============================================================ Health Options Digest June 23, 2002 Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield ============================================================ * EDITOR'S LETTER * MAJOR NEWS 1.rg - Hospital has OK to buy, annex more land 2.rg - Critics suggest interchange project be divided into two * COMMENTARY 3.rg - Training Oregon nurses: New proposal offers opportunities, questions * OTHER NEWS 4.rg - Arlie to pursue Crescent complex 5.rg - LCC gives preference to donor's workers * CONTACTS, OTHER LINKS, KEY, CREDITS ===================== EDITOR'S LETTER ==================== How much land is needed to build a hospital? According to the annexation agreement it signed with the City of Springfield, PeaceHealth can annex up to 25 acres in addition to the 160 it already has (#1). Meanwhile, has the nearby Beltline/I-5 interchange and the Beltline/Gateway intersection reached a dead end, or is it merely a bump in the road (#2)? While much energy is spent on developing the land and buildings for delivering health care, issues about who provides the health care and how they are trained remain (#3, #5). And Arlie and Co. is expected to file preliminary plans for the Crescent site, which they gained from PeaceHealth after selling off the Gateway land (#4). Their full-page color ad in The Register-Guard (Sunday, 6/23, back of secton A) offers their vision to transform the site into "smart development." Recall they planned an "urban village" for the Gateway site. Arlie seems to buy, sell and swap lots of land, but do they have a track record of successful smart development? They don't provide much detail, but refer interested readers to a Stet of Oregon web page: http://www.lcd.state.or.us/tgm/smartdevelopment.htm With summer now officially here, the land is drying up. So too is news about plans to build a new hospital. But much happens below the surface. You just have to know where to look. And remember to keep your eye on the roads... Rob Zako, Editor 343-5201 rzako@efn.org ======================= MAJOR NEWS ======================= ------------------------------------------------------------ 1.rg - HOSPITAL HAS OK TO BUY, ANNEX MORE LAND ------------------------------------------------------------ By Christian Wihtol, Register-Guard Business Editor The Register-Guard, 6/18/02, Page 1C PeaceHealth says it has its hands full drafting development plans for the 161-acre RiverBend site it bought earlier this year in the Gateway area. But that doesn't mean the regional health provider may not eventually buy more land in Gateway. In its recent agreement annexing the RiverBend acreage into Springfield, PeaceHealth has included language that allows it to buy and annex into the city another 25 acres under the same annexation agreement. PeaceHealth spokesman Brian Terrett said the company has no plans at present to supplement its 161-acre holding. "It's not that we have 25 (additional) acres identified," Terrett said. "We're not out looking for more acreage. But if there is an opportunity to continue to purchase adjacent property and it would be beneficial to the (RiverBend) site, we would consider that," he said. PeaceHealth included language allowing such additional purchases without new annexation agreements because PeaceHealth didn't want to negotiate new annexation deals with the city, Terrett said. Under the annexation document completed earlier this month, PeaceHealth must contribute a total of $10.25 million to the city for off-site road improvements as PeaceHealth develops the 161 acres. The city mandated that contribution to ease the effects on local streets of the traffic the project will draw. PeaceHealth spent about $34.2 million buying the 161 acres. The entire 161 acres is designated for medium-density residential use in Springfield's Gateway Refinement Plan, the long-term planning document for the area. PeaceHealth is coming up with a master plan that would allow it to deviate from that restriction and put in a new hospital and a mix of offices, retail and housing. Under the annexation agreement, PeaceHealth must produce the master plan by Dec. 31. The annexation agreement lets PeaceHealth buy up to another 25 acres of medium-density-residential land for its project, and in return, PeaceHealth must pay the city an extra $750,000 for off-site road upgrades. There isn't a lot of medium-density-residential land left to buy in the northeast corner of Gateway, however, because PeaceHealth has already bought most of it. The remaining medium-density-residential land totals about 25 acres. The biggest single owner is Eugene-based Arlie & Co., which in January bought 11.5 acres west of Baldy View Road. Arlie has said it has no immediate plans for that acreage, now occupied by a farm. Another owner is the Boyles family, which has about 4.5 acres east of Baldy View, including a homestead occupied by family patriarch Durward "Doc" Boyles. Most of the rest of the medium-density-residential-designated land is in small parcels of an acre or less held by individual homeowners in the Deadmond Ferry Road/Baldy View neighborhood. Springfield developer Richard Boyles, son of Doc Boyles, said his dad has no intention of moving or selling, although that might change if development alters the character of the neighborhood. Terrett said no one has approached PeaceHealth offering land. The purchase clause in the annexation agreement "gives us flexibility for the future," he said. