============================================================ Health Options Digest November 23, 2002 Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield ============================================================ * EDITOR'S LETTER * NEWS SUMMARY * CALENDAR 1.sn - Mon 11/25 - Springfield City Council 2.xx - Mon 11/25 - Eugene City Council 3.xx - Tue 11/26 - Eugene Mayor Torrey * PEACEHEALTH'S PLANS 4.ew - Slant: DLCD Criticizes PeaceHealth's Plans 5.rg - Report criticizes hospital planning 6.sn - City receives state DLCD's report on PeaceHealth 7.rg - Councilors look at hospital traffic 8.sn - Planning Commission to have public hearing 9.rg - Another point of view * MCKENZIE-WILLAMETTE'S PLANS 10.rg - Sacrifices remembered * EUGENE'S PLANS 11.rg - Eugene needs hospital * TRANSPORTATION ISSUES 12.rg - Interchange fix looks OK 13.sn - At last, consensus on I-5/Belt Line redesign * OTHER NEWS 14.ew - Slant: KMTR TV Runs Controversial Series on Land Use 15.rg - Planners to view potential for deserted properties 16.rg - A health-care disaster 17.rg - State's end-of-life care rates high, not ideal 18.rg - End-of-life care lacking 19.rg - Festival of Trees: The holidays, with all the trimmings 20.sn - Guy Lee Elementary students and DoubleTree give thanks * KEY, CREDITS, MORE INFO ===================== Editor's Letter ==================== PeaceHealth wants everyone to believe their plans for a new hospital are a "done deal." But public opinion can start as a trickle, become a steady stream, and -- when the issues touch close to the heart -- can sometimes explode in a torrent of outcry that washes away much that came before. While the dam of public opinion hasn't yet burst, we see signs of growing concern over PeaceHealth's plans. And this past week, the dam on related news stories certainly burst. We are particularly pleased to start seeing Springfield residents standing up and talking about the sacrifices they made to have their own hospital, McKenzie-Willamette, on their side of the river (#10). We are also please by the 19-page report from Oregon's Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) that turns a firehose on Springfield's and PeaceHealth's rezoning and other land use plans. While the report is "merely" the opinion of the state agency charged with implementing Oregon's land use laws, the concerns raised in the report could grow teeth were someone to take the issues to court. For now, we hope the City of Springfield and PeaceHealth will take the report to heart and make sure to not merely follow the letter of the law, but also its spirit. CHOICES will post a link to the report once that is available (#4, #5, #6). Lastly and most importantly, everyone who cares about maintain good choices for quality health care in our community should attend the Springfield Planning Commission public hearing on Tuesday, December 3. If you can't attend, consider writing a letter to the Springfield Planning Commission: c/o Colin Stephens, cstephens@ci.springfield.or.us Also consider voicing your concerns to your fellow citizens in a letter to the editor: The Register-Guard: RGLetters@guardnet.com Springfield News: news@springfieldnews.com Eugene Weekly: editor@eugeneweekly.com Democracy works when people are informed and outspoken. Speak out! Rob Zako, Editor 343-5201 rzako@efn.org ====================== News Summary ====================== On Monday, the Springfield City Council will meet with the state delegation, conduct planning commission interviews, and discuss the study on Eugene/Springfield Metro Waterways. In executive session, the Springfield City Council will discuss an offer on city property adjacent to Gateway Fire Station (#1). Also on Monday, the Eugene City Council will discuss the redesign of the Interstate 5 and Belt Line Road Interchange (#2). Want to tell the mayor of Eugene what's on your mind? On Tuesday, Mayor Torrey will hold his monthly Mayor's One-On-One (#3). Oregon's Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) turned a firehose on Springfield's and PeaceHealth's rezoning and other land use plans this past week (#4, #5, #6). While the Springfield City Council has not yet had a chance to review DLCD's report, they did zero in on PeaceHealth's traffic impacts during their first meeting on plans for a regional medical center in the Gateway area (#7, #8). Meanwhile, CHOICES's own Jan Wilson sets the record straight about the traffic that PeaceHealth will generate: Contrary to what Springfield City Manager Mike Kelly said, PeaceHealth's development would generate the traffic of all the housing currently planned *plus* the traffic from the hospital and associated medical uses (#9). Springfield resident Ardis Smith reminds Springfield citizens about the sacrifices they made to have their own hospital, McKenzie-Willemette, on their side of the river (#10). Meanwhile, Eugene resident Adam Breitenstein argues that Eugene needs to have a hospital (#11). In editorials, both The Register-Guard and the Springfield News applaud the recent agreement on the design of the Beltline.I-5 Interchange (#12, #13). KMTR TV has been running a series, Oregon's Promised Land, on our states land use laws. But the series has generated some concerns by the very people working to uphold those laws (#14). The Lane Council of Governments wants to find better uses for the dozens of abandoned or under-utilized industrial and commercial sites sprinkled throughout the county (#15). Eugene resident Michael Moose is concerned about the skyrocketing costs of health care (#16). America does a mediocre job of caring for the terminally sick and dying, although Oregon caregivers do better than their counterparts in nearly every other state, a national report concluded Monday (#17, #18). Fifty-five lavishly decorated fresh holiday trees will be auctioned off to raise money for the McKenzie-Willamette Hospital Foundation during this year's Festival of Trees at Valley River Inn, 1000 Valley River Drive (#19). Third-grade students from Guy Lee Elementary School culminated a curriculum created by the DoubleTree Hotel by delivering donated cookies to employees of McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and two other groups known for their roles in caring for others (#20). ======================== Calendar ======================== ------------------------------------------------------------ 1.sn - Mon 11/25 - Springfield City Council ------------------------------------------------------------ Monday 5:30 p.m. -- City Council work session. Jesse Maine Room, City Hall, 225 Fifth St., Springfield. Contact 726-3700: * Joint meeting with state delegation. * Planning commission interviews. * Discussion of study on Eugene/Springfield Metro Waterways. 