Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 19, 2025)
50¢ VOL. 145 NO.12 8 Pages Wednesday, March 19, 2025 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Community meeting highlights concerns over hospital and MCHD gives response (R) Patti Alstot addresses community members at The Hub in Heppner regarding concerns about the Morrow County Health District and Pioneer Memorial Hospital. - Contributed Photo By Chris Sykes On March 11, 2025, a community meeting re- garding the Morrow County Health District (MCHD) and Pioneer Memorial Hos- pital drew over 50 people in person and nearly as many on Zoom. The discussion, moder- ated by Janet Greenup, fo- cused on claims of admin- istrative failures, staffing shortages, and the hospital’s shift to contract workers over local hires, with addi- tional concerns raised about high turnover of nurses, physicians and employees in the last couple of years. While some hospital employees attended, many did not speak during the meeting. Greenup opened the session by outlining the comment structure: phy- sicians in the room would speak first, followed by Zoom participants, then other medical profession- als, and finally the public. She emphasized the need for factual statements over emotional ones, banned personal attacks, and en- couraged brevity. Speakers were asked to raise their hands and use microphones. Dr. Russ Nichols, a physician with a long histo- ry at the hospital, took the floor. Nichols, who began working at Pioneer Me- morial in November 1999 and continued with breaks until around 2021, now practices at St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton. He reminisced about a time when the health district employed multiple “home- town workers”—providers, lab technicians, nurses, and maintenance staff—and ex- pressed his desire to restore that model. “I like having my pa- tients see me in Pendleton, but I wish they didn’t have to drive there for care,” Nichols said, noting he sees patients from Lexington, Hardman, Ione, Heppner and surrounding areas. He argued the facility could handle this demand with proper staffing. Sheridan Tarnasky, a longtime Heppner resident and former medical provid- er at the clinic and hospital, voiced frustration over the uncertainty surrounding the hospital. “We have to figure out something to do, because probably a lot of what I hear is rumor, but I’m sure there’s some factual infor- mation in there too,” she said. When she asked how many attendees sought medical care out of town, over half the room raised their hands. Tarnasky pointed to administration as the root issue. She cited Facebook posts about staff being fired or placed on administrative leave, noting many in the room were former hospital employees who “didn’t leave because they wanted to.” She claimed, “They don’t have a good admin- istrative team that is there for their staff or the com- munity.” Estes asked why the board opted for contract workers over local hires. Tarnasky responded, claiming the last physi- cians left due to lack of administrative support, adding, “The word has gotten around, and people don’t want to come here. That’s the only thing they can do—contract.” Another community member supported this, in- sisting it wasn’t a financial decision. Janet Greenup clarified, “It’s not specifically the administrative team, but the board that doesn’t support Wilson selected as Heppner’s new football coach Heppner High School has announced the appoint- ment of Rob Wilson as the new Head Football Coach. Wilson has been a vital part of the Mustang football program for the past 10 years and steps into this role following the retirement of longtime coach Greg Grant. Wilson states, “I’m ex- cited to continue the strong traditions of Mustang Foot- ball.” Rob Wilson Wee Bit O’ Ireland pictures page 7 Heppner council revisits library citing City moves forward with water master plan -Continued to PAGE THREE Greater Idaho bills wait for hearing in Oregon Legislature By Andrea Di Salvo Despite setbacks, the Greater Idaho movement seems to be gaining ground in both Eastern Oregon and Idaho, the Morrow County Board of Commissioners learned at its last regular meeting March 5 in Hep- pner. However, further mo- mentum also means gain- ing ground in the Oregon Legislature, where two bills are currently sitting in com- mittee, waiting for action. Matt McCaw, Execu- tive Director for the Greater Idaho Movement, told the commissioners that “the people have spoken.” “They want to have this conversation. They want their elected leaders to have this conversation,” said Mc- Caw. “The State of Idaho is a willing partner. The State of Oregon has currently not acted, though our represen- tatives in Eastern Oregon have introduced bills.” Thirteen counties in Eastern Oregon have passed “pretty radical” measures supporting the idea of mov- ing the border, he said. Ten of those, including Morrow County, passed measures requiring ongoing discussions by county lead- ership. Another three, Mc- Caw said, were straight-up advisory questions asking citizens if they wanted to join Idaho. In Morrow