Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 19, 2023 -THREE
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Let’s check
ambulance
facts
Let’s do some fact
checking. Current events in
Morrow County do not just
affect the City of Board-
man. It will affect Irrigon,
Heppner, Lexington and
Ione. It will affect Morrow,
Umatilla and Gilliam coun-
ties. These events can have
ramifications on the entire
region.
County Ordinance
MC-C-4-98 sets rules per-
taining to the ASA. Mike
Hughes, of Boardman Fire
Rescue District, had asked
for this to be repealed due
to its age. Section 12, in
my opinion, seems to be
the star of this ordinance. It
gives dispatch the permis-
sion to page out an initial
responder, in addition to the
ambulance service provider,
with a few conditions. The
initial responder shall be
a municipal corporation
or special district within
Morrow County, in its ju-
risdiction, and requests to
be dispatched to medical
emergencies. The initial re-
sponder must respond with
employees that are licensed
EMR or above with the state
of Oregon. On arrival of the
service provider, the service
provider will be in charge of
and responsible for continu-
ation of emergency medical
services. The initial re-
sponder shall continue care
only at the direction of the
ambulance service provider.
If this ordinance had
been repealed, there was a
strong possibility that the
initial responder, from a
non-service provider agen-
cy, could force the provid-
ing agency to transport the
initial responder who did
not hand over patient care.
In turn, the initial responder
could demand payment for a
service that you already pay
taxes for. Whether it be from
billing the service provider,
or the patient, you could
have possibly paid twice.
Currently, on every medi-
cal call in Boardman Fire
Rescue District, there are
extra responders at every
medical call, even if your
family member is already
under a physician’s care or
in a vulnerable situation.
That is extra people that
know everything about your
family’s situation, private
information and health con-
ditions, whether you want
them there or not.
Mike Hughes has
also asked for the Morrow
County Commissioners
(BOC) for a “letter of need”
to apply for a transport li-
cense, stating he needs it to
provide transport of patients
in case of a multi-casualty
incident (MCI), and to get a
contract to provide medical
services at the Army Depot
and Bombing Range facili-
ties. On April 5, 2023, the
BOC read the response from
Mr. Blackburn, an outside
attorney consulted on the
matter of the Ordinance,
ASA, and the letter of need.
The BOC was advised that
in Mr. Blackburn’s opinion
the ASA was invalid and
needed to be rewritten, and
that no letter of need be
drafted until the ASA was
reviewed. Against this ad-
vice, the BOC voted two to
one to draft the letter for Mr.
Hughes.
There are very specific
rules when applying for an
ambulance license; OAR
333-255, ORS 682.031 and
682.045, County Ordinance
MC-C-4-98, and even past
ASA documents verify this.
Provisions are in place to
cover an MCI and a contract
with state and federal fa-
cilities, and neither require
a transport license. For an
MCI or State of Emergency,
MC-C-4-98, ORS 682.035,
and even the ASA states
that outside assistance re-
quested by the ambulance
provider, emergency man-
ager, or incident command
may be used. Any fire ap-
paratus, unlicensed ambu-
lance, even a school bus
can be used to transport
victims to another location
or facility. No ambulance
license needed.
OARs and ORS also
provide rules on contracting
with state and federal facil-
ities. They are exempt from
obtaining an ASA, includ-
ing for a contractor. These
facilities often contract for
onsite EMS services, and if
transport off site is required,
the local providing agency
is requested to transport a
patient to a medical facility.
This seems to be the pre-
ferred method. If the facility
is performing operations
that require onsite EMS,
then as soon as contracted
EMS leaves the facility, all
operations stop.
Reading assignment:
I encourage every citizen
reading this letter to do
their own research. Do not
take anyone else’s word
for it, including mine. All
relevant OAR 333 and ORS
682 listed can be found
online. Morrow county
ASA can be found on the
Morrow County Health
District website. A copy of
County Ordinance MC-C-
4-98 can be found in the
meeting packet for Feb. 22,
2023, provided on the Mor-
row County Commissioner
website. Contact your local
BOC for more information.
Josie Foster
Irrigon, OR
Boor is a
protagonist for
the people
To Whom It May Con-
cern:
As one gets older one
has seen a great number of
changes in the world—per-
sonal, social, governmental,
etc. I will comment about
one I’ve seen in my life-
time.
I began my teaching
career in 1968 and began
teaching in Morrow Coun-
ty in 1976, then retiring in
2004. In the 1990s Morrow
County hired a teacher,
David Boor. He had taught
briefly in “the valley” but
came “home” to eastern
Oregon. He was a young,
enthusiastic teacher and
coach. He volunteered for
many school events and
developed a great wrestling
program for Riverside.
As the years have gone
by, he has developed into a
truly master teacher. He has
helped a number of new re-
cruits develop their careers.
He served on several educa-
tional committees.
David has widened his
influence from the school to
the community/county. He
currently serves on the Park
and Recreation Board and
on the fire district board. He
has volunteered for several
local committees to help
better our communities. As
a member of these groups
David is known as a leader,
a questioner, a person who
is willing to listen and reply
to comments, a protagonist
for the people.
