============================================================ Health Options Digest March 9, 2002 Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield ============================================================ * EDITOR'S LETTER * MAJOR NEWS 1.rg - PeaceHealth selects contractor for campus 2.rg - Flooded with questions * COMMENTARY 3.rg - Roy Orr: Hospital won't yield to bullying by PeaceHealth * LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 4.rg - Both hospitals nonprofit * OTHER NEWS 5.sn - Woodrow files for ward 5 6.sn - Soccer field and sports facility on city's agenda 7.rg - Estimate for cost of hospital increases 8.sn - Springfield residents go to Guatemala on mission 9.or - Two Portland hospitals get new owner * CONTACTS, OTHER LINKS, KEY, CREDITS ============================================================ EDITOR'S LETTER ============================================================ Roy Orr, president and CEO of McKenzie-Willamette Hospital spoke to the City Club of Eugene on Friday. If you missed the program, hear the rebroadcast on KLCC, 89.7 FM, Monday, March 11, 6:30-7:30 pm. Orr also writes that McKenzie-Willamette Hospital "won't yield to bullying by PeaceHealth" (#3). Meanwhile, PeaceHealth has already selected a general contractor for their $350 million new hospital (#1). The City of Springfield will be discussing development in the flood plain -- including at PeaceHealth's Riverbend site -- on Monday (#2). John Woodrow has filed to run for Springfield Ward 5, which is currently represented by Fred Simmons (#5). Finally, in Portland, a Tennessee company has purchased two hospitals and has plans to lure patients away from other, larger Portland hospitals (#9). Me? It's been strangely quiet in the editor's attic. I keep waiting for yet another shoe to drop... Rob Zako, Editor 343-5201 rzako@efn.org ============================================================ MAJOR NEWS ============================================================ ------------------------------------------------------------ 1.rg - PEACEHEALTH SELECTS CONTRACTOR FOR CAMPUS ------------------------------------------------------------ By Christian Wihtol, Business Editor The Register-Guard, 3/7/02, Page 1B PeaceHealth has picked a U.S. unit of German construction giant Hochtief AG to be general contractor and construction manager for the proposed $350 million RiverBend campus in Springfield. PeaceHealth interviewed a number of companies and ended up selecting Turner Construction, which has worked on hundreds of hospitals and other health care projects, PeaceHealth said Wednesday. Turner, a 100-year-old firm that's headquartered in New York City, was bought by Hochtief in 1999 as part of the German company's effort to expand and get out from under a sluggish construction market in Germany. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/20020307/1b.bz.turner.0307.html ------------------------------------------------------------ 2.rg - FLOODED WITH QUESTIONS (SPRINGFIELD CITY BEAT) ------------------------------------------------------------ By Matt Cooper The Register-Guard, 3/9/02, Page 1B Call it Flood Plains 101. The City Council will begin a fact-finding discussion Monday on its flood plain development policies, and continue the research in the coming weeks. It started with council's recent reversal on a housing proposal in the flood plain near Thurston. The council will reconsider that proposal at a later date and -- in the meantime -- bone up on the issues. "They want to be sure that development can occur in these questionable areas without any damage being done to the development," City Engineer Al Peroutka said. "And without having the development cause extra flooding on other properties." On Monday, Wade Stampe, of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will discuss dams on the McKenzie and Willamette rivers. Flood plain development will be an increasingly common question at City Hall because the much of the city's open land has been developed. Those questions will include housing in Thurston, PeaceHealth's plans to build a $350 million hospital on the McKenzie River and a sweeping redevelopment of riverfront property in Glenwood. The discussion starts at 5:30 p.m. in the Library Meeting Room, 225 Fifth St. Call 726-3700. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/20020309/1b.cr.spcitybeat.0309.html Ed. Note: View the full council agenda online: http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/CMO/2002Council/031102%20agenda.pdf ============================================================ COMMENTARY ============================================================ ------------------------------------------------------------ 3.rg - ROY ORR: HOSPITAL WON'T YIELD TO BULLYING BY PEACEHEALTH ------------------------------------------------------------ By Roy J. Orr In The Register-Guard, 3/8/02, Page 15A The Feb. 20 Register-Guard ran a story speculating about what would happen to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital if our antitrust lawsuit against PeaceHealth fails. The sensational headline said "Hospital envisions closure or merger if lawsuit fails." Actually, we don't envision either. We expect to win this lawsuit! Since the McKenzie-Willamette Hospital board of directors voted unanimously to sue, our confidence has not wavered. We know there