7:30 p.m. -- City Council executive (nonpublic) session. Jesse Maine Room, City Hall, 225 Fifth St., Springfield. Contact 726-3700: * Offer on city property adjacent to Gateway Fire Station. http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2002/11/22/calendar/news1.txt Agenda: http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/CMO/2002Council/112502%20agenda.pdf ------------------------------------------------------------ 2.xx - Mon 11/25 - Eugene City Council ------------------------------------------------------------ Tuesday 5:30 p.m. - Eugene City Council work session. McNutt Room, City Hall, 777 Pearl St., Eugene. Contact Mary Walston, 682-5406, mary.f.walston@ci.eugene.or.us: * Redesign of the Interstate 5 and Belt Line Road Interchange. --- Agenda Item Summary --- This is an opportunity for the Mayor and City Councilors to discuss the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) decision on the redesign of the Interstate 5 and Belt Line Road interchange. Representatives from ODOT will make the presentation to the City Council. --- Background --- Council Action History: The City Council has not discussed this specific item prior to this meeting. Policy Issues: This is an information update and no policy issues are to be discussed during the work session. Council Goals: This discussion has no direct relationship to a current council goal. Financial and/or Resource Considerations: There are no direct financial or resource considerations to the city in this informational discussion. Other Background Information: Additional background information is provided in the attachment to this summary. Timing: This discussion is not time-sensitive. --- Options --- There are no options to consider as this is a discussion item. --- Staff Recommendation --- None, this is a work session discussion. --- Suggested Motion --- None; this is a work session discussion. --- For More Information --- Staff Contact: Jim Carlson, 682-5010, jim.r.carlson@ci.eugene.or.us Agenda Item Summary: http://www.ci.eugene.or.us/council/agenda/s021125b.htm See also: #12.rg - Interchange fix looks OK #13.sn - At last, consensus on I-5/Belt Line redesign ------------------------------------------------------------ 3.xx - Tue 11/26 - Eugene Mayor Torrey ------------------------------------------------------------ Tuesday 4:00 p.m. -- MayorŐs One-On-One. McNutt Room, City Hall, 777 Pearl St. Contact Beth Forrest, 682-5882, beth.l.forrest@ci.eugene.or.us: * Discuss Issues with Mayor Torrey. =================== PeaceHealth's Plans ================== ------------------------------------------------------------ 4.ew - Slant: DLCD Criticizes PeaceHealth's Plans ------------------------------------------------------------ The Eugene Weekly, 11/20/02 Oregon's Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) turned a firehose on Springfield's and PeaceHealth's rezoning and other land use plans this week, and we'll be watching to see what's standing when the water recedes. In a 19-page letter from Mark Radabaugh of DLCD, the department says PeaceHealth plans are a "major revision" with metropolitan area implications for transportation, housing and employment. Among other things, the document calls for a new level of master planning and citizen involvement "appropriate to the scale of the planning effort," which is good news for folks who only get three minutes to voice their concerns at Springfield council meetings. The document also raises issues of riparian habitat, air quality, building a hospital in a 500-year floodplain, and the "financially constrained" TransPlan. The letter has no demands, only suggestions and recommendations. But we suspect this document would grow teeth in litigation if Springfield ignores it. SLANT includes short opinion pieces and rumor-chasing notes compiled by the EW staff. Heard any good rumors lately? Contact Ted Taylor at 484-0519, editor@eugeneweekly.com http://www.eugeneweekly.com/archive/11_21_02/news.html#shorts ------------------------------------------------------------ 5.rg - Report criticizes hospital planning ------------------------------------------------------------ By Matt Cooper and Christian Wihtol The Register-Guard, 11/22/02, Page 1A Springfield -- In an unusual move, the state Department of Land Conservation and Development has entered the fray over PeaceHealth's push to build a regional medical center in the Gateway area, strongly criticizing the hospital group's plan and suggesting it fails to meet numerous state legal requirements. The agency, which oversees compliance with the state's land use goals, issued a stinging 19-page report this week in response to PeaceHealth's request for land use amendments needed in building Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend and surrounding offices and housing on 164 acres next to the McKenzie River. The Springfield Planning Commission and the City Council will hold public hearings soon and the council may vote on the proposed amendments as early as January. The state report suggested that officials not vote on any PeaceHealth proposals until the hospital has produced a far more comprehensive plan detailing use of the entire site and the broad impact the project would have on Springfield, Eugene and Lane County. The report also said that once PeaceHealth prepares a thorough plan, citizens need ample time to review it. It said PeaceHealth's proposal will have such a huge impact that elected officials from Eugene and Lane County should have a say in the project's review. In his report, Mark Radabaugh, the department's urban representative to the Willamette Valley, criticized the step-by-step approach PeaceHealth is using to win city approval. The state agency can't stop the city from approving the $350 million project, but it could appeal local decisions to the state Land Use Board of Appeals. "This is a very major, complex proposal and it needs to have a lot of questions answered," said Anna Russo, a Willamette Valley field coordinator for the land development agency. "There are significant issues." The agency reviews all proposed changes to major land use plans in the state. In this case, the agency evaluated PeaceHealth's proposed changes to Springfield's Gateway Refinement Plan, which is a supplement to the area's main growth blueprint, the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan. In the great majority of cases, the state agency doesn't comment on or criticize local land use actions. And even when the agency does speak out, it rarely does so with the critical force of Radabaugh's report. Radabaugh raised numerous concerns, many of which already have been voiced by PeaceHealth's critics. Among them: * PeaceHealth's proposal does not include a comprehensive plan for development of the entire site. In failing to provide many details, PeaceHealth could run afoul of a statewide goal that requires ample opportunity for citizen review. * All three local governments -- not just Springfield -- should weigh the effects of PeaceHealth's planned move from downtown Eugene to the urban fringe in Springfield. * By taking land currently designated for medium-density housing and using much of it for a hospital and offices, PeaceHealth would drain the supply of residential land in the Eugene-Springfield area. PeaceHealth has failed to adequately address this issue, Radabaugh wrote. * PeaceHealth and elected officials need to formally evaluate different alternatives to PeaceHealth building a huge new hospital on the urban fringe. These might include building a smaller medical center at the Gateway site in northwest Springfield and looking elsewhere in the Eugene-Springfield area for a spot to accommodate PeaceHealth's growth needs, Radabaugh said. After buying the land for about $35 million, PeaceHealth earlier this fall applied to the city to redesignate 33 acres to community commercial and to change language in the Gateway Refinement Plan to allow a hospital there. PeaceHealth has said it would later provide more details about exactly how it would develop that spot and the rest of the 164 acres. Conclusions contested A public hearing on the rezoning request is scheduled for Dec. 3 before the Planning Commission, and PeaceHealth planning director Philip Farrington said Thursday that the time line remains unaltered by the state report. Farrington contested Radabaugh's interpretations and arguments. The agency "has a vastly different opinion of the process we need to go through," said Farrington, who plans to submit a point-by-point response. Radabaugh argued that PeaceHealth needs to seek a major amendment to the Metropolitan Plan, but Farrington disagreed. "We're operating under the auspices that we have to fit our project within the Metro Plan parameters, and we're trying to do so," he said. In his report, Radabaugh disagreed with PeaceHealth's assertion that the project would produce no regional shock waves -- and, therefore, does not need approval by Eugene. Although the department won't yet intervene in either city's deliberations, Radabaugh wrote, "the matter ... needs to be carefully weighted (sic) by all local jurisdictions." Eugene city councilors have split on this issue. Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey has said he won't intervene in the Springfield land use debate, but Eugene Councilors David Kelly and Betty Taylor have said the scope of the project warrants their city's input. Springfield city planner Colin Stephens, who has been handling the PeaceHealth application, also took issue with Radabaugh's report. "If the area where the amendment is taking place is within the city limits, it is the sole discretion of the home city to make that decision," Stephens said. It would be nonsensical for PeaceHealth to submit a comprehensive plan at this point because the zoning doesn't allow such a project, Stephens said -- staff would be forced to summarily dismiss the application. Traffic issues raised In his report, Radabaugh also faulted PeaceHealth for failing to explain how a project on the urban edge will further the traffic-reducing goals in TransPlan, the area's 20-year guide to transportation. PeaceHealth needs to demonstrate that the project will not increase automobile traffic or run afoul of requirements for building in a floodplain, Radabaugh said. He also raised the issue of public access to the PeaceHealth property's McKenzie River waterfront. In public statements, PeaceHealth Oregon CEO Alan Yordy has said PeaceHealth would have public walkways and open spaces along the riverfront. But a recommendation by city staff could have the effect of enticing PeaceHealth to prohibit public access to the McKenzie River waterfront, "a significant change to the Metro Plan," Radabaugh wrote. Stephens said that's not the city's intent and the Planning Commission can address that concern. Radabaugh also said all regional partners should review PeaceHealth's plan for commercial development on the site, which is "open ended, with no supporting analysis or limits." "We do not understand how such 'floating' ... of the amount of commercial land is consistent with state law," he added. Stephens countered that the Springfield City Council will still be able to limit commercial development on the site once PeaceHealth produces a master plan. Two groups opposed to the Gateway-area site for the 500-bed hospital hope the state report prompts local officials to overhaul the review process for the project. Lauri Segel, Lane County spokeswoman for 1000 Friends of Oregon, a land-use advocacy group, said the report exposed PeaceHealth's failure to explain how its plans for housing affect the need across the region. Jan Wilson, coordinator of the citizen-led Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield, said the agency has confirmed the citizen-group's argument that Eugene and Lane County elected officials -- and the broader community -- should join the discussion of an appropriate place to build the regional medical center. Wilson said she was also encouraged by the agency's assertion that PeaceHealth should submit a comprehensive development plan for public review before a vote on the amendments. The move of the region's medical hub from Hilyard Street in downtown Eugene to Springfield's urban edge "is not just a little Springfield development decision," Wilson said. "This involves the whole statewide land-use planning system because of the significant impacts -- transportation, infrastructure, employment -- that are regionwide." What's Next The City Council will review, and ultimately vote on, land use amendments that PeaceHealth needs to build a $350 million medical center in Gateway. * Dec. 3: 7 p.m. public hearing, Planning Commission, Council Chamber, City Hall, 225 Fifth St. * Jan. 21: 7 p.m. public hearing, City Council, Council Chamber. http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/11/22/1a.peacehealth.1122.html ------------------------------------------------------------ 6.sn - City receives state DLCD's report on PeaceHealth ------------------------------------------------------------ By Jaime Sherman The Springfield News, 11/23/02 A state agency delivered a report this week to the city of Springfield that raises several questions about PeaceHealth's attempts to amend two plans guiding development in Springfield. The Department of Land Conservation and Development issued the 19-page document to the city's Development Services Department as part of a routine 30-day response period on land use amendment requests. "It is usual for the state to comment on any land use application that is of this magnitude," Development Services Director Cynthia Pappas said. PeaceHealth has petitioned the city to amend the Metro Plan diagram and the Gateway Refinement Plan text and diagram to allow it to build a $350-million regional hospital and other medical buildings on 160 acres in the Gateway area of northwest Springfield. PeaceHealth wants the 33 acres of land toward the northeast of its property that are zoned medium density residential to be redesignated to community commercial. The rezoning would amend the Metro Plan. In addition, the hospital organization would like to see wording in the Gateway Refinement Plan change so it can relocate Sacred Heart Medical Center to the site. Mark Radabaugh, a Willamette Valley urban representative for the state development agency, said in his report to the city of Springfield that PeaceHealth's proposals aren't specific enough. "At this point in our review, it is not clear to the department how moving the major operations of PeaceHealth to an edge location in the metropolitan area will facilitate community planning objects found in the current versions of the TransPlan, the Gateway Refinement Plan and Springfield's Commercial Lands Study," he wrote. The first main point in Radabaugh's report was that the process of approving or denying PeaceHealth's land use requests must include citizen involvement. "For citizens to meaningfully identify and comprehend the issues that result from the PeaceHealth application, it is critical that the city maximize citizen involvement during the entire PeaceHealth review process," he said. In addition, the report said PeaceHealth needs to submit a more complete plan for the Gateway site. "The application does not identify or provide enough supportive analysis and text to justify why a major change is needed to the Metro Plan and its component Gateway Refinement Plan," Radabaugh wrote. The city and PeaceHealth must plot out alternative courses of action and policy choices "that may be more suitable to the community and metropolitan