TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 1, 2020
The Official Newspaper
of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow
Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
U.S.P.S. 240-420
Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
SEARCH OLD COPIES OF THE HEPPNER GAZETTE-TIMES ON-LINE:
http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/
Published weekly by Sykes Publishing and entered as periodical matter at the Post
Office at Heppner, Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1879. Periodical postage paid
at Heppner, Oregon. Office at 188 W. Willow Street. Telephone (541) 676-9228. Fax
(541) 676-9211. E-mail: editor@rapidserve.net or david@rapidserve.net. Web site:
www.heppner.net. Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner Gazette-Times,
P.O. Box 337, Heppner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: $31 in Morrow County; $25
senior rate (in Morrow County only; 65 years or older); $37 elsewhere; $31 student
subscriptions.
David Sykes ..............................................................................................Publisher
Bobbi Gordon................................................................................................ Editor
Giselle Moses.........................................................................................Advertising
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column inch. Cost for classified ad is 50¢ per word. Cost for Card of Thanks is $10 up to
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lication must be specified. Affidavits must be required at the time of submission. Affidavits
require three weeks to process after last date of publication (a sooner return date must be
specified if required).
For Obituaries: Obituaries are published in the Heppner GT at no charge and are edited to
meet news guidelines. Families wishing to include information not included in the guidelines
or who wish to have the obituary written in a certain way must purchase advertising space
for the obituary.
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responsible for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks will
be placed in the classifieds under “Card of Thanks” at a cost of $10.
Marriage Licenses
The Morrow County Clerk’s office has released the
following report of marriage licenses:
March 6, 2020: - Christopher Puckett, Sr., 57, and
Elizabeth Pettibone, 53.
March 11, 2020: - Michael Stensrud, 35, and Jenna
Reeves, 33.
March 19, 2020: - Raymond Wilcox, 69, and Linda
Stevens, 64.
March 20, 2020: - Aaron Harris, 35, and Clerissa
Arnold, 33.
- Thomas Roberts, 45, and Kimberly Moore, 55.
- Shane Lazinka, 28, and Regina Seitz, 30.
Lexington Easter
egg hunt cancelled
The 2 nd annual Lexington Easter egg hunt that was
scheduled for April 11 at the Holly Rebekah Lodge
Friendship Park in Lexington has been cancelled.
Health district open for business
The Morrow County
Health District Board and
hospital and clinic staff
remind people that “We
are open for business.” The
board and administrators,
meeting via teleconference
Monday evening, learned
that the district is seeing
only “60 percent” of the
patients it usually sees, says
board member Leann Rea.
The current downward
trend, likely resulting from
fears of the COVID-19
epidemic, could possibly
endanger the proposed re-
model of Pioneer Memorial
Hospital in Heppner if it
continues. Reconstruction
of Pioneer Memorial Clinic
is still deemed necessary
because of lack of space.
At the meeting, board mem-
bers also questioned the
addition of more staff in the
event that business does not
improve.
According to CEO Bob
Houser, additional employ-
ees still needed include
registered nurses for PMH,
a part-time medical assis-
tant for PMC, a discharge
planner/nurse manager for
PMH, an informatics di-
rector and an IT technician.
He said that all provider
positions have been filled.
The district reports
that it has seen only one
COVID-19 patient, who
was transferred out and is
reported to be recovering.
That patient is the only one
reported in Morrow County
up until now.
“As the numbers of
COVID-19 cases increase
in our state, we are do-
ing everything we can to
protect our staff and com-
munity members during
TA KI N G T H E
RI G H T A C T IO N
Visit CDC.gov for the latest guidelines.
Symptoms of COVID-19
this pandemic,” report-
ed Jamie Houck, director
of nursing at PMH. “On
March 16, we developed
a daily COVID-19 update
call where department
heads and providers have
the opportunity to discuss
current information on
COVID-19.” Houck said
the daily agenda includes
COVID-19 updates, per-
sonal protective equipment
and supply updates, staffing
updates and the total num-
ber of COVID-19 patients
in Morrow County.
“This situation is very
fluid and changes occur
daily, if not hourly,” said
Houck. “We are working
with all areas of the district
to provide the best care pos-
sible to the patients within
Morrow County.” “The
goal of Morrow County
Health District’s antimicro-
bial stewardship program
is to have a coordinated
program that promotes the
appropriate use of antimi-
crobials, improves patient
outcomes, reduces microbi-
al resistance and decreases
the spread of infections
caused by multi drug-resis-
tant organisms.”
