SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, November 1, 2023
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Continue
Supporting
Local Health
Care in
Morrow
County
In rural and frontier
communities’ Health Dis-
tricts and Critical Access
Hospitals provide a corner-
stone for health and busi-
ness. People are healthier
when they have available
access to different health
care services addressing
the community’s needs and
just as important to better
health is they are secure and
reliable. Healthy communi-
ties thrive and grow when
health care is available
locally such as medical,
dental, mental, social, and
supportive community ser-
vices. This foundation and
community network create
opportunities for attracting
local business development
leading to good paying jobs,
new residents from recruit-
ment of a workforce to meet
hiring needs, providing
community social connect-
edness to family, neighbors
and friends, strong schools,
and a network of volunteer
community and civic orga-
nizations. These are some of
the community benefits of
Health Districts and Critical
Access Hospitals in rural
and frontier communities.
Multiple components make
up the Morrow County
Health District - Pio-
neer Memorial Hospital
(designated a Critical Ac-
cess Hospital with an emer-
gency department due to the
distance from other health
care, and an extended care
nursing facility) available
24 hours a day and seven
days a week to provide
personal, highly skilled care
to residents and visitors to
Morrow County, invaluable
home health and hospice
service allowing people
who live in Morrow County
to recuperate from disease
or disability and receive
end of life care in their
home, primary and imme-
diate care clinics in Board-
man, Heppner, Irrigon, and
Ione. County residents and
visitors have emergency
care services 24 hours a
day, seven days a week,
whenever help is needed.
Morrow County Health
District providing over 200
local county jobs is a valu-
able community partner
and anchor to help assure
local health-related services
remain in our communities.
The district’s partnership
provides support in com-
munity care such as food
resources to residents who
are in need, AED medical
devices to schools, mater-
nal and child health, and
school-based health care.
Morrow County Health
District partners with Mor-
row County School District,
Ione School District, Mor-
row County Public Health
Department, Communi-
ty Counseling Solutions,
Advantage Dental, Blue
Mountain Early Learning
Hub, CAPECO, Eastern
Oregon Coordinated Care
Organization, OSU SNAP-
Ed, Good Shepherd Health
Care Education and Wil-
low Creek Terrace Assist-
ed Living, and others to
create a health safety net
to improve the quality of
life for us all who live and
work in Morrow County.
There is an upcoming op-
erating levy requesting
renewal support for five
years to the Morrow County
Health District. The amount
being requested is $.39 per
$1,000 assessed property
value. This financial sup-
port remains at the same
level as it has been for the
last 15 years and is the low-
est of the Health Districts in
Eastern Oregon, a very good
value for county residents.
Please join the support of
Morrow County Health
District to continue pro-
viding and improving local
patient and community
health services to meet the
needs of the people in our
communities. Let’s WORK
TOGETHER to continue
to build more local health
care services in our com-
munities. VOTE YES for
a healthier Morrow Coun-
ty on November 7, 2023.
T h a n k
y o u ,
Diane Kilkenny R.N.
Heppner
Vote YES for
Affordable
Healthcare
Services!
At one time or another
we, or someone we love,
has needed healthcare ser-
vices. Some of those times
were routine, and thank-
fully non-emergent, like
a visit to our hometown
Doctor, Nurse Practitioner
or Physician’s Assistant, or
a blood draw for lab work
first thing in the morn-
ing before we can eat, or
X-rays, CT scan or ultra-
sound, or home health care
support in some of our
life-changing situations.
Sometimes it’s emergent,
life-threatening, and we are
glad to know someone is on
the way to help as soon as
possible! Sometimes it’s a
heart-wrenching need for
supportive hospice care for
a dying loved one.
In times like these we in
Morrow County are blessed
with local care options from
people we personally know.
Local care is just that, care
in our own communities,
when we need it, by people
who work as a team to care
for us. For decades the
Morrow County Health
District has provided that
care, and still does, every
day and night, for those of
us in need. At one level
or another, that care is pro-
vided to every resident of
Morrow County through
the support of 2 tax levies,
one a permanent, fixed rate,
and one a supplemental
levy of $0.39 per thousand
voted on every 5 years.
The $1.00 per thousand
Combined rate is the lowest
of any healthcare district in
Eastern Oregon.
I am asking for your
YES vote on the supple-
mental levy on November
7th to continue these ser-
vices and, in fact, build on
them in the future.
In my opinion, it is sad
that a very vocal minority
wishes to take those ser-
vices away from each of us
in our own communities.
Their current target is our
healthcare system described
above. If you remember
their past target was our
local school system and
bond, even though we had
planned then, and have
seen come to pass, over $2
BILLION of investment in
the county in the last year.
I urge you to DISAGREE
with their constantly nega-
tive rhetoric and actions and
their social media personal
attacks by VOTING YES
on supporting the services
provided by the Morrow
County Health District. It
is time for all of us to speak
up with our vote for the
POSITIVES in our county.
I ask you to VOTE
YES!
John Murray, RPh
Heppner
I voted YES on
Measure 25-97
As a resident of Mor-
row County and a Morrow
County Health District
(MCHD) healthcare pro-
fessional, I find a great
deal of value in the ser-
vices MCHD provides to
our communities. From a
personal standpoint, I find
comfort in knowing that
if I should have a health
emergency, EMS is there
to provide lifesaving mea-
sures. I am thankful that I
can receive preventative
health care close to home.
I appreciate that if I am
sick, I have a clinic close
by to receive urgent medi-
cal attention. I also see the
benefits professionally ev-
ery single day that people
county-wide receive from
MCHD’s programs in-
cluding Pioneer Memorial
Home Health and Hospice,
EMS, the clinics, and the
hospital. I voted YES on
Measure 25-97 to renew
MCHD’s Operating Levy.