area," Radabaugh said. Flood plain and environmental concerns must also be addressed more thoroughly, the report said. "Because of the importance of this hospital to the community, it is imperative that it is designed to ensure that flood risks are minimized and that access is available to and from the facility even during the flood events," Radabaugh said in his report. The hospital's plan must also consider the effect on the entire area, including transportation needs and the economic development in the neighborhood. Radabaugh also recommends PeaceHealth's proposals be "reviewed by all regional partners." Philip Farrington, the director of land use planning and development for PeaceHealth, said he will submit a written response to the city before public hearings on the proposals. Farrington said he disagrees with many of the points Radabaugh made in his report and said PeaceHealth has conducted in-depth analyses to satisfy rezoning criteria. "We're reviewing this, and I will be preparing a response to this," he said. The report will be part of the public record and will be discussed during the Planning Commission public hearing on Dec. 3, Pappas said. The state's report is only advisory and doesn't supersede the city's ultimate decision. "It will all play into the conversation the commissioners will have at their public hearing," Pappas said. "It's a conversation that needs to happen at the public hearing. It's all part of Goal 1, citizen involvement." http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2002/11/22/local/news2.txt ------------------------------------------------------------ 7.rg - Councilors look at hospital traffic ------------------------------------------------------------ By Matt Cooper The Register-Guard, 11/19/02, Page 1B Springfield -- City councilors zeroed in on PeaceHealth's traffic impacts during their first meeting Monday on plans for a regional medical center in the Gateway area. The council will vote early next year on amendments to land use plans that the health organization needs to build Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend, effectively shifting the region's hub for hospital care from downtown Eugene to Springfield's urban fringe. If the changes are approved, PeaceHealth could begin construction next year and open the $350 million complex in 2007 on mostly open land between Game Farm Road and the McKenzie River in northwest Springfield. PeaceHealth owns about 164 acres there, all of it zoned for medium-density residential development, or 10 to 20 housing units per acre. The health group envisions some housing and office space on the site. But the council on Monday steered clear of the big question: whether to rezone 66 acres for the regional medical center. "That's probably the most significant policy change being made," city planner Colin Stephens said. Councilor Dave Ralston questioned PeaceHealth's plan to limit traffic to and from their property to 1,840 vehicle trips during peak hours. Ralston said the limit might be too high and could mean gridlock if the numbers are reached before planned improvements to the neighboring Interstate 5 interchange and Belt Line-Gateway Street intersection. "I'm concerned that businesses in the area don't suffer," he said. "If those numbers hold before the interchange and intersection are completed, we're going to have a serious traffic jam somewhere." Councilor Anne Ballew asked whether PeaceHealth should be held to some traffic standard other than a raw number that could one day prove to be irrelevant. "It seems like things change very quickly," she said. Philip Farrington, PeaceHealth's director of land use planning and development, said city staff and the state Department of Transportation signed off on the vehicle-trips number. The number is based on the trips projected to occur in 2023, when the site includes the full mix of hospital, office and housing uses, he said. Even then, the roads should be able to handle the traffic if improvements are made, which is part of the reason PeaceHealth has committed more than $7 million to the road projects, Farrington said. Councilor Fred Simmons said the proposed amendments don't require PeaceHealth to analyze effects on water quality. The language addresses riparian issues, Simmons said, "but there needs to be a statement about water quality ex- pectations." The health organization has agreed to meet new drainage standards, Stephens said. What's Next The City Council will review, and ultimately vote on, land use amendments needed by PeaceHealth to build a $350 million regional medical center in Gateway area. * Dec. 3: Public hearing, Planning Commission, 7 p.m., Council Chamber, City Hall, 225 Fifth St. * Jan. 21: Public hearing, City Council, 7 p.m., Council Chamber. For more information: Call city Development Services Department, 726-3753. http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/11/19/1b.cr.peacehealth.1119.html ------------------------------------------------------------ 8.sn - Planning Commission to have public hearing on PeaceHealth land use change requests ------------------------------------------------------------ By Jaime Sherman The SpringfieldNews, 11/20/02 The City Council had its turn Monday night to review PeaceHealth's request for land use changes that would enable Sacred Heart Medical Center to move to land in the Gateway area of northwest Springfield. Councilors met in a work session to look at PeaceHealth's request to amend the Gateway Refinement Plan diagram and text and the Metro Plan diagram, two plans guiding development in Springfield. Springfield Planner II Colin Stephens led the councilors through an 11-page document of proposed text amendments, just as he did two weeks before with the Springfield Planning Commission. The amendments would allow PeaceHealth to build a $350-million regional hospital and other medical buildings on the site and preserve residential areas and allow for commercial and residential nodal development in the area. The PeaceHealth site is one of six areas identified by the city for nodal development, a pedestrian-friendly land use pattern mixing commercial and residential sites. At the work session, councilors primarily received information from Stephens but didn't discuss whether they will support the zone changes. The key for the planning commissioners and city councilors is to make a decision based on land-use criteria, not on personal opinions and not before getting the facts on the issues, City Attorney Joe Leahy said. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed amendments on Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. The hearing will be held at City Hall. The commission's approval or denial of PeaceHealth's request is only advisory to the City Council, which has the final authority in deciding land use changes. The City Council will hold a public hearing on Jan. 21 at City Hall to receive public input. If the requests are approved, PeaceHealth will be required to submit a master plan for its medical complex. For more information on the proposed amendments, call Development Services at 726-3753. http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2002/11/20/local/news5.txt ------------------------------------------------------------ 9.rg - Another point of view ------------------------------------------------------------ By Matt Cooper The Register-Guard, 11/23/02, Page 1B City Manager Mike Kelly said last week the proposed PeaceHealth hospital project could be a better fit for the Gateway area than the alternative -- acres and acres of apartment complexes. Lots of apartments means lots of people coming and going, and that means lots of additional burden on city services and traffic, the thinking goes. But a critic of PeaceHealth's planned move objected to Kelly's portrayal of the decision before the City Council. Jan Wilson, coordinator of CHOICES, the Coalition for Health Options in Central Eugene-Springfield, said that, in addition to its plans for the $350 million regional medical center, PeaceHealth must satisfy the housing required by building on medium-density residential land. To her, that means all the traffic that comes with apartment living -- and all the traffic that comes with a regional medical center. "The PeaceHealth proposal includes all of those apartment buildings PLUS the hospital," she wrote, in an e-mail this week. "It's not an either-or choice for the neighbors." Springfield reporter Matt Cooper can be reached at 338-2317 or by e-mail at mcooper@guardnet.com http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/11/23/1b.cr.spcitybeat.1123.html =============== McKenzie-Willamette's Plans ============== ------------------------------------------------------------ 10.rg - Sacrifices remembered ------------------------------------------------------------ By Ardis Smith, Springfield Letter to The Register-Guard, 11/22/02 I walked the halls of our McKenzie-Willamette Hospital recently with pride as I thought of the sacrifices that were made to have our own hospital on this side of the river. Sometimes we were isolated by flood waters from Eugene. We were proud of our little hospital -- and rightly so, because it came from people like you and me and through the years has served us well. I have read with much interest the debate now going on. It seems our city fathers have forgotten how hard we worked for our own hospital. Why give PeaceHealth an open-armed welcome? We should be telling the big hospital from Eugene that we don't want it or need it. It should stay on its side of the river, and we will be happy. We do need support for our hospital from everyone. Don't let the people at McKenzie-Willamette down. Let's show them we do need them and remember that now they need us as well. Let's hear from more folks. http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/11/22/ed.letters.1122.html ===================== Eugene's Plans ===================== ------------------------------------------------------------ 11.rg - Eugene needs hospital ------------------------------------------------------------ By Adam Breitenstein, Eugene Letter to The Register-Guard, 11/23/02 I think it's a shame that Eugene soon will not have its own hospital. What city of Eugene's size in any industrialized country does not have a hospital? You would be hard pressed to name one. The proposed site in north Eugene was perfect, but it was not chosen, in part, because of complaints by nearby residents about noise and traffic. This demonstrates once again how the citizens of Eugene are reluctant to sacrifice for the greater good. I just hope that McKenzie-Willamette Hospital moves to Eugene so we can have decent medical care. http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/11/23/ed.lettersmain.1123.html ================== Transportation Issues ================= ------------------------------------------------------------ 12.rg - Interchange fix looks OK: Unanimous agreement on project a good sign ------------------------------------------------------------ Editorial by The Register-Guard, 11/19/02 When it comes to transportation projects -- especially major transportation projects -- unanimity is a rarely achieved result. But last Thursday's unanimous vote of approval for redesigning the Interstate 5 and Belt Line Road interchange and for a new Belt Line/Gateway Street intersection is a welcome sign that most of the concerns surrounding the two projects have been adequately addressed. Yes, there are still some folks who question whether the projects' estimated $122 million cost will delay or halt other transportation needs of the Eugene-Springfield area, and whether the presence of PeaceHealth's planned new $350 million regional medical facility in the Gateway area -- and the trips to and from that facility -- will adversely affect the hoped-for efficiency of the projects and require expanding the metropolitan area's urban growth boundary. And there are no doubt some anti-car folks who simply don't want to see anything built that would encourage more vehicular use in the local area. Those objections aside, an impartial analysis of, especially, the I-5/Belt Line interchange must lead to the conclusion that a safer, more efficient interchange is needed. The existing interchange is, to say the least, a challenge -- and a potentially dangerous challenge at that. The proposed new design should alleviate most of the present problems at the interchange. The design includes the construction of a "flyover" ramp to connect northbound I-5 traffic to westbound Belt Line, improvement of the northbound I-5 off-ramp and the addition of a traffic signal, the straightening of the southbound I-5 off-ramp to Belt Line, the construction of a pedestrian-bicycle bridge to connect the Harlow Road neighborhood with the Gateway Mall, and -- the deal-clinchers -- the construction of sound walls along the south side of Belt Line and the west side of I-5 to protect Harlow area residents and an agreement that Gateway area businesses and residents will have a say in how the proposed new Belt Line/Gateway intersection will be designed. While it took more than two years for state and federal transportation officials and representatives of Eugene, Springfield and Lane County to reach agreement on the interchange and intersection projects, no one should expect to see concrete being torn out any time soon. The two projects -- with the I-5/Belt Line interchange coming first -- won't begin until 2006 and the final phase isn't scheduled until 2023 or thereabouts. In addition, there's the not-so-minor matter of funding for the projects. The sale of revenue bonds under the Oregon Transportation Investment Act will supply $18 million to get the projects off the ground. But the remainder of the money has yet to be appropriated at the state and federal levels, or raised through private donations. Finding the sources of that money should be a top priority of local, state and federal officials. For now, however, the residents of Eugene and Springfield, as well as drivers who have weaved in and around the existing inadequate intersections, should applaud the hard work that, at long last, led to consensus and common ground on these needed projects. http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/11/19/ed.edit.gateway.1119.html ------------------------------------------------------------ 13.sn - At last, consensus on I-5/Belt Line redesign ------------------------------------------------------------ Editorial by The Springfield News, 11/20/02 Anyone who has driven the intersection at Belt Line Road and Interstate 5 knows it's a dangerous place to be, especially at certain times of the day. A driver who is northbound on I-5 and who wants to go west on Belt Line must jockey for space with drivers who are leaving Belt Line to head north on I-5. Many other dangers lurk. So the news that the Belt Line Decision