County, voters approved by a large margin a bill requiring the board of commissioners to meet three times a year to discuss how to promote the county’s interests in such a border change. March 5 was the first of those meetings for 2025. By law, any two bor- dering states may move their state border if both state legislatures agree to it. To that end, McCaw said, the State of Idaho passed a house measure in 2023 inviting the Oregon Legis- lature to begin border talks. “So the state of Idaho has seen what adding East- ern Oregon counties would mean for Idaho,” said Mc- Caw. “They are open to the idea. They’re ready to have this discussion.” Idaho Governor Brad Little has publicly support- ed border talks, and polling in Idaho shows strong sup- port for the idea, McCaw said. On the Oregon side, McCaw said the movement currently has two bills in the Oregon Legislature. The first is a memorial bill similar to a bill put for- ward in 2023, which would invite Idaho to begin border talks. The 2023 bill was never given a hearing or moved into committee, but the group hopes for a better outcome with the 2025 bill. The second bill, House Bill 3488, would create a task force to study “all things” about moving the border, McCaw said. The bill was sponsored by state representatives Mark Ow- ens, Bobby Levy and Vikki Breese Iverson. Represen- tatives Emily McIntire and Court Boice also support the bill. Rep. Greg Smith has not so-sponsored the bill. McCaw said both bills are in the respective rules committees for their cham- bers but have not been given hearings or work sessions yet. “That’s where we’re pushing, is to get these bills a hearing, get them into a work session so that people can be heard and we can help advocate for what the people out here are asking for,” said McCaw. Morrow County Com- missioner Gus Peterson asked about HB 3488, ques- tioning how the details of the border move would be worked out. “What would all of the consequences be? All of our zoning laws would change; all of our governing laws for how we do things as a county would change. Is there anything on the table for having a task force to study that?” asked Peterson. “If we are going to continue this discussion, let’s play it out. What would it actually look like?” McCaw said that is the precise purpose of HB 3488. “It’s a task force. It brings various groups to- gether,” he told Peterson. “It lists out all the different people that we would want to be part of the task force to look at all these sorts of issues.” Some of the issues in- cluded existing laws, trans- fer of assets and even how to handle prisons located in Eastern Oregon. “All of those big ques- tions that are very difficult for a county to answer, or an individual,” he said. “That’s what this task force is designed to do.” As far as other action at the county level, McCaw urged the commissioners to promote the idea with legislators. “Counties can’t change the border. The counties can advocate for change for their citizens,” he told the commissioners. McCaw added that, so far, nine counties in Eastern Oregon have written letters to their respective legisla- tors and the governor ask- ing the legislature to take up the issue. To date, Morrow County is not among them. Nor has the Eastern Oregon Counties Asso- ciation written a support letter, despite a majority of its members having passed measures in support of Greater Idaho. No public comment was taken during that por- tion of the BOC meeting, but questions can be sub- mitted through the move- ment’s website, GreaterIda- ho.org. City attorney and OTLD board member Bill Kuhn (left) and city manager John Doherty. -Contributed By Andrea Di Salvo The Heppner City Council again discussed possible future locations for a new Heppner library at its March 10 meeting in Heppner. Oregon Trail Library District Director Kathy Street and OTLD board member Bill Kuhn attended the meeting as a follow-up to the OTLD’s previous request regarding a future new library build- ing at Heppner City Park. The library district had earlier approached the city about the possi- bility of building a new 5,000-square-foot library on part of the Heppner City Park property, but the city had concerns about loss of park space and trees, building size and parking requirements. Kuhn said the OTLD wants to build a space that enhances the city, and he still thought that could be accomplished at the city park. “I think the city’s done an amazing job increasing park size and enhancing park facilities throughout Heppner,” he said. “The idea here with the library is, can we enhance and complement the park area?” The zoning for a new building of that size would require about four new spaces of off-street park- ing. Kuhn stressed that the library has already been in that location a long time, and the city has worked with other old buildings like the Gilliam Bisbee building without requiring additional parking. He also thought the building could be placed without sacrific- ing too many trees. “This all works, but there are things to think -Continued to PAGE SIX CALL 541-989-8221 ext 220 for more information