Pioneer Memorial Hos-
pital has gone to one en-
trance only, with outside
staff and patient screening
effective March 26, as per
recommendations from
the state epidemiologist.
Screening includes taking
subjects’ temperatures be-
fore and upon entering the
facility, perhaps multiple
times. The district named
Jodi Ferguson “social dis-
tancing officer” as per ex-
ecutive order.
Houser said, “Mainte-
nance will begin work on
the district’s building in
Boardman as their sched-
ule permits due to need-
ing them here during the
COVID 19 crisis.”
Chief Financial Officer
Nicole Mahoney reported a
$136,415 loss for February
with $1,014,457 in gross
patient revenue, $148,826
in revenue deductions (pro-
vision for bad debts and
contractual and other ad-
justments); $181,603 in
tax revenue, $44,987 in
other operating revenue for
$1,092,220 in total oper-
ating revenue; $1,288,347
in total operating expenses
and a $59,713 non-oper-
ating gain for a $136,415
loss for the month. The dis-
trict, however, still shows a
$22,818 average monthly
year-to-date gain.
In other business the
board received the follow-
ing reports for February:
-Houser reported on an
update of the meeting with
the architect, department
directors and providers.
-Mahoney reported on
an update on the status up-
date of the district’s USDA
pre-application and the
district’s financial fore-
cast/debt capacity study by
Wipfli.
-Pioneer Memorial
Clinic had 448 patient vis-
its for February, with seven
new patients, 19 seen by
a nurse and 24 no-shows;
Irrigon Medical Clinic had
361 patient visits with 35
new patients, 108 seen by
a nurse and 31 no-shows;
Ione Community Clinic had
67 patient visits, three new
patients, six seen by a nurse
and zero no-shows.
-Pioneer Memorial
Hospital had three acute
inpatient admissions, three
swing bed admissions, 11
admissions for observa-
tion, one hospital respite
admission and 527 outpa-
tients,76 emergency en-
counters, 1,712 lab tests,
103 x-ray/ultrasound tests,
26 CT scans, six MRI scans,
20 EKG tests, seven lower
endoscopy procedures, two
upper endoscopy proce-
dures, 32 respiratory ther-
apy procedures.
-Home Health reported
111 patient visits.
-Hospice reported one
admission and one death.
-Pharmacy deliv-
ered 2,613 drug doses for
$52,805 in revenue.
-Heppner Ambulance
had 25 page-outs with 22
transports for $38,903 in
revenue for the month;
Boardman Ambulance had
31 page-outs with 19 trans-
ports for $35,079 in reve-
nue; and Irrigon Ambulance
had 18 page-outs with 11
transports for $17,641 in
revenue; there were nine
life flights.
-Boardman’s new am-
bulance has been delivered
and is now in use.
-The Lucas 3 unit
(chest compression system)
for Heppner’s ambulance
has arrived. The donation
was made possible from
a donation from Amazon,
said Houser. All three of
the district’s “first out” am-
bulances are now equipped
with Lucas 3 units, he said.
DEADLINE:
MONDAYS
AT 5PM
Locals
make
masks
Sheena Shank of Serendipity
Designs fabric shop in Hep-
pner and a group of women,
Kathy Marick, Darlene Klock,
Cherrie Clark and Hailey
Wenberg, have sewn over 300
fabric masks for use in fight-
ing the COVID 19 virus.
VOTE
Fever
Cough
Shortness
Of Breath
ARMATO
STAY H OM E I F
No
Symptoms
Mild
Symptoms
Moderate
Symptoms
Severe
Symptoms
CA L L A H EA D B EF O RE
V ISIT IN G Y OU R D OCT O R IF
No
Symptoms
Mild
Symptoms
Moderate
Symptoms
JOSEPH
Severe
Symptoms
FOR SEVERE SYMPTOMS, VISIT THE
EMERGENCY ROOM OR DIAL 911:
Those include: difficulty breathing, becoming
confused or especially hard to wake, persistent
chest pain/pressure, or developing bluish lips/face.
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
MORROW COUNTY
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