Team voted unanimously last week to move ahead with a $122-million project to redesign that whole mess was welcome news indeed. The team has been discussing this for years, but problems have been numerous. The agencies involved are the cities of Springfield and Eugene, Lane County, Oregon Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. Each agency had its own concerns. The latest problem had to do with a sound wall. At first ODOT didn't want to build a wall but it finally agreed to do so, only not until phase 3. But a consensus was reached, and the wall apparently will be part of phase 1. That is, whenever phase 1 occurs. It isn't on the calendar for several years. Some $18 million has already been dedicated to the project from Oregon Transportation Investment Act moneys to help fund phase 1. Phase 1 will include an off ramp from southbound I-5 to westbound Belt Line and a third lane will be added on Belt Line to Coburg Road. A specially designed ramp will help southbound drivers get off I-5, and a bicycle/pedestrian bridge will be built over the freeway about halfway between Harlow and Belt Line. Later phases will include a "flyover" lane over I-5 that will take northbound drivers west on Belt Line. All this will take years to accomplish but last week's action signifies forward movement. And as Springfield and Eugene continue to grow and as PeaceHealth builds a new hospital in the Gateway area, traffic at that intersection will only get worse. Construction can't begin too soon. http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2002/11/20/opinion/news1.txt ======================= Other News ======================= ------------------------------------------------------------ 14.ew - Slant: KMTR TV Runs Controversial Series on Land Use ------------------------------------------------------------ The Eugene Weekly, 11/20/02 It's often painful to watch local commercial TV news, particularly when reporters attempt to take on the big issues of the day. Despite good intentions, KMTR NewsSource 16's four-part series on land use does not do justice to the topic. The final part in the series airs Monday night, Nov. 25. In the second segment Nov. 11, reporter Zetty McKay informed us incorrectly that Eugene is in violation of state land use laws regarding inventory of buildable land, and the only solution is Musumeci-style massive development outside our urban growth boundary. Local experts on land use planning were not interviewed and state land use policy was not even presented as an argument against the Chamber of Commerce propaganda. The third segment Nov. 18 was a primer on the value of wetlands, but didn't even mention the huge wetlands controversies and lawsuits surrounding Hyundai/Hynix, the West Eugene Parkway, mitigation studies, etc. The upcoming final segment on nodal development is "already in the can," we hear, but not a single local expert on nodal development was queried. What's disturbing is that so many people today are choosing not to read newspapers, but rather get their news from commercial television -- a domain known, unfortunately, for superficial and haphazard attention to political life. SLANT includes short opinion pieces and rumor-chasing notes compiled by the EW staff. Heard any good rumors lately? Contact Ted Taylor at 484-0519, editor@eugeneweekly.com http://www.eugeneweekly.com/archive/11_21_02/news.html#shorts ------------------------------------------------------------ 15.rg - Planners to view potential for deserted properties ------------------------------------------------------------ By the Register-Guard Business Staff The Register-Guard, 11/19/02, Page 1C Industrial Re-Use: The Lane Council of Governments wants to find better uses for the dozens of abandoned or under-utilized industrial and commercial sites sprinkled throughout the county. The agency on Dec. 2 will convene a meeting of public and private officials to identify such sites -- known as brownfields -- with the goal of preparing the properties for eventual redevelopment. Typical brownfields range from shuttered wood products mills and manufacturing plants to closed landfills and gas stations with leaky storage tanks. Some of the brownfield sites are contaminated with chemicals, while others are not, though there may be a public perception that the sites are polluted because they've remained vacant for years, said Heather Hansen, a senior planner with L-COG. High-profile examples of local brownfield sites that have been redeveloped include Tugman Park in south Eugene, a former landfill; the Oakridge Industrial Park, a former sawmill and veneer plant; and the Riverfront Research Park near the University of Oregon, a site formerly used as an asphalt plant. Hansen said that once sites are identified, the plan is to conduct a thorough inventory of each that includes total acreage, ownership, land use and zoning, existing infrastructure, an assessment for contamination and potential cleanup costs. "Then we can determine what the community's needs are," Hansen said. "Do they have a need for industrial or commercial or residential land?" Some sites, depending on variables such as existing contamination, surrounding land uses and location, could be redeveloped for uses that include sports fields, parks, low-income housing or for manufacturing. Hansen estimates there are 50 to 100 brownfield parcels in Lane County. The sites are often in or near a city and offer road access and other infrastructure, she said. In redeveloping such sites, Hansen said several goals are accomplished, including creating jobs to making efficient use of existing infrastructure. And in cases where there is contamination, it would get cleaned up. A $23,000 economic development grant from state lottery proceeds will cover the costs of compiling the initial inventory and developing a plan for the sites. Hansen noted that state and federal funding sources are available to help with the costs of performing pollution studies and doing cleanup work. The city of Oakridge, for example, has received more than $5 million in state and federal loans and grants to buy, investigate, clean up and redevelop the former mill site into an industrial park. For more information, call L-COG at 682-4283. Compiled by business reporter Joe Harwood. Development Report runs Tuesdays. To include items, call 338-2364, or e-mail jharwood@guardnet.com. http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/11/19/1c.bz.develop.1119.html ------------------------------------------------------------ 16.rg - A health-care disaster ------------------------------------------------------------ By Michael Moose, Eugene Letter to The Register-Guard, 11/23/02 Good health is essential to everyone's quality of life. Two percent inflation is good for our economic health. However, medical costs are increasing about 12 percent a year. Additionally, my medical insurance premium increased 32 percent. This is a disaster. This means that tough choices must be made between eating, housing, heating and health. Our health care system is deteriorating. Costs are spiralling out of control. There are millions of uninsured people. There is widespread doctor dissatisfaction. There is a shortage of nurses. We emphasize expensive high-tech solutions instead of promoting education and prevention. Consumer needs are being left out in the fierce turf war between insurance companies, government bureaucracies, drug companies, hospitals and doctors. These