Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 26, 2025 -- THREE
Spiritually Speaking
~ Letters to the Editor ~
Father Thankachan Joseph
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Local
Support
Important in
Local
Healthcare
We are navigating
through a time of great
change in healthcare, and
though uncertainty sur-
rounds us, we are filled with
hope and determination to
continue serving our com-
munity. The healthcare sys-
tem has faced many chal-
lenges, and while recovery
from the COVID pandemic
is ongoing, we remain com-
mitted to strengthening the
care we provide at Morrow
County Health District.
With many changes
being discussed at both the
state and federal levels,
now, more than ever, local
support plays a crucial role
in ensuring that we can con-
tinue to offer vital services
to our community.
Over the past three
years, we’ve been focused
on implementing a strategic
plan to help us strengthen
services, improve access for
our patients, and make sure
that each area of our county
is served in the most effec-
tive and thoughtful way. A
key part of this journey has
been refining the model we
use to provide services at
our clinics.
In this post-COVID
world, it’s essential that we
continue to operate effi-
ciently while keeping care
affordable. We’ve imple-
mented new staffing models
and workflows that help us
serve more patients while
reducing costs, and we’re
seeing positive results. In
2022, we were able to open
Boardman Immediate Care
to provide same day care
options. During the FY
23-24 period, we saw 2,990
more patient visits across
the clinics than in the years
prior to implementing our
new clinic model.
We’re also thrilled to
report a significant boost in
patient satisfaction scores,
a true testament to the hard
work of our dedicated team.
You can learn more about
our clinic performance
by visiting our website at
healthymc.org.
We’re currently re-
cruiting and interviewing
candidates for a full-time
physician for Pioneer Me-
morial Clinic and a full-
time physician assistant
or nurse practitioner for
Irrigon Medical Clinic. In
addition, we are working
with the National Office
of Rural Health to explore
options to expand services
in Boardman and Irrigon.
At Pioneer Memorial
Hospital, we’re investing
in improvements to ensure
we continue to offer the best
care possible, including
the scheduled replacement
of our CT machine and
planning for better ADA
accessibility and private
patient bathrooms.
To ensure we are con-
tinuing to meet the needs
of our community, we are
launching a community
survey this week to gather
valuable insights on pa-
tient access and service
utilization. Your feedback
is essential in helping us
shape the next phase of our
strategic planning.
We are grateful for your
continued support and look
forward to hearing from
you. Together, we will con-
tinue to build a healthier
future for Morrow County
today and toMORROW.
Emily Roberts
MCHD CEO
Heppner, OR
Priorities Need EMS Thoughts Good People
Sometimes in the EMS
to Change at
world, you have days that Like Rhea are
stick with you, like it or Hard to Find
MCHD
Letter to the editor,
After being approached
by both sides of MCHD
(Morrow County Health
District) to get involved,
I have communicated and
listened to: three MCHD
board members (Diane
Kilkenny, Scott Ezell and
Steven Munkers), CEO
Emily Roberts, two past
MCHD board members
(John Murray and Aar-
on Palmquist), Dr. Russ
Nichols, Dr. Emily Jack,
Danielle Mateleska (prior
MCHD PA), past MCHD
CEO Bob Houser, current
MCHD lab techs and lower
level administrators, and
others.
The result: 1) MCHD
has dedicated employees
that love their job and love
living in Morrow County, 2)
MCHD is a house divided
and 3) Virtually every per-
son warned MCHD is very
close to collapse.
In a nutshell, MCHD
is the Titanic about to hit
an iceberg. When that hap-
pens, MCHD will lose four
health clinics, home health,
hospice, ambulance pro-
tection for the south end
and Irrigon, and Pioneer
Memorial Hospital.
MCHD will lose 200
jobs, half that live in South
Morrow County. South
end residents dependent on
health care, will be forced
to move closer to their care
providers. Heppner and
some south-end businesses
will be devastated. Innocent
people, like on the Titanic,
will be cast into ominous
waters.
Every MCHD clinic
has only one PA or NP med-
ical provider. According to
the Gazette-Times, Pioneer
Memorial had seven pa-
tients averaging 2.1 days
in the hospital in January.
The majority of those
I spoke with testified that
MCHD has to change di-
rection to avoid the present
course of impending disas-
ter. That means a change in
the direction of leadership
in the MCHD board and
administration.
The priority of that
change? Health care for
patients must be the priori-
ty. Healing the breach that
is dividing our citizens must
be the priority. Bringing
doctors, nurses, medical
professionals that want to
work and live in the com-
munities they serve must be
the priority. A fresh vision
of how to bring prosperity
in numbers and quality
to health care in Morrow
County must be the priority.
