Previously missed stories: * City Still Gambling on Former Federal Building Location (12/8) * Marketplace (12/8) * Volunteer Clinic Is About Good Health Care (12/12) * Home Depot Buzz Hits Neighborhood (12/15) ========================================================== Health Options Digest December 10-16, 2001 (revised) Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield ========================================================== ------------------------------ Key ------------------------------ "Health Options Digest" summarizes local newspaper stories on developments affecting the health options available to the community and people making the decisions. "Health Options Digest" is best read with an email program that recognizes links to web pages. It includes leads from and links to stories and opinions from the following publications: RG = The Register-Guard SN = Springfield News (Follow first link if item is still current, second link if item is past.) EW = Eugene Weekly (Follow first link if item is still current, second link if item is past.) CITY STILL GAMBLING ON FORMER FEDERAL BUILDING LOCATION Without fanfare, the city of Springfield spent $13,000 Oct. 29 to extend its option to purchase the Island Park Professional Center at 175 W. B St. another 120 days. Springfield first paid $100 to owner Island Park Partners, LLC in November 2000 for a 90-day option to purchase the 2.66-acre property for $2.6 million. The city packaged the center with adjacent properties in a proposal to the U.S. General Services Adm inistration when the GSA was looking for a site for its new federal courthouse - a search that led the GSA to keep the courthouse in Eugene. In February, the city paid $26,000 to extend the option on the professional center for another nine months, and on Oct. 29, Springfield took the final extension the city and the property owners agreed to. The city has until the end of February 2002 to buy the property or to assign the purchase option to another buyer... [Tim Shinabarger, SN community story, 12/8/01] http://springfieldnews.com/2001/news1208/community/sn_community-04.htm#TopOfPage MARKETPLACE Jill Hoggard-Green has joined PeaceHealth as regional vice-president for hospital operations and administrator for Sacred Heart Medical Center. Hoggard-Green had worked for Intermountain Health Care in Salt Lake City since 1980, working her way up from the position of oncology nurse to operating officer for three hospitals. Before taking the position at PeaceHealth, she was assistant vice president of Intermountain's clinical support division. PeaceHealth is the parent company of Sacred Heart Medical Center, 1200 Hilyard St., Eugene. PeaceHealth announced in September it would locate its new Sacred Heart hospital in Springfield. [Tim Shinabarger, SN business story, 12/8/01] http://springfieldnews.com/2001/news1208/business/business-01.html#TopOfPage HEARING SET TO DISCUSS SPORTS CENTER Springfield -- The public will get its first chance in January to address an emerging deal in which a planned sports center is relocated to midtown and its former destination in Gateway changed to allow industrial development. The Springfield City Council will hold a public hearing Jan. 22 on the building of a 160,000-square-foot sports center at 32nd and Main streets; the rezoning of the sports center's former Gateway site along Sports Way to allow office or business park use; and a bid by developer Arlie & Co. to buy the 22-acre Gateway parcel for $5.35 million cash, subject to the zoning change... [Matt Cooper, RG city & region story, 12/11/01, page 1D] http://www.registerguard.com/news/20011211/1d.cr.arlie.1211.html BOB WELCH: HOW TO FIX OUR BAD PLANNING Let me see if I have this right: Sacred Heart Medical Center of Eugene is moving to Springfield. Eugene is courting McKenzie-Willamette Hospital of Springfield. Now, letter writers are suggesting we just plop down Sacred Heart on the Lane County Fairgrounds site and relocate the fairgrounds on the outskirts of town. Hey, I've been thinking way too small. As long as we're changing things around, here's my Top 10 wish list... [Bob Welch, RG column, 12/11/01, page 1D] http://www.registerguard.com/news/20011211/1d.cr.welch.1211.html EUGENE COUNCIL OKS ALLEY SALE TO HOSPITAL The Eugene City Council voted 5-2 Monday to sell a public alley running through PeaceHealth's Hilyard Street campus. Hospital officials said they needed control of the alley to complete a major redevelopment of the hospital property worth an estimated $40 million. The project would get under way after the hospital moves its major operations to Springfield's Gateway area in 2006. On Friday, the hospital paid the city $85,225 for rights to the alley, which runs between Hilyard and Alder streets, a half-block south of East 11th Avenue. The city, in turn, has required PeaceHealth to submit a letter expressing its intent to continue providing medical services on the remodeled block, a project timeline and the estimated cost. The council also required the hospital to work with Lane Transit District regarding the location of a bus stop. "This is the first important step for us as far as the revitalization of the Hilyard campus," Sacred Heart spokesman Brian Terrett said. "The vision we have includes substantial medical services for the community, including emergency care." Councilors Bonny Bettman and Betty Taylor voted against the alley's sale. [RG city/region digest, 12/11/01, page 3D] http://www.registerguard.com/news/20011211/3d.cr.digest.1211.html