley Park in Pend- leton for the 22 nd year. The day started out with blue skies, warm weather and people with one purpose – to “End MS Forever.” There were approximately 120 walkers who raised $11,040. Before the walk be- gan, Louanne Wach, de- velopment manager for Walk MS National Society announced that she had a script but decided not to use it. She asked the past and current leaders of EO Walk MS and a newly diag- nosed person to share their stories. “Needless to say, it was very emotional,” said Merilee McDowell, team captain of the All Saints Hope for a Cure Team. “It’s hard to describe how you feel when you stand in front of families, friends and leaders who are all there for one reason, to stop MS in its tracks. I’ve had MS for 42 years, which included many ups and downs, just like many others who have this disease,” she added. Walk MS is the largest fundraiser of the National MS Society. In 2018 the Society invested $36M, managing 340 projects with multi-year commitments of $80M. Driving future breakthroughs, they hold training workshops to build a research workforce. The Society is forging global collaborations to speed solutions and a cure. They work closely with OHSU to further a cure for MS. “Donations to the NMSS through Walk MS comes back to our small commu- nity and many communities like us,” said a Walk MS coordinator. McDowell told the Ga- zette that there is still time to donate to this important cause by contacting her at meri0120@gmail.com or Barb Orwick at eatbanan- as73@hotmail.com. By Bobbi Gordon KayRene Qualls, 66, of Heppner retired April 30 from the Bank of East- ern Oregon, where she had worked since 2003. She started her banking career at Klamath First Bank in 1997. That bank was then sold to Wells Fargo and eventually they intended to sell to Sterling Bank. At that time, employees were unsure what was going to happen when BEO took it over. BEO brought all of the employees over at that time. Qualls was born in Heppner and grew up in Condon. She went to school in Condon, then did one term at Eastern Oregon College before transferring to Fort Steilacoom College, near Tacoma, WA. She was studying to be a vet tech when she met her husband, Roscoe Qualls. She and Roscoe were married in 1973 and moved to their home on Upper Rhea Creek in 1975. In the early days, she worked on the ranch before beginning her banking career. The Qualls have two children, John (Doshea) Qualls, Hep- pner, the senior vice-pres- ident for BEO and Mindy (Tracy) Journot of Pueblo, CO. She has five grandchil- dren; Sydney, Hayden and KayRene Qualls is all smiles at her recent retirement party at Bank of Eastern Oregon. Sophie Qualls, Kailea Sam- ple and Maci Davidson. KayRene related a little of the story about her being switched at birth at the hospital in Heppner. She said she found out about it ten years ago. Her brother was the first to know about it although there had been rumors about it before they knew for sure. “It’s a long, long story,” KayRene said. When asked how it feels to leave her job and what she will miss she said, “BEO is a great company to work for and I appreci- ate everything they have done for me. I won’t miss the electronics. That is for young people these days.” She added, “I will miss the people terribly. It is a very good crew that works there. I loved helping people, es- pecially the elderly.” KayRene and Roscoe intend to do some traveling. They are looking at travel trailers so intend to do some camping and hope to travel to see their daughter more. Umatilla County assumes responsibilities for onsite septic systems in Morrow County Umatilla County Health and Morrow County Plan- ning have announced that as of May 3, 2019 all program responsibilities for onsite septic systems in Morrow County have transferred from Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to Umatilla County Health. This means that Umatilla County is now responsible for conducting site evaluations, issuing construction permits, con- ducting pre-cover inspec- tions, storage of historical records and issuing autho- rization notices for most septic systems located in Morrow County. Addition- ally, Umatilla County will also be responsible for all pumper truck inspections in Morrow County, according to a news release from the county. Umatilla County has been providing these ser- vices for Umatilla County since Nov. 1, 2016 and according to the county the transition to local oversight has proven to be benefi- cial for county residents. “Umatilla County Health has a long-standing re- lationship with Morrow County and currently has additional partnerships with Morrow County Health Department administering the food, pool and lodging -See SEPTIC SYSTEMS/ PAGE THREE MCHD board approves Houser performance evaluation The Morrow Coun- ty Health District Board overwhelmingly approved the job CEO Bob Houser is doing in his performance evaluation at the district’s regular meeting Monday night in Lexington. Board members scored Houser as excellent in numerous categories, commenting that he “meets and exceeds expectations as our CEO.” Bo a r d member A ar o n Palmquist, who is also the administrator for the city of Irrigon, told the board that he looked upon Houser not only as a peer in the admin- istrative field, but also as a peer and friend. “He’s done an excellent job of not only representing us but repre- senting our district.” As per his contract, Houser will receive a cost of living adjustment that amounts to half of the cost of living increases for the district’s employees. If the employees received a four percent cost of living in- crease, for example, Houser will receive