Traveling doctors,
nurses, medical profes-
sionals, can be tools but
are not the answer. Heppner
has two doctors and one PA
that live in Heppner and
work over an hour away,
taking their patients with
them. This is untenable and
unacceptable if health care
and financial health is our
priority.
MCHD is funded by
tax funds from the citizens
of Morrow County and
patients that use MCHD.
These citizens are own-
ers of MCHD. When they
speak the Board and Ad-
ministration must heed or
the ship is going to sink.
Stuart Dick
Irrigon, OR
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not. I remember a day when
we had a particularly bad
call. It wasn’t easy and it
hit me hard…and it still
does. Working in EMS can
put some pretty unpleasant
things into view. I’ve seen
trauma ... “blood n’ guts”
... and death. You never
know how it will affect you.
Sometimes, I’m surprised
by my reaction…or even
the lack of. Then I wonder
why I’m not bothered more.
While I do have a rather
strong stomach and I am
a bit of a trauma/training
junkie, I just chalked it up
to a sort of disconnect for
the purpose of self-preser-
vation. It’s an ability to do
my job in controlled chaos.
So what makes the calls
you can’t shake? Often the
hardest calls aren’t the ones
we might think. One call
that stuck with me didn’t
end in death and didn’t in-
volve any gore. But it was
an event that would change
a young life forever. It’s the
one I think about that tears
at my heart the most.
So I’ve come to the
conclusion that it’s the hu-
man element that gets me.
It’s doing everything I can,
bringing all the different
aspects of my training to-
gether, performing to the
best of my ability and I still
can’t direct the outcome.
Those calls make me sad.
They frustrate me and they
make me feel vulnerable.
My first response isn’t to
walk away feeling proud
that I’ve done all I could.
It’s to walk away thinking
of any possible way I could
have done better. While it’s
not a warm and fuzzy feel-
ing, it is a necessary feeling,
and one that hopefully will
benefit the next patient and
make the next call go more
smoothly.
I believe the Good Lord
makes the ultimate decision
as to which patient makes it
and which doesn’t. He also
gives us the skills and the
privilege to hopefully make
the process a little easi-
er. One thing I’ve learned
through it all is that when
emergencies happen, our
priorities get rearranged
pretty quickly. It makes me
think of a patient who was
having trouble breathing.
Between short, difficult
breaths, he said, “Where
is my family?” All I could
think of was to say, “I’m
sure they’re on their way.”
They weren’t. And a few
days later, he breathed his
last without any goodbyes.
I’ve heard the saying
“Live like it’s your last day
on Earth.” Good words…
but I wonder how things
would change if we lived
like it was someone else’s
last day on earth. What if
you knew you were about to
lose someone…how would
you treat them? Would you
still be angry, offended,
annoyed or indifferent?
Last days come to all of us.
So whatever’s eating you...
let it go. Make some good
memories with your loved
ones. Love ‘em like you
mean it.
“Love is patient, love
is kind. It does not envy,
it does not boast, it is not
proud. It does not dishonor
others, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it
keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in
evil but rejoices with the
truth. It always protects, al-
ways trusts, always hopes,
always perseveres” (1 Cor-
inthians 13:1-7).
Susie Crosby
Prineville, OR
Dear Heppner Gazette
Editor,
I was pleased to read
that Molly Rhea is running
for MCHD (Morrow Coun-
ty Health District) board.
All voters in the MCHD
should be concerned by
what is happening in rural
healthcare in our country.
As hospital administrator,
I worked with Molly for
almost 10 years. I know
there is no one better in the
county than Molly to be
a MCHD board member.
She is forward-looking,
compassionate, caring and
customer-service oriented.
Molly has the right balance
for MCHD. She is commit-
ted to the residents of the
county.
After I retired I came
back four times as interim
administrator. Molly was
always there, and I could
trust what she said to help
me, the hospital and the
district. She is ethical and
makes well-informed de-
cisions.
Over 40 years I have
worked with a lot of nurses,
doctors and board mem-
bers. Retired nurses make
great hospital board mem-
bers. Good people like Mol-
ly are hard to find.
Thank You,
Victor VanderDoes
Celebrating
Community
Spirit in
Heppner
What a joy it was to
experience Heppner’s St.