I truly believe that David
is very competent to be on
the Board of Directors for
the Port of Morrow. He
has grown in confidence,
knowledge, leadership
skills and enthusiasm to
get the job done.
Seeing him develop into
an excellent citizen, master
teacher, awarded coach, and
community member has
been so rewarding for me.
Please join me in voting
for David Boor to sit on the
Port of Morrow Directors.
Yours truly,
Frances Glenn
Boardman, OR
Trump
I have a confession
to make. Hold on to your
hats…here goes. I did not
vote for Trump. Well, at
least, not in the primaries.
Ben Carson was my man. I
liked his style, his opinions,
he loved God and he was
nice. I had friends that sup-
ported Trump quite proudly.
I just couldn’t. His brash,
New Yorkah style rubbed
me the wrong way. And,
quite frankly, I had a real
problem with his hair.
But that was then. This
is now…and I’ve grown
up a little. In time, I moved
past the hair and started
looking at what he was
doing. Was this president
actually doing what he
promised? Wow. Nice, es-
pecially since the way he
went about it worked so
well. His goals were good
for us and they made sense.
I watched how he han-
dled the issues as they came
at him, and I gained re-
spect for his intelligence.
I watched how he treated
our military, veterans, Is-
rael, and the unborn, and
I gained respect for his
heart. I watched how he
stood in the midst of threats
and incredible hatred, and
I gained respect for his
strength. I love how he
had our enemies shaking
in their boots. I’ve heard
that it works even better if
your enemies think you’re
a little crazy. Maybe even
crazy enough to push…The
Button. Keep ‘em guessing.
It works. He did that well.
Just a thought…while
our current president has all
the enemy-stopping power
of a wet noodle, I’m not too
worried about him pushing
The Button. Finding his
way off stage has been a
challenge, and if stairs are
involved…well…I think
we’re pretty safe. Besides,
the only way he might strike
fear in the hearts of our
enemies is to stop sending
them checks.
Yes, sometimes I wish
Trump would tone down
the arrogance a little. Or
maybe let the comments
slide without a comeback.
But I’ve come to the con-
clusion that there’s enough
evil out there that we can’t
afford a “nice” president.
We need someone willing
to turn over tables and chase
out the money changers.
We’re living in a dangerous
time. Our enemies are em-
boldened like never before.
They see our weakness and,
lately, they’ve been poking
at us just to prove it.
In a way, the 2024 Pres-
idential election can’t come
soon enough for me. I’d
love to see people get sick
enough of the Leftist insan-
ity that they turn the tables.
But in another way, I am a
believer in what Jesus said
and His description of the
last days fits us perfectly.
Noah would feel right at
home. So, though it’s pos-
sible we may get a reprieve,
only God knows. We need
to have our hearts prepared
either way.
But honestly, today…
if I could snap my fingers
and have The Donald back
in office, I would do it in a
heartbeat…bad hair and all.
“However, no one
knows the day or hour when
these things will happen,
not even the angels in heav-
en or the Son himself. Only
the Father knows” (Mat-
thew 24:36).
Susie Crosby
Heppner, OR
Good News Only by Doris Brosnan
Look up as you walk/drive up Main Street Heppner
and you will see a lot of promise for our future! Indi-
vidual flags featuring pictures of the graduating seniors
of HHS are hanging from the lamp posts and they are
lookin’ good!
Diana and David Dollarhide moved from Heppner
several years ago, eventually settling in Moses Lake,
where David retired from the banking business. Ties
to Heppner have remained strong, however, and last
weekend Diana returned for a two-day visit and non-
stop conversation with Diana Ball. The two Dianas also
worked in more visiting for the Moses Lake Di with
other Heppner acquaintances before she had to head
back north.
Betty Gray was carried away over Easter weekend
by her daughter, Deloy Marcyes, her husband, Curtis,
and their older son, Tyler, to Lincoln City for a four-day
stay of relaxation, walks on the beach, soaks in a hot
tub, family togetherness. A great time for all!
Last weekend, Darci Brosnan journeyed up and over
from Salem for a two-day visit with her mother, Doris.
The change of pace for the two included a visit to the
Pendleton Woolen Mills, the first for both in several
years, and their ongoing card games for bragging rights.
One of the best features of the Heppner Chamber of
Commerce and Ione’s ICABO is that they are effective
sources of “rumor control”! Of course, the more you
know about the workings of the many entities that help
keep your local society functioning, the stronger, more
engaged and responsible citizen you can be. To join
either of these good sources of information about and
from agencies and organizations, one need only visit
the chamber office on Main Street or phone 541-676-
5536, or call and speak to Stacie Ekstrom at Wheatland
Insurance in Ione, 541-422-7410.
Birthright offers a discussion group for moms,
Mom Connection, on Thursday evenings, 5:30-6:30 at
the Birthright office. The topics are an effort to keep
families informed and a time to share. The topic for
April is “What’s happening with the abortion pill?” So
much news is now in the public eye and some families
are unprepared to deal with situations. A future topic for
May 18 will be “Gifts and challenges of motherhood in
today’s world.”