two percent, with two percent being the minimum increase. Houser’s contract runs through December 2020. At the meeting, the board also approved a pro- posed $17 million budget for fiscal year 2019-20, up from $16,164,031 for 2018- 19. According to Chief Financial Officer Nicole Mahoney, “The significant increases in this budget cycle mostly hinge on the expansion of the Irrigon Medical Clinic and addi- tional staff in the Irrigon, Heppner and Ione Clinics and the full-time compli- ance director in adminis- tration.” Mahoney said the bud- get was built on conserva- tive estimates in terms of revenue. Mahoney said that new positions and staff- ing changes for fiscal year 2019-20 include a mid-lev- el provider, medical assis- tant and increased hours for a coder at the Irrigon Clinic; a social worker and community health worker split between the Irrigon and Heppner clinics; a phy- sician at the Heppner clinic and emergency room and medical assistant at the Heppner clinic as of Sep- tember 2019; mid-level provider increased hours, medical assistant hours and clerical hours increased at the Ione Clinic; a com- pliance director; and in- creased hours in dietary and housekeeping. She said that the Ione Commu- nity Clinic will be open for family practice services an additional one-and-a-half days per week, which will increase access and patient visits. Concerning provider employment, Houser told the board that physician’s assistant, Danielle Mate- leska, who had been shad- owing Dr. Russ Nichols at Pioneer Memorial Clin- ic, is now credentialed by four carriers and may see those patients without Dr. Nichols’ direct supervision. Houser said that she is also working to become certified to do physicals and provide women’s health services. Houser also said the district has received some paperwork from a potential provider, Dr. Hejmanows- ki, but is still waiting for Oregon licensure and other paperwork. Board mem- bers expressed concern that Dr. Hejmanowski may not actually intend to hire on with the district. In that event, the recruiter hired by the district will not receive payment from MCHD. Houser said that Terri Brandt-Correa, chief nurs- ing officer with MCHD, will be leaving the district May 10 to take a new po- sition in Colorado. Jamie Houck, RN, has accepted the interim CNO position and is currently shadowing Brandt-Correa. The district still needs a Home Health/Hospice RN, a behavioral health counsel- or for the district, a commu- nity health care worker and a part-time dietician. In other business, the ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M. MCHD CEO Bob Houser board: -agreed to participate in a summer food program for children sponsored by the Morrow County School District with a $5,000 do- nation. Board member Ma- rie Shimer told the board, however, that the program would not be able to go into the Ione area because it is located in the Ione School District and not the Morrow County School District. However, she said however, that any children in Morrow County could participate in the program at the food program sites. Discussion was held concerning possi- ble ways to enable the Ione students to participate. -learned the Willow Creek Valley Assisted Liv- ing Board met April 11 and approved the WCVAL audit presented by auditor Wipfli unanimously. Census at the assisted living facility was reported at 14 residents, with the last two rooms “tentatively” spoken for. WCVAL held an election of officers with Robin Bred- field elected chair, Nancy Snider elected vice-chair and Shirley George, secre- tary-treasurer. -received the profit and loss statement through March, which showed a $120,172 loss for the month. At the February board meeting, Dr. Russ Nichols noted the clinic schedules for March and April were “very sparse,” due to the departure of phy- sician’s assistant Amanda Fabian, and no new pro- viders yet credentialled. He added at that time he was scheduled for appointments six weeks out. Through March, the district had $975,957 in gross patient revenue, less $54,062 in bad debts and contractual and other ad- justments for $921,895 in net patient revenue, plus $160,914 in tax revenue and $2,997 in other operat- ing revenue for $1,085,806 in total operating revenue. Operating expenses totaled $1,235,804, plus a non-op- erating gain of $29,826 for a $120,172 loss for the month and an $11,035 average monthly year-to- date loss. -See MCHD/PAGE FOUR Join Us At Grant Morrow OHV Park "Ride the Blues" and Poker Run Saturday, May 11th MORROW COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS 350 MAIN STREET, LEXINGTON OR 97839 CONTACT: JUSTIN BAILEY, 541-989-8221 EXT 204 *Offers vary by model and are subject to availability. 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Financing promotions void where prohibited. Tax, title, license, and registration are separate and may not be financed. Promotion may be modified or discontinued without notice at any time in Polaris' sole discretion. WARNING: Polaris ® off-road vehicles can be hazardous to operate and are not intended for on-road use. Driver must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver's license to operate. Passengers, if permitted, must be at least 12 years old. All riders should always wear helmets, eye protection, and protective clothing. Always use seat belts and cab nets or doors (as equipped). Never engage in stunt driving, and avoid excessive speeds and sharp turns. Riding and alcohol/drugs don't mix. All riders should take a safety training course. Call 800-342-3764 for additional information. Check local laws before riding on trails. © 2019 Polaris Industries Inc.