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/06/18/1c.bz.peaceland.0618.html ------------------------------------------------------------ 2.rg - CRITICS SUGGEST INTERCHANGE PROJECT BE DIVIDED INTO TWO ------------------------------------------------------------ By Matt Cooper The Register-Guard, 6/22/02, Page 1B Making the interchange safer at Interstate 5 and Belt Line could mean wiping out as many as six Gateway businesses. Is there a way around this Catch-22? Maybe, maybe not. The work is still years off, but officials hope to settle on a redesign for the interchange by fall. Problem is, they also must redesign the Gateway Street/Belt Line intersection. Some say the intersection is a nasty bottleneck, but others warn that rerouting traffic there could mean paving over Union 76/Circle K, Chevron, Denny's, Best Western Motel, Comfort Suites and Outback Steakhouse. Critics cried foul at a recent public hearing and suggested instead that officials "decouple" the projects -- that is, fix the interchange but leave the intersection alone until there is consensus on a solution. The Federal Highway Administration recently said that the projects could be separated, Springfield City Council President Lyle Hatfield said -- but, he added, "it's a high hurdle." Local officials would have to show the feds that the intersection, as is, will handle traffic for 20 years from the time of construction of the interchange or show that plans are in place to fix the intersection independently. Randy Pape is skeptical. Pape is this region's representative to the Oregon Transportation Commission, which oversees the state transportation department. Earlier this week, Pape began trying to persuade the commission to steer $17 million to the project rather than spread the money throughout the region. He didn't think it feasible to split up the interchange and intersection jobs. "We would have to show that the traffic counts (on the intersection) would not bring it to failure within the 20-year time frame," Pape said. "It's unlikely we would be able to decouple the intersection. It's still a bottleneck." (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/06/22/1b.cr.spcitybeat.0622.html ======================= COMMENTARY ======================= ------------------------------------------------------------ 3.rg - TRAINING OREGON NURSES: NEW PROPOSAL OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES, QUESTIONS ------------------------------------------------------------ Editorial The Register-Guard, 6/18/02 Oregon faces a serious shortage of trained nurses. That fact has led a group called the Oregon Nursing Leadership Council to propose a partnership between Oregon Health & Science University and community colleges -- including Lane Community College -- that offer programs leading to licensure as a registered nurse. The partnership would expand nurse training and education. One result would be that licensure as an RN would occur after completion of a four-year bachelor's degree program. Currently, registered nurses can receive their licenses after completing a two-year, associate degree program. There is much to commend the ONLC's proposal, but it also raises unanswered questions. The most obvious: How can the nursing shortage be alleviated if the required training time for RNs is lengthened to four years? This is the most troubling aspect of the ONLC proposal; before the organization's idea is fully implemented, if it ever is, folks on both sides need to sort out the answer. One of the ONLC's arguments in favor of longer training is that RNs with two-year degrees aren't ready to walk into a hospital or clinic and assume the various duties of an RN. That's disputed by community college administrators, who point to their one- and two-year graduates' high scores on licensure board examinations. On the past five testing dates, students who completed LCC's one-year course leading to licensure as a licensed practical nurse showed themselves to be well-prepared: The percentage of students who passed the test was 97.1 percent, 97 percent, 100 percent, 100 percent and 100 percent. Those who completed the two-year RN program passed their board exams at similarly impressive rates: 98 percent, 98.2 percent, 94 percent, 96.4 percent and 91.8 percent. Lengthening the training period could not yield much improvement in LCC nursing graduates' performance. Another issue arises from the effect a four-year program might have on those who want to become registered nurses. Currently, nursing is a well-paid profession that is open to many who can't afford a four-year education -- including, particularly, women and minorities. Would a four-year requirement effectively block minorities or others from becoming nurses? And what effect would that have on alleviating the nursing shortage? The ONLC plans a pilot project involving Mt. Hood Community College's nursing program and OHSU. That's good, because such a test should highlight how the community colleges' concerns can be satisfied, or whether conjoining four-year and two-year nursing programs would work. The public's interest in this is for Oregon -- in its hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities and home care needs -- to have highly trained nurses to ensure that the health care needs of the state's citizens can be met. At this point, the community colleges seem persuasive in their argument that one- or two-year programs can fill the nursing needs of the state, particularly if their capacity can be expanded. There is much to be said for the ONLC's vision of boosting the capacity of nurse training programs by blending universities' and community colleges' resources through "distance education" via the Internet or interactive television courses. But for the time being, it makes no sense to discontinue the associate degree programs in the community colleges, programs that have proved highly effective over the years in preparing nurses to enter the health care work force. The important thing now is for the intramural tug-of-war between two-year and four-year advocates to segue into a cooperative effort that can lead to alleviating the state's nursing shortage with skilled health care professionals. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/06/18/ed.edit.nurses.0618.html ======================= OTHER NEWS ======================= ------------------------------------------------------------ 4.rg - ARLIE TO PURSUE CRESCENT COMPLEX ------------------------------------------------------------ By Ed Russo The Register-Guard, 6/20/02, Page 1C Arlie & Co. is expected to file tentative plans today for a big complex of offices, stores and housing off Crescent Avenue in north Eugene, a step that could lead to the start of some construction next year. The master plan for the 38 acres, once considered the site for PeaceHealth's next hospital, shows a mix of offices and shops, plus condominiums, apartments, a possible assisted living center, a day care center and a grocery store. The entire development would be named Crescent Village. The land is east of Coburg Road and north of Crescent. Area residents, many of whom had objected to PeaceHealth's plans for a huge hospital, got a look at Arlie's ideas at a meeting early this week with representatives from the Eugene-based real estate and development company. "It looks gorgeous," one resident commented at Monday night's meeting. To fulfill its vision, Arlie must clear many hurdles, though. These include winning city planning approval, lining up funding for infrastructure development, and finding tenants or buyers. Arlie bought the property from PeaceHealth earlier this year for $6.6 million. The company is putting together the development plan, but will likely sell off pieces of the site to others who will construct most of the buildings, Arlie development director Larry Reed said. "Arlie is committed to building one or two buildings because we want to set the style and tone," Reed told residents. One of Arlie's first challenges will be to persuade city officials to approve its plans to put 100,000 square feet of offices and 140,000 square feet of retail space on the property. In the Willakenzie Plan, the neighborhood's long-range plan, the bulk of the property is designated for high-density residential use. Under that planning document, only "limited commercial uses" are allowed on the residential land. Arlie said it will develop the land as a planned unit development, a procedure in which the city eases some land use restrictions to accommodate a combination of commerce and housing. Reed told residents that Arlie hopes to win approval by this fall so construction can begin next spring or summer. Reed and other Arlie representatives are scheduled to have a preliminary meeting with city planners Thursday morning. Based on what he has seen so far, Jerry Jacobson, the city's land use permits manager, said the concept for the development is "generally supported by city staff." However, details have to be worked out, he said, including the location and size of buildings, plus parking, streets and traffic. If Arlie proceeds, residents will have a chance to tell the hearings official what they think about the plan, Jacobson said, probably later this summer or in the fall. Reed told residents that Arlie is getting interest in the site from grocery stores and "we're talking with a couple of prominent day care providers." One developer is interested in building an assisted living center, he said. It could take seven to 10 years to develop the entire 38 acres, Reed said. In courting tenants or buyers for office or retail space, Arlie will be competing with a development group on the south side of Crescent, immediately across from the Arlie property. That group, headed by Charles McGlade, a Eugene medical doctor, has plans to develop its 10-acre site with office buildings surrounded by stores and restaurants. McGlade already has one occupant in place: a U.S. Bank branch. The site's centerpiece is to be two four-story office buildings totaling 159,000 square feet. No tenants or construction dates have been announced yet. McGlade's development concept -- a planned unit development called Summer Oaks/Crescent Center -- was actually crafted by Arlie in 2000 and approved by the city. Arlie then sold the land last year to McGlade and his partners. Arlie representatives first presented their plan for Crescent Village to residents in March, received feedback and made adjustments based on what they heard, Reed said. For example, under the latest plan, the condos and apartments would be built so they would not overlook neighboring single-family homes, Reed said. Residents on Monday continued to let their wishes be known. The company said it planned to have two- or three-story-tall apartment buildings. To that, a woman asked Reed: "What are the chances the apartments next to homes could be two story?" "I think we can do that," Reed replied. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/06/20/1c.bz.arlie.0620.html ------------------------------------------------------------ 5.rg - LCC GIVES PREFERENCE TO DONOR'S WORKERS ------------------------------------------------------------ By Greg Bolt The Register-Guard, 6/21/02, Page 1C A donation to the Lane Community College nursing program from PeaceHealth allowed seven of the company's employees to enroll as nursing students ahead of more qualified applicants, but it also has allowed LCC to train more nurses. The $98,000 gift -- and the subsequent request by PeaceHealth to enroll its employees -- created an awkward situation for LCC administrators and angered applicants who didn't get into the nursing program. And it highlighted one of the concerns public colleges face as they come to depend more on private support as state support shrinks. "I think that if we had had more time, we would have done it differently," LCC President Mary Spilde said. "It's important that when we enter into partnerships that we ensure they are furthering the mission of the college. And after considering this partnership, I believe it does further the mission of the college." College officials said the school did nothing improper by accepting the PeaceHealth workers out of order, but they have asked legal counsel to review the matter. The head of the nursing program said PeaceHealth -- owners of Sacred Heart Medical Center -- did not condition its gift on special treatment for its employees but did request help for some of its workers after the donation was made. LCC agreed to the request, which has upset students who just missed qualifying for the highly competitive program, which had 226 qualified applicants for 56 slots -- plus 16 new slots opened by the PeaceHealth donation. But some students said the college shouldn't have given the PeaceHealth workers preferred treatment for the new slots, arguing that doing so has left the impression that education at LCC is for sale to the highest bidder. "I think the integrity of the college has been marred," said Misty Richards, who