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