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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2023)
EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 5, 2023 district approves online payments Messages of Easter hope from local pastors continued... Health Continued from PAGE ONE Peace Be with You Continued from PAGE SEVEN Crucifixion without the loved ones watching His journey. But I am sure Eas- ter of 2023 will be a source of inspiration and blessing to each of us, and we are going to meet and witness the Risen Lord once again as One who assures and shares peace and joy with us all. Easter reminds us that peace is available to us at any time and in even the most difficult of circum- stances because of Christ and the sacrifices He made for each of us. Our Chris- tian hope cannot be quar- antined. We need to shout “Alleluia, God is with us!” because Jesus declared, before His death, what was going to take place after His death: “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). In the Acts of the Apos- tles (10:34a, 37-43), we see the continued work of Christ in His Church after His resurrection. This was made possible as a result of the apostles. Peter’s ad- dress to Cornelius and his household was preceded by the baptism of Cornelius and his entire household, a witnessing made possi- ble by the resurrection of Jesus. Peter reminds them that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jeru- salem….” (Acts 10:38-39). We are all real witnesses of Living Christ in our person- al lives. The letter of Paul to the Colossians (3:1-4) reminds us: “Brothers and sisters: if then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above” (3:1). We are really witness- es to God’s infinite love. We all sought Christ above everything else, especially during the pandemic, and we are all still holding on because to His infinite love. Post-resurrection, the risen Lord always greeted His disciples with “Peace be with you” (John 20:19). He also mentions, “Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid” (John 14:27). This Easter season re- minds us all to come a little closer to the Lord, who Quarterly chamber meeting April 13 The next lunch meeting of the Heppner Chamber of Commerce will take place Thursday, April 13, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Gilliam and Bisbee Event Center. Kim Cutsforth of the Howard and Beth Bryant Foundation and Brad Attig of Reinventing Rural are sponsoring the event and will present on the Willow Street Arts and Business Innovation Center. Pre-registration is re- quired. RVSP for the quar- terly luncheon by Tuesday, April 11, at heppnercham- ber@gmail.com or 541- 676-5536. Tacos Home- town will provide a lunch of chicken or beef burritos with chips and salsa at a cost of $15 per person. Any business that would like to present a new service or project at the next chamber luncheon is invit- ed to contact the chamber for sponsorship information at heppnerchamber@gmail. com or 541-676-5536 or visit www.heppnercham- ber.com. cares for us, who continues to protect us from threaten- ing events of the world. In- stead of looking for comfort and pleasures from worldly things, the Lord invites everyone to come closer to Him and trust Him more. I think that is the real mes- sage of Easter: “Be brave, I have conquered the world.” If we remain in Him and His words remain in us, surely we can conquer with our faith anything and everything that challenges us every day. The gift of peace is available to us be- cause Christ is the prince of peace, the light that dispels darkness and ushers lasting peace and joy. Father Thankachan Joseph St. Patrick’s and St. William’s Catholic churches Shortcuts Shortcuts. We all look for and take them at every opportunity. But is it always the best way to go? When using a cake mix instead of starting from scratch, it’s a real time saver. When read- ing a book for deep com- prehension, however, the only way to read is line by line, sentence by sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph—no shortcuts! This was according to my world literature professor, and I fear she was correct. Many people take a shortcut from the celebra- tions of Christmas to the hallelujahs of Easter, spend- ing no time to reflect on their own shortcomings and the mercy of God in Christ. Even Jesus, shortly after his baptism, was tempted by Satan to take a shortcut to fulfill God’s calling for his life. “Throw yourself down off the pinnacle of the temple,” he suggests. “That way, when people see the angels come to the rescue you will have an instant following.” (My very loose translation). People are attracted by sensationalism, but that wasn’t the kind of followers Jesus wanted. He chose instead the long, slow path of making disciples by proclaiming the kingdom of God, and teaching and ministering to the needs of others. It took three