conditions need to change because they are disastrous for our health. Become involved with your own health and work to improve this problem. http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/11/23/ed.lettersop.1123.html ------------------------------------------------------------ 17.rg - State's end-of-life care rates high, not ideal ------------------------------------------------------------ By Tim Christie The Register-Guard, 11/19/02, Page 1A America does a mediocre job of caring for the terminally sick and dying, although Oregon caregivers do better than their counterparts in nearly every other state, a national report concluded Monday. Most Americans would prefer to die at home, free of pain and surrounded by loved ones. Instead, too many are dying alone, in nursing homes, in pain and attached to machines they may not want, says the report from Last Acts, a national organization that works on end-of-life issues. "Dying patients and their families today suffer more than they should," said Judith Peres, deputy director of Last Acts and leader of the report's research team. "We still have a long way to go to improve health care and policy for this segment of the American population." Last Acts is a coalition of more than 1,000 groups, including the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, the American Hospital Association and AARP. Its report looked at the availability, quality and use of key services, such as hospice, palliative care, advance directives and pain management. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation paid for the study, titled "Means to a Better End: A Report on Dying in America Today." Graded in eight areas, Oregon ranked second in the nation, but it didn't exactly pass with flying colors: Its report card amounted to a C average. Only New Hampshire ranked higher, and then only marginally. Most states earned C's, D's and F's on most of the criteria. "It does indicate there's a long way to go, not just here but nationally, in changing how we all deal with end-of-life care," said Mark Newson, a registered nurse and patient care manager for Hospice of Sacred Heart in Eugene. The report found more terminally ill Americans are turning to hospice care -- 700,000 in 2000 compared to 1,000 in 1975, when hospice care began -- but spending fewer days in such care before death. Fewer than one-third of Oregonians older than 65 who died in Oregon used hospice care in the last year of their lives, resulting in a C grade. The average length of hospice care was 24 days, netting a D grade. The report cites studies suggesting patients must participate for at least 60 days to get the maximum benefit of hospice care. In other grades for Oregon: * The state received its lowest marks for the use of hospice and palliative care at hospitals. Only 39 percent of state hospitals offer hospice programs, a C, and still fewer, 20 percent, provide palliative care programs, a failing grade. * The state earned its highest grade, an A, for limiting the time patients spend in an intensive care unit at the end of life. Only three percent of state residents spent a week or more in an ICU in the last six months of life. This suggests health care providers are taking patients' treatment wishes into consideration and not prolonging discomfort, the report said. * The state earned a B for its advance directive policies. State laws support good advance-care planning in the form of living wills and medical powers of attorney. These documents, explaining how much life-sustaining treatment a patient wants, are considered critical to end-of-life care. * The state also got a B for the number of registered nurses trained to provide palliative care, though it got only a C for training physicians to provide palliative care. * Only about 35 percent of Oregonians die at home, earning the state a C grade. That's better than the national average of 25 percent. About 70 percent of Americans say they want to die at home. * Nearly 40 percent of nursing home residents report being in persistent pain, earning the state a C. The Last Acts report recommends that Medicare be reformed to meet the needs of seriously ill and dying people. It calls on state legislatures to change rules that discourage doctors from prescribing adequate pain medication. Health care professionals should get more training in palliative care, and family members need to learn more about these issues before placing a loved one in a nursing home, the report says. Palliative care -- often contrasted with curative care and confused with hospice care -- means caring for the whole person, "body, mind, spirit, heart and soul," the report says. "It looks at dying as something natural and personal." Locally, both Sacred Heart Medical Center and McKenzie-Willamette Hospital have hospice programs, and Sacred Heart has had a palliative care program for about two years, Newson said. Palliative care should begin earlier in the disease process, Newson said. Doctors can treat a patient's illness, but the patient still needs a broad spectrum of support, including counseling and spiritual care, he said. "These (programs) are for people who are just not ready to say, `Let's stop these treatments and let nature run its course,' " he said. While Oregon ranked high for its advance directive policies, "we still have a long way to go," Newson said. Americans live in a "death-denying culture," he said, and patients and family members are afraid if they start talking about end-of-life issues it will somehow hasten death. "It is one of the toughest conversations to have," he said. Some physicians are unwilling to have such conversations with patients, and some families and patients don't want to hear it, he said. At the same time, advancing medical technologies enable physicians to extend a person's life considerably. Newson said he's hopeful the report will get people thinking and talking about the end of life. The point, he said, is not to dwell on the morbid but to deal with death "as part of the natural life cycle and do advance planning and not be afraid to have these conversations." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Help For Terminally Ill Last Acts, a national organization, has released a report ranking each state and the District of Columbia on the quality of end-of-life care. * Top 5: 1. New Hampshire; 2. Oregon; 3. Maine; 4. New Mexico; 5. Arizona * Bottom 5: 47. South Dakota; 48. Tennessee; 49. Idaho; 50. South Carolina; 51. Alaska * Our neighbors: 8. Washington; 12. Montana; 22. California; 49. Idaho For more information: Go to the Last Acts Web site at www.lastacts.org, or to read the full report, go to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Web site, www.rwjf.org -- Last Acts http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/11/19/1a.betterend.1119.html ------------------------------------------------------------ 18.rg - End-of-life care lacking ------------------------------------------------------------ By Tasha Beauchamp, Eugene Letter to The Register-Guard, 11/23/02 I was distressed to learn from the Nov. 19 Register-Guard article on end-of-life care that Oregon received a grade of D on the state-by-state report card. While we are doing OK (B's and C's) on many factors, I find it alarming that less than one-third of seniors receive hospice care, and those who do receive an average of only 24 days of support before they die. With advances in medicine, most