I would urge you to do the
same. Rural healthcare is
already such a challenge in
many ways. A loss of these
funds would be devastat-
ing to Morrow County res-
idents including the poten-
tial loss of services and/or
very significant cutbacks.
Tiffany La Hue, RN,
MCHD, and
resident of Irrigon, OR.
Enemies
Seems to me a big part
of life is trying to figure out
who your friends are. Better
yet, figuring out who your
enemies are might be a bit
more useful. I’ve learned
there are a few “clues”
you’ll find to help you de-
termine who your adversar-
ies are. For instance, if they
point at you and shout “off
with his head!” ……that’s
a pretty good clue that you
might want to add them to
your Bad Guy list.
But how do you know
if they’re serious? Maybe
they’re just blowing off
steam or had a bad day.
Looking at the company
they keep would be helpful.
People who have gotten
together and written up a
charter that states their goal
is the total annihilation of
a whole country, well, this
is a definite red flag in the
friend department. Avoid
these people.
Now if someone ruins
your economy, ruins your
borders, ruins your military,
makes underhanded deals
with, and accepts bribes
from your enemies…. he
just might be your enemy
too. The word “treason”
comes to mind here.
Once you’ve deter-
mined who your enemies
are, it would be good to con-
sider how you’re going to
deal with them. And while
there are a few “dos” con-
cerning the best treatment
of gad guys (Gunsmoke has
some great ideas), there’s
also a pretty good list of
don’ts. Here are a few:
Don’t give them your
weapons. Don’t give them
money so they can buy
more weapons of their own.
Don’t sell them your land.
Don’t depend on them for
important stuff such as fuel
or life-saving medications.
Don’t owe them money.
Don’t believe silly stories
about why they’re flying
things over your head.
Don’t let them teach your
kids. Oh…and do NOT let
them build nukes.
Sometimes, enemies
are really good at posing as
your friends. They speak of
tolerance and inclusiveness
while creating intolerance
and division. It’s best to
watch what these folks do
rather than what they say.
Sometimes, these people
might even encourage you
to hate your neighbors sim-
ply because they carry a
Bible or a Torah. Or they
might accuse you of being
“haters” because you dis-
agree with them. Do NOT
fall into this trap.
By the way, Jews are
not our enemy. But they
killed Jesus, didn’t they?
No…. you and I killed Je-
sus. It was our sin that sent
him to the cross. Nobody
is innocent on that account.
So, what do we do with
our enemies? Is self-de-
fense, ok? Should we pro-
tect our families and our
country? I believe so. The
disciples carried swords.
Why? Pretty sure they
weren’t just for deer hunt-
ing. But Jesus said to love
our enemies and “pray for
those who persecute you”.
That’s the hard part. But we
need to remember who the
real enemy is, and his defeat
is coming soon. Stay tuned.
“For our struggle is not
against flesh and blood, but
against the rulers, against
the authorities, against the
powers of this dark world,
and against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heav-
enly realms.”
Ephesians 6:12
Susie Crosby
Prineville, OR
Falling back into
winter Nov. 5 th
Daylight Saving Time
(DST) ends on November
5th, 2022. It is important
to remember to set your
clocks back one hour on this
day, typically in the early
morning. This shift, known
as “falling back,” allows
us to adjust to the change
in seasons as we transition
into winter. By setting our
clocks back, we effectively
gain an extra hour of sleep
and adjust to the shorter
daylight hours. So, don’t
forget to turn your clocks
back one hour on Novem-
ber 5th and embrace the
arrival of winter.
I r t h r I g h t
Birthright of Morrow County will be
having a 3-year anniversary dinner with a
speaker on Sunday, November 5, 2023 at
5:00 pm. The dinner will be held at
St. Patrick’s Parish Hall. The meal will
be homeade lasagna, salad, garlic bread,
brownies and ice cream. Tickets are
$20.00 per person or $35.00 a couple.
If you have questions or would like to
purchase tickets, please call us at
541-676-0530. You can purchase tickets
in advance or pay at the door. Please
come out and support us!
(Left) Lily Nichols (Right) Grady Greenwood holding thier
District 2A cross country championship medals.
-Contributed Photo
-Continued from PAGE ONE - Time: 19:39.0 – Heppner
the title of District Champi-
ons in the 5,000-meter race.
Results for the Heppner
Boys District 2A:
1st place - Grady Green-
wood - Time: 15:55.4 -
Heppner
11th place - Jake Wilson -
Time: 17:57.1 - Heppner
13th place - Carson Green-
wood - Time: 18:4.0 - Hep-
pner
30th place - Max Wilson
- Time: 19:19.5 - Heppner
31st place - Walker Lathrop
- Time: 19:20.6 - Heppner
36th place: Quaid Jensen
Results for the Heppner
Girls 2A District:
1st place: Lily Nichols -
Time: 18:45.5 - Heppner
10th place: Arianna Worden
- Time: 19:59.0 - Heppner
14th place: Riley Archer -
Time: 20:41.3 - Heppner
26th place: Brooklyn Hen-
dricks - Time: 21:20.2 -
Heppner
30th place: Hailey Mc-
Daniel - Time: 21:35.3 -
Heppner
40th place: Irelynn Kollman
- Time: 22:56.3 - Heppner
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VOTE
NO!
VOTE
NO!
MORROW
COUNTY
VOTE NO!
BALLOTS DUE NOVEMBER 7TH
PAID FOR BY: VOTE NO, MORROW COUNTY HEALTH DISTRICT
LEVY 25-97
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541-215-2274
$380,000
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Heppner, OR 97836
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