Patrick’s Day parade! I’ve
always appreciated the ca-
maraderie a good parade
brings, but Heppner’s cel-
ebration truly stands out as
one of the best I’ve attend-
ed. Initially, I thought the
entire town had come out
just to watch, but I quickly
realized how many more
were active participants.
From candy being enthu-
siastically tossed to the
cheerful sounds of bands
and sirens, the energy was
infectious.
To fully embrace the
festivities, I donned a bright
green Heppner hoodie and
joined in the fun, wav-
ing and cheering with the
crowd. The sense of con-
nection and community
pride was inspiring. It re-
minded me of the power
of small towns to come
together, not just for joy-
filled events like this but
also to support one another
during life’s most challeng-
ing moments.
As the Pioneer Me-
morial Home Health and
Hospice medical director,
I’ve witnessed firsthand
how this community rallies
to care for its own. Whether
it’s providing comfort at the
end of life or celebrating the
vibrancy of living, Heppner
exemplifies the strength and
resilience of rural commu-
nities. Events like the St.
Patrick’s Day parade shine
a light on the passion this
town has for its businesses,
families and children.
Being here has deep-
ened my admiration for
Heppner, and I feel fortu-
nate to play a small part in
a town that values both its
history and its future.
Christine Seals, MD
Family Medicine Phy-
sician
Lent: A Time to Return to
The Father
As our Lenten observances move into the fourth week,
the reflection for this week is the parable of the prodigal
son, a marvelous parable in Luke (15:11-32) that describes
the mercy and compassion of the heavenly Father. I have
decided to reflect on the personalities of three persons in
the parable.
The Loving Father resembles a modern father who
gives in to his children out of love. When the younger boy
demands his share of property, the father allows this, for if
forced to stay home, home would be a prison for the son.
But the father knows that his son is immature and
knows not what he is doing. After the son’s premature
departure from home, the father waits on his front porch
every night, watching the road from the city, hoping that
realization will dawn on the son. People who watch him
say, “Hey, Mister, you ought to be declared ‘Father of
the year.’” But the father continues to wait every night
until darkness, when he goes to bed saying a tearful
prayer for his lost but always dear son, as many parents
do these days.
Then one evening, his heart explodes with excitement.
He sees a figure coming down the road. He can tell...it is
his son coming home! The father runs down the road, his
heart pounding, tears of relief rolling down his cheeks.
He hugs his boy tightly, his sobs of joy shaking his body.
The boy says something about not being worthy to come
home as a son, asking only to hire on as a field worker. The
father hears nothing of this. His heart says, “I do not care
where you have been or what you have done. All I care
about is that you are home, and I love you!” He does not
wait to hear what the son has done with his wealth, does
not bother with what is lost. He is happy that he has back
his lost son. Here we have a beautiful example of heav-
enly love, care and affection that transcends human love.
The Older Son: How wonderful it would have been if
the older son had said, “O, how glad I am! The fact that
my brother has come home shows that he has changed. I
have missed him so much. I have prayed for his return.
I have shared with Father concern for his safety. I must
hurry to embrace him.”
But he lacks concern and brotherly love: “The way
my father treated my younger brother was a slap on my
face.” When his brother returns, the older son feels the
need to share, fears losing the castle he has built in his
dreams, enjoying everything by himself alone.
The Prodigal Son: The younger son feels that he has
outgrown his father and wants no part of his father’s life-
style or home. He asks his father to give to him the portion
of the estate that he would inherit upon his father’s death.
He thinks he will be happier away from home, for he
would no longer be under parental control, which seems
the how many present-day youngsters feel.
The far country promised freedom but actually en-
slaved the young man. While his money lasted, he had
some fair-weather friends, but when the money ran short,
he was reduced to deprivation. He hired out to a gentile to
feed the gentile’s swine and ended up eating animal food.
It was under such misery that he thought of his parents
and home. He thought, “The hired servants at home fare
well. Father is a good man. I will go back to him, confess
my sin, and ask him to accept me as a hired servant.”
To come back home was no easy job. It called for a
lot of humility and courage. He knew what people were
thinking and saying about him. But his conviction and
contrition lead him back home.
Some people are lost like sheep, losing their way by
careless drifting. Some, through life’s circumstances,
are misplaced like a lost coin. Others, like the young
son, are lost through willful rebellion. Still others are
lost as the older brother was—at home yet far from the
father, full of hate, self-righteousness, prejudice, envy
and unforgiveness.
When a sheep is found, the shepherd rejoices; when
a coin is found, the woman rejoices; when a son is found,
the father rejoices; when a sinner repents, God rejoices.
Now is the day of salvation.
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