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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 2024)
Mustangs dominate Outlaws 36-0 50¢ VOL. 144 NO. 44 10 Pages Wednesday, November 6, 2024 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Mustangs win BMC Championship Health district receives clean audit report By Andrea Di Salvo Morrow County Health District has received a clean audit report for 2024, the MCHD board heard at its Oct. 28 meeting in Heppner. The audit was done by international accounting firm Wipfli. Certified Public Accountant Eric Volk came from the Spokane office to present the audit findings to the MCHD board. He said the point of the audit is to provide an opin- ion on whether the financial statements of the district are materially accurate. “In our opinion, they are,” he said, adding that that meant the health district received a “clean” or un- modified opinion. “Which is exactly what we want.” He also congratulated health district staff on being well prepared for the audit. According to Volk’s report, the health district is struggling financially in some areas, but those strug- gles are largely in line with regional and national trends. Financial challenges that were mitigated by gov- ernment relief funding are reemerging as that funding dissipates. Moving through 2024, he said the healthcare in- dustry overall is most con- cerned about the costs of labor, benefits and oth- er people expenses; labor shortages and employee turnover; Medicare/Medic- aid reimbursements; man- aging payer contracts; cy- bersecurity; effective use of data; and technology integration. At the same time, Pi- oneer Memorial Hospital is one of 25 critical access hospitals in Oregon, and Volk said there are some unique aspects to account- ing policies of critical ac- cess hospitals. For instance, the payments received for service vary greatly and aren’t always for the full amount charged. According to Wipfli’s research, people manage- ment is considered a num- ber one strategic priority for rural healthcare entities. Staffing challenges contin- ue, with nursing being one of the greatest expenses. As demand rises with an aging population, there aren’t enough workers entering the healthcare field to meet that demand. “The more rural you are, the more difficult it is to attract new talent. During the height of our inflation- ary period, traveling nurses were making three, four, five times as much as they were before,” Volk said. That, he said, makes employee recruitment, re- tention and outsourcing strategies essential. Some ways the health- care industry in general is rising to meet the challeng- es are through increased wages, focus on organi- zational culture, proactive recruitment, using travel/ temporary nonclinical staff and increased benefits and perks. As for MCHD in partic- ular, Volk said the district’s overall cash and cash equiv- alents decreased in 2024 due to operating activities. Net patient receivables increased roughly $952,000 due to transition to a new Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system and billing to Thrive. Net patient account receivables increased from $1,609,990 on June 30, 2022, to $2,141,311 on June 30, 2023, and increased from $2,141,311 on June 30, 2023, to $3,092,584 on June 30, 2024. Gross patient revenue decreased by $817,143, or five percent, in 2024; increased by $1,582,135, or 11 percent, in 2023; and decreased by $596,778, or four percent, in 2022. Net patient revenue decreased by 11 percent in 2024, increased 21 percent in 2023 and increased one percent 2022. Other receivables de- creased by roughly one million dollars due to a de- crease of third-party payor settlements. Total nonoperating net revenue, including prop- erty taxes, decreased by $442,688 or eight per- cent in 2024, increased by $1,202,339 or 27 per- cent in 2023, decreased by $2,357,872or 34 percent in 2022. The decrease in 2024 was primarily due to reduced recognition of CARES Act related reve- nue. District voters ap- proved an operating tax levy that began in fiscal year 2010. Voters approved an additional five-year op- erating levy in May 2014, which produced a five-year tax revenue of $2,958,395. Voters approved additional five-year levies in May 2019 and November 2023, both at the same rates as the previous levies. MCHD’s total rec- ognized tax revenue was $3,560,035 in 2024, $3,379,550 in 2023 and $2,568,197 in 2022. The district’s total overall operating expenses decreased by $746,280, or three percent, in 2024, increased by $4,588,602, or 26 percent, in 2023 and $394,591, or one percent, in 2022. Capital asset expen- ditures, including con- struction in progress, were $271,553 during 2024. The largest costs were associat- ed with software technology and related implementation costs. However, long-term liabilities decreased as pay- ments are made following the amortization schedule. The health district’s net position decreased in 2024, down by more than a million dollars from the previous year. In part, this was because of profes- sional fees and purchased services, which were higher due to contracted registered nurses and electronic health records implementation fees. The district ended with a net position decrease of 12 percent, or $1.268 million. MCHD’s net position on June 30, 2024, was $9,138,105, compared to $10,406,360 in 2023 and $10,398,043 in 2022. Volk said Wipfli had #20 Mason Orem outruns Outlaw defenders during Heppner’s win Friday night. - Photo by Erin Proudfoot The Heppner Mus- tang football team won the Blue Mountain Conference championship with a 36-0 win over the Enterprise Outlaws. The Mustangs (9-0,6-0) moved up a spot in the OSAA State Foot- ball Rankings to number 1 entering the playoffs. Hep- pner is the number 1 seed and will play the number 16 seed Waldport Irish in the first round of the state playoffs. In the game against the Outlaws, the Mustangs scored on their first four possessions. Heppner got the ball to start the game and went on a twelve-play drive that ate up seven minutes of the clock. The offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage as all twelve plays were running plays. Heppner scored their first touchdown of the game when Alakae Rodriguez took a handoff from quarterback Mason Orem and pounded his way in from 4 yards out for the score to make it 6-0. The Heppner defense controlled the game from the start and forced an -Continued to PAGE SIX Irrigon Pickleball Club to celebrate grand opening of new courts on Nov. 9th -Continued to PAGE SEVEN Heppner Mustangs charge to state quarterfinals with 3-1 win Over Santiam The Heppner High School volleyball team claimed a hard-fought vic- tory over Santiam in a thrill- ing four-set match, winning 3-1. The scores were 26-28, 25-21, 25-18, and 25-14. “The girls came out with a little bit of playoff jitters, some knowing this was their last opportunity to make state and some with this being their first oppor- tunity.” Said Coach Mindy Wilson. The standout player of the game was Hallee Hisler, who demonstrated her versatility by racking up impressive statistics in multiple categories. She had a total of 21 digs, made 15 kills, and blocked 7 shots. Ava Gerry and Maya Payne also made significant contributions to the team. Ava posted 23 digs, 9 kills, 17 assists, and secured an ace, while Maya topped the assists category with 16 and added 24 digs, 5 kills, and 2 aces to her name. Isa Payne and Avree Lathrop put forth com- mendable performances as well. Isa finished the game with 13 kills, 8 digs, and 3 blocks. Avree managed to score an ace four times in addition to making 13 digs and a kill. Katie Spivey led the team in digs with a remarkable count of 31 and contributed an ace, show- casing the team’s strong de- fensive capabilities. Keeley also played a part in the win Hallee Hisler #11, being gaurded by Maya Payne #4. -Photo by Susan Hisler. pner had refined their strat- egy and largely controlled the game, outscoring San- tiam by 11 points. This decisive set demonstrated the team’s growth and ef- fective adaptation during the match. “Once we made the adjustments, we were able to get our hands on al- most every ball. Very proud of them all!” the coach proudly stated. This win advances Heppner further in their journey towards the state Ava Gerry #10 being championship, leaving gaurded by Isa Payne #4 and Keeley Nairns #24. -Photo by players, coaches, and sup- porters eagerly anticipating Susan Hisler. their next performance. The girls will be playing against the Salem Academy at the Ridgeview High School in Redmond, Oregon, quarter- finals on November 8 th . New pickleball court in Irrigon - Picture by Bobbie Veatch The Irrigon Pickleball Club, affectionately known as the “Pickleheads,” will celebrate the grand opening of its new pickleball courts on November 9 at 1 p.m. The club, which has been active in Irrigon since 2013, initially played on tennis courts and in the gym at A.C. Houghton Elementary School. Formally estab- lished in 2018, the club has long dreamed of having dedicated courts of its own. “We started collecting bottles and cans, held ga- rage sales, and even sold hot dogs and plants at the farmers market to raise funds,” shared Bobbie Ve- atch of the Irrigon Pickle- ball Club, highlighting the community’s grassroots efforts. In 2023, with assis- tance from Irrigon Parks and Recreation, the club received approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- neers to use a parcel of land near the ball fields. That summer, they also secured funding from the Morrow County Unified Recreation District (MCURD), en- abling them to construct a four-court complex. Now, with their own courts ready for play, the club invites the community to join them for the grand opening celebration, mark- ing a significant milestone in their journey. CALL Top row (R-L) Asst Coach Molly Rhea, Ava Gerry, Hal- lee Hisler, Isa Payne, Maya Payne, Isabelle Ogden, Olivia Ogden, Avree Lathrop, Asst Coach Kelly Barnett bottom row (L-R) Keeley Nairns, Katie Spivey, CiCi Stefani, Healy Hisler, Coach Mindy Wilson. -Photo contributed. with her 10 digs and 2 kills. Coach Mindy Wil- son stated, “Santiam was scrappy and dug a lot of our hits, so we had to be stra- tegic and find the holes.” Adjustments in the defense were crucial for Heppner, allowing them to cover different angles and tighten their overall game as they successfully countered San- tiam’s hitters. By the fourth set, Hep- 541-989-8221 ext 204 for more information