people now pass away after a series of illnesses that cause them to progressively lose their ability to care for themselves. As baby boomers, many of us are caring for our ailing parents in their final months and years. This is a trying, poignant time, filled with intense physical demands and a last opportunity to resolve old wounds and say: "I forgive you. Thank you. I love you" and "goodbye." Hospice is a holistic service made up of doctors, nurses, social workers and chaplains specially trained to provide guidance and comfort for the terminally ill. The idea that Oregonians on average get little more than three weeks of such support is appalling! The months preceding death involve intense, physical, emotional and spiritual issues, often causing anxiety, pain and depression for patients and their family caregivers. Our seniors deserve better than three-plus weeks of support! When it is my mother's time, I want to know that her family will have more than 24 days of help to bring her many decades of living to a loving and pain-free closure. http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/11/23/ed.lettersop.1123.html ------------------------------------------------------------ 19.rg - Festival of Trees: The holidays, with all the trimmings ------------------------------------------------------------ The Register-Guard, 11/22/02 Fifty-five lavishly decorated fresh holiday trees will be auctioned off to raise money for the McKenzie-Willamette Hospital Foundation during this year's Festival of Trees at Valley River Inn, 1000 Valley River Drive. Attracting about 18,000 people annually, the festival has raised funds for McKenzie-Willamette Hospital's Jack V. Fuller House, community health library, adult day care health center and hospice program. Last year's event netted $410,000. No fund-raising goal has been set this year. "It's a tough economy this year, and we are sensitive to our community," foundation director Margie Brooks said. "Our goal is to raise as much as possible for our local community hospital." The festival will open Tuesday with a designers' preview party from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. One of the door prizes will be a studio tree decorated with tickets to music, theater and sports events in 2003. Tickets to the preview party are $25, and reservations are required. The number to call is 726-4622. Special activities for seniors are planned for Wednesday, when the hours will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Thanksgiving Day, the festival will open at 10 a.m. and continue until 7 p.m. Live reindeer will be on hand between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Hours for next Friday through Sunday will be from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Nov. 29, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 30 and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 1. On Saturday, KMGE-FM will give kids a chance to record Christmas messages, some of which will be played back on the air. Along with the trees, the festival includes: * A Candy Cane Forest, where volunteers help children decorate 12-inch-tall artificial trees with candy for a $5 donation. * Dickens Village, a gift shop that includes crystal, garden art and ornamental iron along with craft items. * Under the Tree, where children can buy small gift items ranging from 50 cents to $3, with elves on hand to help them select and wrap their gifts. Stuffed 18-inch teddy bears, white with blue ribbons, will be sold for $25. * Fresh, undecorated trees, treated with fire retardant that also prolongs their life, will be sold in the parking lot. Festival admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children younger than 12 and seniors 55 and older. Tickets can be purchased at local Safeway stores, Umpqua Bank branches and Reed & Cross. Some 900 volunteers help run the event, working three-hour shifts. For information about volunteering, call the McKenzie-Willamette volunteer center at 741-4606 or 726-4622. http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/11/22/tk.trees.1122.html ------------------------------------------------------------ 20.sn - Guy Lee Elementary students and DoubleTree give thanks ------------------------------------------------------------ By Kim Sullivan The Springfield News, 11/20/02 They thanked them for caring with cookies for sharing -- dozens and dozens of cookies. Third-grade students from Guy Lee Elementary School culminated a curriculum created by the DoubleTree Hotel by delivering donated cookies to firefighters, care givers and medical staff Monday. Employees of Spring Valley Assisted Living Facility, the Gateway Fire Station and McKenzie-Willamette Hospital -- three groups known for their roles in caring for others -- were benefactors of the students' benevolence. Tom DeMott, DoubleTree's general manager, said more than 300 DoubleTree hotels across the United States donated 2002 cookies each for children to deliver Monday. DeMott and other DoubleTree staff members helped students deliver the large trays of 125 cookies from location to location. "It's a great way for kids to acknowledge the people who care for them in the community," DeMott said while students toured the Gateway area fire station. "We're proud to be part of it." The big delivery day followed classroom and at-home projects designed to help children determine the characteristics of a caring person. Teachers Sheila Garrelts and Kathryn Anderson worked with Shirley Smith, DoubleTree's director of human services. Smith said one part of the lesson required students to interview friends and family. One student wrote: "I interviewed my dad, Rich. He works at Home Depot. He shows concern by showing empathy. Dad shows caring to his family by respect." Another student, Alicia, wrote about her mom, Kimi Atchinson. "My mom also shows caring to the community because she donates to local charities and she recycles." The students also voted for which agency or organization they thought best deserved the cookies by voting with paper cookies taped to a paper tree in their classroom. Several names came up. "They were very into it," Smith said. "The kids had a lot of ideas about who deserved the cookies." The list included both local and not-so-local names. "I wrote the president's name because I think he needed something to go with his milk," said third-grader Bethany Manning, 8, as she boarded the school bus following the visit to the fire station. "But I don't think we're going to go all the way to Washington D.C. He was probably busy doing something, anyway." Student Kristina Krenz said she voted for the staff at McKenzie-Willamette Hospital because "they're nice and care for people." Krenz, 8, said she's learning to put into practice what she's learned about kindness over the last few weeks. "Like at recess," she said, "when somebody falls down, I help them get up and then I say, 'Are you OK?' " http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2002/11/20/local/news1.txt =========================== 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, 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 every week or so 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. ======================== More Info ======================= Please visit our web site for info about how you can contact us, the local papers, elected officials, PeaceHealth and McKenzie-Willamette: http://www.efn.org/~choices