The topic for June will be “Men and how they deal
with unplanned pregnancies.”
A spokesperson explains, “We truly need to see
behind the scenes for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
in relation to how men and women struggle with many
different challenges.”
More than one reader has reported that our “good
news” offers a welcome uplifting effect to a day, so
we are encouraged to add our tidbits each week by
sending them to dbrosnan123@gmail.com or calling
541-223-1490.
Here’s hoping that some good news comes to ev-
eryone reading this!
Spiritually Speaking
Father Thankachan Joseph
St. Patrick Catholic Church Heppner
Sacraments a source of
meeting Christ
A regular phone conversation begins with, “How
is everything with you? Is everything under control?”
When I landed in the USA, I used to get plenty of calls
from overseas asking whether I was safe or not. During
the pandemic we, too, asked these queries of many of
our acquaintances, our main discussion the spread of the
pandemic and the death rate in different continents. A
lockdown situation was the Gospel’s setting in last week’s
reflections; something similar continues for this week, too.
We have two famous disciples returning from the City
of Peace (Jerusalem) to their own hometown, Emmaus.
They are returning with broken hearts, disappointments
and hopelessness. Often we feel distressed, fearful, thirst-
ing for peace, dissatisfied and disappointed, as during the
pandemic. The disease put us all in distress and dismay.
This journey of the disciples from Jerusalem to Emmaus
can be compared to our life experiences. It was a beau-
tiful experience of encountering the Risen Lord in their
troubled moments.
These disciples’ journey can be analyzed through
various stages. Walking away from Peace to trouble: In
the first part of the Emmaus description, we see two dis-
ciples of Christ make a trip back from Jerusalem, which
was known as the place of peace, to their own native
town, Emmaus, the place of hot springs. They are walking
away from Jerusalem, for they feel it is not safe to stay
there because of all that happened with the crucifixion
of Jesus the Nazarene. From the place of peace, they are
moving to troubles.
Caring Stranger’s accompaniment: The Gospel of
Matthew concludes with these words, “And I will be with
you always, to the end of ages” (Matthew 28:20). The
Lord is always faithful to His promises. We, as human as
we are, make promises to the Lord, but we are not able to
keep our promises. Even if we walk away from Him—like
the wounded animal which Francis Thomas describes in
his poem “Hound of Heaven”—the Lord chases us and
follows us to console and comfort us. The Lord has given
us the sacraments and the Holy Scriptures as sources of
encountering Him in our troubled moments. Usually when
we face difficulties and problems, we have a tendency
to walk away from Him. Like the Hound of Heaven, He
accompanies us, as we have noticed in the episode of the
disciples of Emmaus. The Lord never leaves us to wan-
der or stroll. He explained the whole scriptures to them,
but their hearts were locked up or closed; they could not
recognize Him.
Recognizing the Lord in the Breaking of the Bread:
The disciples did recognize the Lord in the breaking of the
bread at the dining table, and the Lord left us a memorial
of him in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist.
The ways to meet the Lord are in the reception of the
sacraments and in the reading of the Scriptures. Scripture
is always predicting things to us well in advance. The
pandemic and the aftermath of it were well foretold by
Jesus during His priestly prayer in the Gospel of John.
He predicted the lockdown situation we went through a
few years ago well in advance: “The time is coming, and
is already here, when all of you will be scattered, each
of you to your own home, and I will be left all alone”
(John 16:31).
Spending time in reading the Holy Scriptures is al-
ways an inspiration and a source of mental strength for
all of us, and we become empowered in the word of God.
Those two disciples identified the Lord in the breaking of
the bread, but they did not understand anything that the
Lord described to them on their way back to Emmaus.
Since they were in deep emotional breakdown, they could
not grasp what the Risen Lord communicated to them.
In the Emmaus experience, the Lord is, in fact, testing
the disciples on their scriptural knowledge. During the
pandemic time, many of my friends shared that their
experiences of spending time reading the Scriptures gave
them consolation and encouragements. It will be a nice
habit to share with your family or friends, some healing
miracles of Jesus Christ. The Lord cures so many people
in the four Gospels. You can every day share one of the
healing miracles of Jesus Christ with family or friends
and become a witness of Jesus Christ.
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Lunch
& Dinner
Menu
Specials 4/20-4/26
Thursday- Chili Dog with cheese and onion and a
side of potato chips for $9.
Friday- Hot corn beef sandwich with Swiss cheese
and Au Jus and a side of potato salad for $9.
Saturday - soup is Sw corn chowder
Monday- Grilled Turkey and cheese sandwich on
Texas toast with a cup of chicken noodle soup for $9.
Tuesday- Grilled Chicken Burrito with rice and
refried beans for $9.
Tuesday night 6-9pm $2 hard shell tacos
Wednesday- Pulled pork sandwich with chips and
coleslaw for $9.
Saturday- April 29th live music featuring Jake Roy,
Aaron Harris, and James Hunnicutt.