EUGENE HAS A CHOICE The Gang of 9 (propaganda machinery for big developers and wealthy land investors) is now promoting citywide council elections over the current ward-system election process. This would diminish democratic representation and dramatically increase the cost of election campaigns. Proponents of this change say it would make the system more democratic because it would involve citywide participation in the vote for every councilor. If we were to follow this logic through, we might just as well eliminate state representative and senate districts and have a big generic statewide vote. Next, we could eliminate Oregon's vote for its U.S. senators and just let the whole country choose our senators for us. The reason that big developers (often out of state) and Gang of 9 profiteers are lobbying so heavily for citywide elections is that it will greatly increase campaign costs for candidates who are running for office. This will give a substantial advantage to the well-heeled entities that front candidates who represent their interests. Their goal, of course, is to turn the Eugene City Council into a brothel of complicitous, docile puppets who will green-light every development project and gut every land use and environmental law that gets in the way of immediate self-enrichment. Eugene has a choice. It can evolve in a domain of democracy or be ruled by an elite greed-driven group that utilizes subterfuge, manipulation and misinformation to further its insatiable goal of accruing wealth. See Karen McCowan's column (Register-Guard, Oct. 26) on the inter-relatedness of Gang of 9 core members' real estate investment schemes and political lobbying. [Gerry Rempel, Eugene, RG letter to editor, 12/11/01] http://www.registerguard.com/news/20011211/ed.letters.1211.html A SHOW OF CONCERN As a volunteer at the Volunteers In Medicine Clinic in Eugene, I was pleased that the story about the health care of one of our patients was shared with the readers in Karen McCowan's Nov. 23 column. This clinic provides a much-needed service to our community, and I'd like to share another side of the clinic's story. One recent day we were without an interpreter, and we had several Spanish-speaking clients scheduled for appointments. When we opened our doors, a gentleman entered who was bilingual and spoke Spanish. He immediately began to interpret for us in our time of need. Our patients, as well as our staff, were very appreciative of his willingness to help us, even though he was there to accompany an ill family member. It was heartwarming to see his genuine concern for others, especially since he was there to be served and not to serve. The clinic is a blessing to the community, and the people it serves are a blessing to those of us who give a few hours each week. [Pam Seaver, Veneta, RG letter to editor, 12/11/01] http://www.registerguard.com/news/20011211/ed.letters.1211.html UNDERHANDED ATTACKS I just have to respond to Jim Bachelder (letters, Dec. 8), who describes the people who dislike the The Gang of 9's cartoons as "selfish thinkers." I believe he entirely misses the point behind people's discomfort. The problem I and many fellow citizens have with The Gang of 9 is its tendency to attack those with whom its members disagree rather than making an objective presentation of their alternative proposals. It has become a habit of certain factions in our country to smear the characters and reputations of their opponents. That causes some of us to wonder if this habit developed as a way to distract from the fact that their own proposals cannot withstand the scrutiny it would take to win support based on their own merits. It is this tendency we condemn, not the gang's right to offer suggestions. As Americans, we have the inherent right to disagree with each others' ideas, but to smear your opponents' character seems underhanded and libelous. I believe the members of the City Council so demonized by the gang's cartoons have been trying to do exactly what they were elected to do and what they promised in their campaigns - to monitor our community's growth, ensuring that we develop in a healthy way. Although constantly besieged by criticism of the most cruel and personal nature, these council members have very bravely refused to lower themselves to the same level as their attackers but have struggled on to fulfill their promises to their constituencies. I, too, have not always agreed with every decision they've made, but I do not doubt the purity of their intentions. [Pam Moon, Eugene, RG letter to editor, 12/12/01] http://www.registerguard.com/news/20011212/ed.letters.1212.html CONSIDER MALL IMPACT I'm confused. The reporting on the failure of the Interstate 5-Gateway interchange (Register-Guard, Dec. 7) seems to be oddly devoid of much factual data. How many vehicles a day pass through that intersection? What are the peak hours? How many vehicles will Sacred Heart General Hospital add? At what peak hours? Please provide some numbers. And while we're at it, why isn't anyone mentioning the obvious negative impact that the opening of 17 more movie screens two years ago at the Gateway Mall had on traffic in that area? Somebody should do the math on that one! There are now 29 movie screens at the mall. Suppose each screen does four shows a day. That's 116 shows a day. Then assume an average of only 20 vehicles are driven through the interchange to reach each one of those shows. That's 2,320 vehicle trips per