didn't get into the program this year but is guaranteed a spot in 2003. "It's opening Pandora's box. I think there's some places public institutions should not go, and that's one of them." But Joyce Godels, head of the family and health careers division at LCC, pointed out that the donation also allowed more applicants from the general population to qualify for the nursing class that begins this fall. And she said it's common for businesses to come to a community college for help training workers. The donation will fund two teachers, which created room for the 16 additional students and raised total enrollment to 72. Nine PeaceHealth employees qualified for the program on their merits alone and would have been accepted even without the company's donation. Because those nine will be covered by the PeaceHealth gift, nine other applicants who otherwise would not have qualified have been admitted for this fall. But seven other applicants from Sacred Heart also were accepted, even though their scores were lower than some applicants who were turned down. Spilde acknowledged that this situation was different from others in which LCC has worked with a local business to train employees. Those are handled through a contract worked out in advance, while PeaceHealth made a donation and asked later to allow employees to receive extra consideration. But she said people shouldn't lose sight of the fact that both PeaceHealth and the community benefited from the donation. "I still think it's important to say that because of the PeaceHealth partnership, nine people from the community are getting into the program who wouldn't have had it not been for them," she said. Both LCC and PeaceHealth officials said the donation was not contingent on the college granting the request to admit more Sacred Heart employees. And Godels said administrators at PeaceHealth wanted the same thing as the college -- more trained nurses in a community with a serious shortage. "The people I've been talking to (at PeaceHealth) feel as bad as we do," she said. "They just want to help." The donation actually is the second to help boost nursing graduates at LCC. Last year, PeaceHealth and McKenzie-Willamette Hospital in Springfield teamed up to provide $98,000 for two instructors -- PeaceHealth funded 80 percent and McKenzie-Willamette 20 percent. Neither company requested any special treatment with the gift, and the 16 additional students were chosen using the usual scoring system that ranks applicants. Those students start their second year this fall, and the two hospitals are continuing the funding for that group. The latest PeaceHealth donation will cover most of the cost for two more nursing instructors, again allowing LCC to enroll 16 additional first-year students. PeaceHealth is covering most of the cost, which will exceed $98,000 due to salary increases, with McKenzie-Willamette picking up a small percentage. It's that second donation that came with a request for help, although a PeaceHealth official also said it was only a request. "We just asked if it was possible we could get some slots for our CNAs (certified nursing assistants), because we knew LCC sometimes did special programs for businesses," said Kim Tyler, director of learning and development at PeaceHealth. "It wouldn't affect whether we made the donation, but it would make it easier to get it through our own budget process." Tyler noted that many more Sacred Heart employees were turned down for admission than got in, even with the special consideration from LCC. McKenzie-Willamette has not asked for any special consideration, even though a number of its employees also applied to the nursing program and were not accepted. Four did earn admission based on their scores alone. Students who missed the cut said they aren't upset that PeaceHealth made the donation or even that the organization wants its own employees to benefit. But if that was the aim, some said, it should have been announced up front and handled through a contract rather than a donation. "I feel it's very unfair," said Teresa Zug, who just missed making the alternate list. "It's wonderful that they're donating money. But if they're going to donate money, their employees should have to go by the same guidelines as everybody else. If not, there should be some kind of contract that says what Sacred Heart employees need to do to get in." Admission to the nursing program is based on a point system that ranks students according to their grade-point average and test scores. The highest score is 9.0, and this year's class was so competitive that even students with scores as high as 8.5 didn't get in. But six of the seven Sacred Heart employees got in with scores in the 7s, and one had a score in the 6s. That's what rankles students with high scores who were turned down. Zug said she has contacted an attorney and is looking into her options. She said she realizes that the donation means more nursing slots are available to the general public, but she said the way the PeaceHealth deal was struck hurts Lane's image. "The bottom line is, I worked hard, and I think that if you're going to have a point system, you should go by that point system. You don't change it at the last minute," Zug said. "That is not OK, and especially with a public school." (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/06/21/1c.cr.lccnursing.0621.html ======================== CONTACTS ======================== ------------------------------------------------------------ CHOICES ------------------------------------------------------------ P.O. Box 70753, Eugene 97401 choices@efn.org Jan Wilson, Coordinator 341-1380 jswilson@efn.org Rob Zako, Editor, Email List Manager 343-5201 rzako@efn.org Steering Committee choices_steering@efn.org Announcements and Discussion Email List choices-l@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 http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/dsd/dept_dsd.htm http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/dsd/Planning/index.htm http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/dsd/Planning/Planning_Commission.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.