are thousands of you depending on us. We've been hearing from you in phone calls, e-mails and letters ever since we filed. We appreciate this support! We know we're up against a huge corporation with the resources to drag this out for years if it wishes. PeaceHealth officials have even hinted that that's what they'll do. But all your letters remind us: This lawsuit is not about us. We filed a lawsuit against PeaceHealth to stop it from using its monopoly power to deprive you of your right to choose a hospital. After months of trying to reason with PeaceHealth, the McKenzie-Willamette board decided it had to do something about this bullying. If we did nothing, McKenzie-Willamette Hospital would be on a trajectory to close. Since we have no intention of closing, we filed the lawsuit. We also have no intention of merging with a large hospital system. What we will do (as The Register-Guard story reported) is consider strategic affiliations, partnerships or relationships. There are literally dozens of formats for these, but for us none include merging with a larger hospital system. We cannot provide details because of the confidentiality requested by the organizations that talk with us. McKenzie-Willamette is a community-owned, independent hospital -- the only one remaining in Lane County -- and we're committed to our mission of providing extraordinary care in a locally owned and governed community hospital. We believe community hospitals are a vitally important component of the continuum of services available regionally and even nationally. This has been true in Lane County for 47 years and we believe it will be true for another 47 years. Obviously, those who have been calling and sending letters to us agree. Apparently you believe, as we do, that having a choice of health care philosophies is in the best interest of Lane County residents. And apparently you also agree it may not be wise to trust a single, multihospital corporation, controlled by individuals in another state, to always have our community's best interests at heart. We filed a lawsuit against PeaceHealth because we don't think it has our community's best interests at heart. All the good works that can be lined up in a newspaper ad are not a license to break the law and manipulate patients without regard to their rights. We agree McKenzie-Willamette Hospital is not the issue. We agree wholeheartedly that people are the issue. Protecting people against unlawful behavior by a huge corporation with the power to deprive us of the right to choose for ourselves -- that's the issue in this lawsuit. To do anything short of standing up for patients' rights would be to condone this anti-competitive violence against them. In a guest column responding to our lawsuit, PeaceHealth officials said "typically a discussion of the intricacies of the health care system causes people's eyes to immediately glaze over." Isn't that sort of like saying you're just too ignorant to understand? Based on your calls and letters to us, it appears Lane County residents understand very well: When a monopoly uses its market dominance to deprive competitors of customers, it violates state and federal anti-trust law. Our mission hasn't changed: to take extraordinary care of our patients in a locally owned and governed community hospital. Close McKenzie-Willamette Hospital? No way! Roy J. Orr is president and chief executive officer of McKenzie-Willamette Hospital. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/20020308/15a.ed.col.orr.0308.html ============================================================ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ============================================================ ------------------------------------------------------------ 4.rg - BOTH HOSPITALS NONPROFIT ------------------------------------------------------------ By Mary McCauley Burrows, Eugene In The Register-Guard, 3/9/02 In the discussion over hospital services in our community, some misinformation has surfaced that needs to be corrected. Some concerned citizens are under the impression that McKenzie-Willamette Hospital pays property taxes while Sacred Heart Medical Center does not. As a former legislator and health care volunteer, I know that both hospitals are nonprofit and therefore both are tax-exempt. Even so, both hospitals pay taxes on certain properties, depending how they are used. For example, the retail stores the city requested PeaceHealth to have are taxable because they are used for a purpose other than the hospital's health care mission. Likewise, Sacred Heart's parking garages are taxed because the hospital charges a parking fee. According to the tax assessor's office, McKenzie-Willamette paid $15,065 and Sacred Heart paid $456,298 in property taxes last year. We are fortunate that our region is well served by two nonprofit hospitals run by volunteer boards that are answerable not to stockholders but to the communities and patients they serve. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/20020309/14.ed.lettersmain.0309.html ============================================================ OTHER NEWS ============================================================ ------------------------------------------------------------ 5.sn - WOODROW FILES FOR WARD 5 ------------------------------------------------------------ The Springfield News, 3/9/02 South 59th Street resident John Woodrow has filed with the city recorder to run for the Ward 5 City Council position and has been approved to circulate petitions for nomination signatures. He must get 25 valid signatures of registered Ward 5 voters verified by the Lane County Elections Division and deliver them to the city recorder by 5 p.m. Tuesday to qualify for the May 21 primary election. Woodrow is director of operations for the Pearl Buck Center and Pearl Buck Production Services. He was a board member of the Sprin gfield Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Springfield Greeters last year. Fred Simmons, the current Ward 5 councilor, announced two weeks ago he won't run for reelection. (end) http://www.springfieldnews.com/news/community/sn_community-04.htm#TopOfPage http://www.springfieldnews.com/2002/news0309/community/sn_community-04.htm#TopOfPage ------------------------------------------------------------ 6.sn - SOCCER FIELD AND SPORTS FACILITY ON CITY'S AGENDA ------------------------------------------------------------ By Tim Shinabarger The Springfield News, 3/9/02 The city may finally conclude negotiations to move soccer fields and other proposed sports facilities to mid-town and convert existing soccer fields near Interstate 5 to business use. City councilors face a Monday night agenda packed with items related to the current soccer fields on Sports Way in the Gateway area and the proposed new sports center at 32nd and Main streets. The agenda clears the way for the city to sell 22 acres on Spo rts Way and rezone it for commercial use, use money from the sale to buy land at 32nd and Main and rezone 30 acres there to parks and open space zoning. Eugene land company Arlie & Co. owns the land at 32nd and Main. Arlie originally offered to buy the Sports Way property for $5.35 million. Pudding Creek Land Co., a Eugene company, offered $5.4 million in January for the Sports Way property. Arlie has since withdrawn its offer. A work session begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by a regular meeting that begins at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall. (end) http://www.springfieldnews.com/news/community/sn_community-03.htm#TopOfPage http://www.springfieldnews.com/2002/news0309/community/sn_community-03.htm#TopOfPage ------------------------------------------------------------ 7.rg - ESTIMATE FOR COST OF HOSPITAL INCREASES ------------------------------------------------------------ By Tim Christie The Register-Guard, 3/9/02, Page 1B PeaceHealth's corporate board on Friday approved a higher cost estimate to build a new hospital in Cottage Grove, clearing the way for construction to begin in the next two to three months. Total cost of the hospital, clinic and final land acquisition is just over $12 million, said Alan Yordy, chief executive officer of PeaceHealth in Oregon. The previous construction estimate was $9.7 million. PeaceHealth's share will be about $10 million and the community will be asked to raise $2.1 million, the same amount previously sought, he said. The community fund-raising campaign was supposed to kick off last month, but PeaceHealth officials postponed it because the higher construction estimate needed approval from the corporate board in Bellevue, Wash. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/20020309/1b.cr.peacehealth.0309.html ------------------------------------------------------------ 8.sn - SPRINGFIELD RESIDENTS GO TO GUATEMALA ON MISSION ------------------------------------------------------------ By Joan Kropf The Springfield news, 3/6/02 Four Springfield residents who went to Guatemala last month on a medical mission found that people in need also have much to give. The Lane County-based Cascade Medical Team made its first trip to Playa Grande, Guatemala, in mid-February. The 75 team members -- doctors, nurses, translators, pharmacists, cooks and helpers -- crammed as much health care as they could into six days: 114 surgeries, 72 dental patients, 263 optometry visit s and 1,236 people seen in general clinics. (...cut...) Roe is a hospice nurse at McKenzie-Willamette Hospital, where she has worked for 33 years. (...cut...) Roe's friend Shelly Rochambeau, RN, of Cottage Grove, is a home health nurse for McKenzie-Willamette. One of her patients tonight is Maria Gonzales Munoz, who has had surgery for a rectal-vaginal abscess. The antibiotics dripping into her arm are fighting the massive infection she came in with. (...cut...) Coleman lives in Springfield and works at Sacred Heart Medical Center as evening charge nurse on the oncology floor. (more...) http://springfieldnews.com/2002/news0306/community/sn_community-03.htm#TopOfPage ------------------------------------------------------------ 9.or - TWO PORTLAND HOSPITALS GET NEW OWNER ------------------------------------------------------------ By Joe Rojas-Burke The Oregonian, 3/5/02 A Tennessee company Monday said it acquired Portland's Woodland Park Hospital and Eastmoreland Hospital and plans to invest heavily in expansion to lure patients from larger competitors. (more...) http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/business/10153329431902676.xml ============================================================ CONTACTS ============================================================ ------------------------------------------------------------ CHOICES ------------------------------------------------------------ P.O. Box 70753, Eugene 97401 Jan Wilson, Coordinator 341-1380 jswilson@efn.org Rob Zako, Editor 343-5201 rzako@efn.org Steering Committee choices_steering@efn.org General Email List choices@efn.org ------------------------------------------------------------ SPRINGFIELD NEWS ------------------------------------------------------------ 746-1671, 746-0633 (fax) 1887 Laurel St., Springfield 97477 news@springfieldnews.com http://www.springfieldnews.com Shinabarger, Tim 746-1671 x316 ------------------------------------------------------------ REGISTER-GUARD ------------------------------------------------------------ 485-1234, 683-7631 (newsroom fax) http://www.registerguard.com Register-Guard Mailbag (Letters to the Editor) 485-1234 x2351, 338-2828 (fax) P.O. Box 10188, Eugene 97440-2188 RGLetters@guardnet.com McCowan, Karen (Columnist) kmccowan@guardnet.com Christie, Tim (Health & Medicine) tchristie@guardnet.com Cooper, Matt (Springfield and East Region) 338-2317 mcooper@guardnet.com eastnews@guardnet.com Dietz, Diane (Eugene City Government) ddietz@guardnet.com Haberman, Margaret (City Editor) rgnews@guardnet.com Wihtol, Christian (Business Editor) cwihtol@guardnet.com ------------------------------------------------------------ EUGENE WEEKLY ------------------------------------------------------------ 484-0519, 484-4044 (fax) 1251 Lincoln St., Eugene 97401-3418 http://www.eugeneweekly.com Ted Taylor (Editor, Letters to the Editor) editor@eugeneweekly.com ------------------------------------------------------------ SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL ------------------------------------------------------------ 726-3700, 726-2363 225 Fifth St., Springfield, OR 97477 http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/ http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/calendar.htm Ballew, Anne (Ward 3) 744-9324 953 C St., Springfield, OR 97477 aballew@clippernet.com Fitch, Tammy (Ward 2) 747-6287 1102 West D St., Springfield, OR 97477 tfitch@ci.springfield.or.us, Fhins@fitch-huggins.com Hatfield, Lyle (Ward 6) 746-6684 518 North 68th Pl., Springfield, OR 97478 lylehatfield@attbi.com Leiken, Sid (Mayor) 726-9848 196 38th Pl., Springfield, OR 97478 mayor@ci.springfield.or.us, sid@maoregon.com Lundberg, Christine (Ward 1) 747-0571 127 Woodlane Dr., Springfield, OR 97477 CKLundberg@Prodigy.net Ralston, Dave (Ward 4) 746-7081 2114 L St., Springfield, OR 97477 chess714@msn.com, Simmons, Fred (Ward 5) 747-4283 312 South 52nd Pl., Springfield, OR 97478 fsimmons@ci.springfield.or.us ------------------------------------------------------------ EUGENE CITY COUNCIL ------------------------------------------------------------ 682-5010 777 Pearl St., Room 105, Eugene 97401 mayorandcc@ci.eugene.or.us http://www.ci.eugene.or.us/ http://www.ci.eugene.or.us/Council/Agenda/AGENDA.htm http://www.ci.eugene.or.us/council/agenda/CCAGENDA.pdf Bettman, Bonny (Ward 1) 344-3150 2191 Friendly, Eugene 97405 Bonny.S.Bettman@ci.eugene.or.us Farr, Pat (Ward 6) 689-0542 1929 Praslin St., Eugene 97402 Pat.M.Farr@ci.eugene.or.us Kelly, David (Ward 3) 686-3343 2988 Chandler St., Eugene 97403 David.S.Kelly@ci.eugene.or.us Meisner, Scott (Ward 7) 338-9946 66 North Adams St., Eugene 97402 Scott.Meisner@ci.eugene.or.us Nathanson, Nancy (Ward 8) 686-3446 2516 Hawkins Lane, Eugene 97405 Nancy.L.Nathanson@ci.eugene.or.us Pape, Gary, (Ward 5) 349-9939 355 Goodpasture Island Rd., Suite 400, Eugene 97401 Gary.D.Pape@ci.eugene.or.us Rayor, Gary (Ward 4) 343-5070 2373 Washington St., Eugene 97405 Gary.E.Rayor@ci.eugene.or.us Taylor, Betty (Ward 2) 338-9947 1051 East 36th Ave., Eugene 97405 Betty.L.Taylor@ci.eugene.or.us Torrey, Jim (Mayor) 682-5882 Jim.D.Torrey@ci.eugene.or.us ============================================================ OTHER LINKS ============================================================ PEACEHEALTH - WILLAMETTE VALLEY http://www.peacehealth.org/Community/owv/ MCKENZIE-WILLAMETTE HOSPITAL http://www.mckweb.com/ OREGON DEPARTMENT OF LAND CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT http://www.lcd.state.or.us/ ARLIE & COMPANY http://www.arlie.com/ ============================================================ KEY ============================================================ "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 ew = Eugene Weekly cn = Comic News ode = Oregon Daily Emerald cce = City Club of Eugene Newsletter or = Oregonian For some stories (in the Springfield News and the Eugene Weekly), two links are given. Use the first link if the story is still current; use the second if another issue has since been published. ============================================================ CREDITS ============================================================ "Health Options Digest" is published once or twice a week by the Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES) as a service to the community. It is intended as an unbiased digest of news and opinion related to proposed changes in health care options for the community. The purpose of "Health Options Digest" is to inform, not editorialize. Please forward your copy of "Health Options Digest" to a friend. If you know of someone who should be on the CHOICES email list, or for questions about your subscription, send email to rzako@efn.org.