day, one way, or 4,640 trips if those vehicles will pass through the intersection again on the return trip home. Why do the Gateway Mall and its tenants escape responsibility on this obvious issue? If anything caused that intersection to fail, it was the addition of 17 more movie screens at the mall. Why only pounce on PeaceHealth and Arlie & Co.? [David Stambaugh, Eugene, RG letter to editor, 12/12/01] http://www.registerguard.com/news/20011212/ed.letters.1212.html CITY CONSIDERS SELLING SPORTS WAY PROPERTY TO ARLIE & CO. The Springfield City Council threw back the curtain Monday night on a $5.35-million purchase offer from Eugene developer Arlie & Co. for 22 acres of city-owned property on Sports Way. The property is at the north end of Sports Way and just east of Interstate 5 in the Gateway area. The council met in closed session to discuss the proposal. After-ward, City Manager Mike Kelly said the council will hold a public hearing on it on Jan. 22... [Tim Shinabarger, SN front page story, 12/12/01] http://www.springfieldnews.com/2001/news1212/frontpage/sn_frontpage-01.htm#TopOfPage VOLUNTEER CLINIC IS ABOUT GOOD HEALTH CARE "May we have eyes to see those rendered invisible and excluded, open arms and hearts to reach out and include them, healing hands to touch their lives with love, and in the process, heal ourselves." (Volunteers in Medicine vision statement) It's not insurance -- but assurance -- that those involved with the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic are aiming for. "It's about good public health," said retired physician Hugh Johnston, who shares the clinic's medical director's position with Dr. Kerry O'Fallon. "Many people tend to look at a free clinic and think it has nothing to do with them. But in any population, if you aren't treating everyone, you have a repository of illness." Despite the existence of employer-paid health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance, it's estimated that nearly 28,000 Lane County residents are without health insurance or don't go to doctors because they can't afford high premiums or out-of-pocket deductibles... [Kim Sullivan, SN community story, 12/12/01] http://springfieldnews.com/2001/news1212/community/sn_community-01.htm#TopOfPage COUNCIL BEGINS SCRUTINIZING ELECTION SYSTEM The Eugene City Council on Wednesday dived into the hottest new political issue: a proposal to elect councilors citywide instead of by ward. Members of the Citizen Charter Review Committee looked at the idea of citywide elections earlier this year and decided they preferred the current ward election system. But the Gang of 9 political action committee studied the issue over the summer and recently launched a campaign to get citywide elections on the May 2002 ballot... [Diane Dietz, RG city & region story, 12/13/01, page 1B] http://www.registerguard.com/news/20011213/1b.cr.citywide.elections.1213.html WHO SPEAKS FOR OSPREY? One September day I watched an osprey flutter down and snatch a snake from the field adjacent to the McKenzie River within the proposed RiverBend development site. I've always been lucky to witness raptors hunting, but to see an osprey fly off with a snake in its talons was a rare sight, even for me. Several weeks later, I commented to two friends that I hadn't observed any osprey or any other birds around the river. As if responding to my call, two bald eagles flew over the river and field close by. A few minutes later, an osprey entered the airspace as the eagles exited our view. All this in the heart of the proposed RiverBend project, located at the end of Baldy View Lane in the Gateway area. Other large raptors, including red-tailed and marsh hawks, call this place home. Here they hunt and raise their young and provide us with the best visual entertainment. The island at RiverBend is a nesting site for the blue heron. I've seen as many as eight heron nests on my one trek to the island. Beaver also live here and are often seen swimming in the river here where beaver-chewed limbs litter the bank. Foxes den in the field adjacent to the river; the deer also call this place home. Who knows what other fauna and floral resources exist here? Have state wildlife officials surveyed for these resources? Does the state of Oregon have an interest in protecting this undeclared natural wildlife refuge? What about Lane County's or the city of Springfield's interest in protecting natural resources likes these? What about the developers or the citizens who stand to benefit or suffer from PeaceHealth's and Arlie & Co.'s proposed projects? Who speaks for the osprey? I don't know, but it sure is nice to see the eagles here again, finally. [Bryan Baney, Springfield, RG letter to editor, 12/12/01] http://www.registerguard.com/news/20011213/ed.letters.1213.html SPRAWL & HEALTH: HEALTH INDUSTRY OFFICIALS IGNORE OUR TOXIC BUILT ENVIRONMENT PeaceHealth officials claimed moving Sacred Heart hospital from downtown to the far sprawling edge of Springfield would promote a "healing environment" for the new facility. But a new report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows that suburban sprawl is very unhealthy. The traffic produced by sprawl causes air pollution that damages lungs, discourages exercise that prevents obesity, and increases deadly car accidents. The additional pavement produces runoff that pollutes drinking water, according to the CDC report, "Creating a Healthy Environment: The Impact of the Built Environment on Public Health."