ex- asperating years. Many believed his message, but just as many did not. The Zealots misunderstood his objective, thinking Jesus would deliver Israel from Roman rule, when in fact he came to deliver Israel, and all of us, from our sins. The Jewish leaders resented him because they feared he would take away their place of authority and their nation. They needn’t have worried. Jesus was not interested in politics. His focus was the kingdom of Heaven, not that of Rome or Israel. No, Jesus took the arduous path, and it has made all the difference for everyone. The next big event on the church calendar is Pen- tecost, occurring 50 days after Easter. Don’t take a shortcut to get there. Wor- ship, study, pray, so that you can rejoice then, and every day, basking in the presence of God’s redeeming love in your life. Neva D. Mahon Hopeful Saints Min- istry that.” Palmquist said down the road he would be will- ing to support something like a portable AED to have on-site at outdoor sports. “They’re pushing their bodies to the limit and that AED could come in handy, which is a medical-related thing,” he said. Also at the meeting, the MCHD board approved an agreement with Mindray for a new software interface for equipment. Mindray is a company out of New Jersey that specializes in monitoring, anesthesia and ultrasound systems. The $14,398 agreement is for a software interface for the new electronic health records system. “It’s necessary,” Rob- erts told the board. “It’s not one where we can really do without.” The board also ap- proved a new residential lease agreement for a fur- nished apartment in Hep- pner. Roberts said the dis- trict needed the furnished unit to house emergency room physicians, traveling nurses and temp techni- cians. “There is an immedi- ate, critical need for hous- ing,” she said, “in excess of what we’re able to provide without this agreement.” All of the health dis- trict’s current units have pretty much 100 percent oc- cupancy right now, Roberts said. Rent for the new unit is $850 monthly. Roberts said it is only a three-month agreement and not anything the board is locked into long-term but reiterated that it was necessary. “We have need for it next month,” she said. Mahoney added that the radiology department has two vacancies right now, and those are being filled with temp techni- cians. “So, 24/7, you’re talking about temp hous- ing,” she said. In the financial report, Mahoney reported that gross patient revenue for February was $1,234,141. That was down $183,000 from January, but Mahoney pointed out that a lot of variables impact that, in- cluding the fact that Febru- ary is a short month. For instance, the hos- pital had about 15 fewer days of stay in February compared to January, while clinics had about 80 fewer visits, “Most likely attrib- utable to the short month,” Mahoney said. However, operating expenses such as salaries and wages were also down. Other operating rev- enue was $287,792, with $285,000 of that from Co- lumbia River Enterprise Zone (CREZ) funding. Non-operating net gain was $103,643 for February. Mahoney said $45,000 of that was pass-through from the City of Irrigon for com- munity enhancement. “They fund that through their CREZ dollars that they get in Irrigon,” she said. January’s larger gain of $552,488 had been due to community service fees and $200,000 of COVID funding booked as income. That leaves the district with a $70,892 loss for the month of February, with a $269,024 loss year-to-date. Roberts said that, while the district has 11 open positions, the staff turn- over rate is low, only 4.4 percent. She also noted that the board packet said days cash on hand was 57, but Mahoney had been doing a thorough review since taking over as interim CFO, and that number was actu- ally 69. Clinic visits for Feb- ruary were 293 for Pioneer Memorial Clinic, 85 for Ione Community Clinic, 390 for Irrigon Medical Clinic and 144 for Board- man Immediate Care. In other business, the board: -ratified a radiology director recruiting con- tract with AMN Leadership Solutions; -ratified an agreement with Wipfli for profession- al finance and accounting services; -approved emergency department privileges for Dr. Michael Metzler, a reap- pointment that was already approved by the medical staff; and -ratified the EMS Ad- visory Committee appoint- ment of Dr. Metzler, who is on the committee as super- vising physician for the am- bulance service provider. At the end of the reg- ular meeting, the board moved into executive ses- sion for the stated purpose of considering information or records that are exempt from public inspection per- taining to ongoing or antic- ipated litigation. Housing authority to meet The next Heppner Housing Authority meeting will be April 11 at 4 p.m. in the St. Patrick’s Senior Center dining room. For more information, contact chairman Kay Rene Qualls at 541-980-2836.