... [Orna Izakson, EW news story, 12/13/01, page 12] http://www.eugeneweekly.com/news.html#news1 http://www.eugeneweekly.com/archive/12_13_01/news.html#news1 A COMEDY CALLED EUGENE Let's see now: We tear up good farmland, destroying in the process a beautiful urban-rural transition, to get gravel to dump into a wetland to support an ill-advised traffic slot (euphemistically called a parkway). Meanwhile, we move Eugene's hospital to Springfield and Springfield's hospital to Eugene. Years ago, Will Rogers used to say he got all his comic material just by reading the newspaper. Nothing much has changed. [Grant Seder, Eugene, RG letter to editor, 12/14/01] http://www.registerguard.com/news/20011214/ed.letters.1214.html SPRINGFIELD CITY BEAT: CHAMBER SETS HIGH GOALS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CITY It's been three years since the chamber convened a summit, and boy did they have a lot to talk about. The Springfield Chamber of Commerce met this week to discuss the city's future, hosting representatives from four public agencies, the chamber board, the University of Oregon and others. You need a scorecard to keep up with all the city happenings lately, what with Symantec, PacificSource, Lane County Home Builders and Holt International Children's Services all coming to town, PeaceHealth hoping to come to town and McKenzie-Willamette Hospital entertaining notions of leaving town. Still, there was general consensus, chamber Executive Director Dan Egan said: "When you talk about quality of life, we need to try to do better." Economic development continues to be the civic mantra: more high-paying jobs, better housing stock, more development and redevelopment. Despite the recent headline-grabbing announcements, Egan noted that the city's manufacturing growth has been flat for the past decade. "We want to make sure that we continue to make things in Springfield and export them to the wider world," Egan said. A likely focus will be the recruitment of major employers, although it remains to be seen how the chamber's efforts will coincide with those of other groups such as the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Partnership. Summit participants were encouraged by the efforts of the Springfield Renaissance Development Corp. and others who have taken a shine to downtown, redeveloping older buildings and establishing a presence there. A subcommittee will form an action plan, then try to sell it to the city's four public agencies Jan. 12. What was different about this summit? The mood, apparently. "In years past, there might have been a question about, 'Are we a big enough city to get this done?'" Egan said. "There's much more confidence that, if we just apply ourselves, we will get this thing done." [Matt Cooper, RG city & region story, 12/15/01, page 1B] http://www.registerguard.com/news/20011215/1b.cr.spcitybeat.1215.html SPRINGFIELD CITY BEAT: ROAD WARRIORS The Lane County Board of Commissioners certainly has the holiday spirit, at least where Springfield transportation is concerned. The commissioners this week kicked in the final $3.3 million to make the $9.3 million Pioneer Parkway extension a reality, city Transportation Manager Nick Arnis said. The extension, which will run from Harlow Road north to Belt Line Road, is necessary to the approval process for the new Sacred Heart Medical Center and acres of surrounding commercial, retail and residential development. The parkway should be built between 2003 and 2005, Arnis said. That wasn't the only gift Wednesday from the county -- the commissioners also agreed to fund a traffic light at 42nd Street and the westbound ramp to Highway 126, Arnis said. The stoplight is at least a couple years off. [Matt Cooper, RG city & region story, 12/15/01, page 1B] http://www.registerguard.com/news/20011215/1b.cr.spcitybeat.1215.html HOME DEPOT BUZZ HITS NEIGHBORHOOD City staff members are processing a subdivision application for John Hammer's 52-acre property west of 42nd Street to allow for a home improvement store on a 12.2-acre parcel. A city official confirmed Thursday that Hammer has held talks with Home Depot. The property is the former Stone Forest Products mill site bounded by Olympic Street, the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks, 42nd Street and 39th Street. City traffic engineers are working with Hammer's proposal to extend a street south from Olympic Street to hook up with another street that would extend west from 42nd Street. Those streets form the western and southern boundaries of the parcel. "I think he'd like to attract a Home Depot or some kind of home improvement center, but he doesn't have anybody specifically on the line," Mark Metzger, senior planner for the city, said Friday. Cynthia Pappas, the city's development services director, said, "I don't know how far along their conversations are, but I know John Hammer has been having conversations with Home Depot." Hammer wasn't available Friday to answer a reporter's calls... [Tim Shinabarger, SN community story, 12/15/01] http://springfieldnews.com/2001/news1215/community/sn_community.htm#TopOfPage ------------------------------------------------------------ CREDITS ------------------------------------------------------------ "Health Options Digest" is published once a week by the Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES) as a service to the community. Please forward your copy of "Health Options Digest" to a friend. 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