Dear CHOICES Subscribers, A couple readers criticized PeaceHealth for opposing McKenzie-Willamette's desire to be allowed to move to Eugene. Springfield resident James Knight wrote, "Make no mistake, PeaceHealth officials' motivation is greed. Shame on them." PeaceHealth trumpeted its efforts to prepare our nation's children to succeed in school and in life. PeaceHealth won an award at an event in North Carolina. The county budget committee mostly spared the rural health clinics. Otherwise, it has been a mostly quiet week in the Emerald Valley in terms of health care news. But a few transportation issues are connected to the issue of where our hospitals end up. First, in the cover story in the Eugene Weekly, Alan Pittman does an excellent job of summarizing how 'nodal development' in hitting a road block -- or at least a bump in the road -- in Eugene. Nodal development is a key strategy in our area's transportation plan, TransPlan, for addressing traffic problems. Say goodbye to effective nodal development and you can say hello to traffic jams. In Springfield, the new PeaceHealth hospital is touted to be a node, complete with Bus Rapid Transit service. But judging from the recently-released master plan, the new hospital may be just another example of suburban sprawl. Second, the Oregon Department of Transportation is pushing ahead to replace the weakened I-5 bridges over the Willamette and McKenzie rivers. The initial "temporary" work will cost $38 million. A "permanent" bridge over the Willamette River could cost $100 million or more. What does this have to do with a new hospital? Plenty! Plans for a new PeaceHealth hospital are dependent on expanding the I-5/Beltline interchange and the nearby Beltline/Gateway intersection, also at a cost of millions of dollars. Local elected officials are hoping that Congressman DeFazio will be able to pry $28 million from the Republican-controlled Congress to assist with this project. But with key bridges in danger of falling down (and Congress preoccupied with terrorists and tax cuts), it seems far more likely that there will be money for the bridges, leaving a traffic jam outside the front door of any new hospital in the Gateway area. Third, efforts are underway to repeal the recently-adopted road fees in Springfield and Eugene. It's perhaps a little hard to follow the politics of this issue and who is for or against what. County Commissioners Bill Dwyer and Bobby Green are spearheading the repeal efforts in Springfield and Eugene, respectively. What is easy to follow is the money: There isn't much money for maintaining and building roads. With limited funds, it makes the most sense to maintain what we have. As the doctor says, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Rob Zako, Editor 343-5201 rzako@efn.org ================================================================================ Health Options Digest May 25, 2003 Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CALENDAR Tuesday, 5/27 - Springfield City Council Jesse Maine Room, Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth St., Springfield, 726-3700. 5:30 p.m. -- Work session Planning Commission interviews. [Mel Oberst] (60 min.) Region 2050 population and employment land use needs. [Greg Mott] (30 min.) http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/CMO/2003Council/052703%20agenda.pdf -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MCKENZIE-WILLAMETTE HOSPITAL/TRIAD Hospital's motivation is greed PeaceHealth wants to eliminate competition By James Knight, Springfield Letter to the Register-Guard, 5/21/03 Letter to the Springfield News, 5/24/03 Well, PeaceHealth's colors are finally showing for what they are. The hospital corporation opposes the rule change that would allow McKenzie-Willamette's move to Eugene. It's all about money. Don't be fooled by the claim that PeaceHealth is seeking a "healing environment" at RiverBend. It is seeking to eliminate competition. PeaceHealth doesn't give a hoot about the community or driving a caring and competent hospital out of business. Make no mistake, PeaceHealth officials' motivation is greed. Shame on them. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/05/21/ed.letters.0521.html http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/05/23/opinion/news3.txt Hospital blocks competition By Kristin King, Eugene Letter to the Register-Guard, 5/24/03 Could PeaceHealth be any more hypocritical? The latest move in its campaign to control health care in Lane County is to try to block McKenzie-Willamette from moving to Eugene (Register-Guard, May 16). PeaceHealth mouthpiece Brian Terrett said, "We feel like the rule serves a very good purpose. To change the rule for one organization and one particular circumstance doesn't seem like a prudent approach. ..." The rule at issue is intended to protect the service area of one hospital from being invaded by another. In this case, PeaceHealth is effectively saying that McKenzie-Willamette is trying to move into its service area in Eugene. But isn't PeaceHealth moving into the Springfield service area of McKenzie-Willamette, forcing it to move to Eugene to remain viable? And who is talking about changing rules? PeaceHealth just gained approval from the city of Springfield not merely to change a rule but to gut a carefully crafted neighborhood plan and stuff it with provisions more to its own liking. The Gateway Refinement Plan called for housing and neighborhood shops on the property purchased by PeaceHealth. The plan served a good purpose. It doesn't seem prudent to change that plan for one organization and one particular circumstance, just so PeaceHealth can build a hospital where it doesn't belong. While talking about cooperation, PeaceHealth takes every opportunity to put McKenzie-Willamette out of business. Such predatory behavior hurts the health of our community. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/05/24/ed.lettersmain.0524.html McKenzie-Willamette Hospital Files Joint Venture Agreements with Oregon Attorney General McKenzie-Willamette Press Release, 5/15/03 Contact: Rosie Pryor, 744-6164 Springfield, OR -- McKenzie-Willamette Hospital has submitted copies of agreements to the Oregon Attorney General outlining how the Springfield hospital's proposed joint venture with Triad Hospitals, Inc. of Plano, Texas will work. Oregon statutes require the Attorney General to review any transaction involving transfer of not-for-profit hospital assets to a for-profit company. McKenzie-Willamette signed a letter of intent January 30th to form a joint venture with Triad to operate the existing hospital and build a replacement. No site has been selected yet for the new hospital. Once the Attorney General's approval is received, the parties will implement the joint venture. The Definitive Agreement between McKenzie-Willamette and Triad comprises four documents, covers hundreds of pages, and describes the terms and conditions of the transaction. The agreements were submitted without attached exhibits and with some material details (e.g., appraisal of assets) omitted either because they are not yet available or are still being prepared. Certain technical details contained in the documents (e.g., information about pension fund arrangements) may need to be revised as the due diligence process continues. And some exhibits were not submitted to protect business information related to McKenzie-Willamette's competitive position in Lane County. McKenzie-Willamette will provide a valuation of assets to the Attorney General, including background about how the valuation was made, as soon as it becomes available. American Appraisal Associates of Atlanta, Georgia is preparing the report. The Attorney General has the option to secure an independent appraiser's opinion and has indicated he will do so. The four agreements include the following: Contribution Agreement -- identifies all the assets and liabilities the two parties will put into the joint venture, e.g., land, buildings, equipment, etc. It also clarifies what each partner is not putting into the joint venture, e.g., McKenzie-Willamette Hospital will retain its cash in order to pay off bonded debt. Operating Agreement -- describes how the new company created by the joint venture will be governed and will operate. Much of this information was described in detail in McKenzie-Willamette's published newspaper ads describing the proposed transaction. Promissory Note -- clarifies Triad's intent to immediately contribute $20 million of its $80 million commitment to the joint venture for operation of the existing hospital and addition of services, and place the rest at the disposal of the joint venture for use when needed to build the new hospital. Option to Sell Agreement -- describes McKenzie-Willamette's option to request that Triad buy out the community's entire ownership interest anytime from the start of the joint venture to ten years after a replacement hospital opens. The joint venture will provide a 24-hour emergency medical department, at least 114 licensed acute care beds, and all other services required for a licensed acute care hospital in Oregon. The new company will maintain the community benefits McKenzie-Willamette was founded to meet 48 years ago this month. Specifically, the hospital will: accept Medicare and Medicaid patients, accept all emergency patients without regard to their ability to pay, maintain an open medical staff, provide public health programs of educational benefit to the community, and promote public health, wellness and welfare to the community by providing healthcare services at a reasonable cost. McKenzie-Willamette President/CEO Roy J. Orr said the agreements represent thousands of hours of work and due diligence on the part of hospital board members, staff, and legal counsel. He praised Triad officials for their approach to the negotiations: "Clearly they bring their values to the process of putting this venture together for the benefit of patients in Lane County. We were consistently reminded that we've found a partner that truly shares our commitment to the role of community hospitals." The Attorney General has scheduled a public hearing on the proposed transaction for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24th, at the Willamalane Adult Activity Center in Springfield. The public record will remain open for a week following the hearing and a decision may be rendered as early as July 9. More information about the proposed transaction is available on the hospital's website: http://www.mckweb.com http://www.mckweb.com/News/JointVentureAgreement.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PEACEHEALTH PeaceHealth Wins Top Award for key contributions to United Way of Lane County Success By 6 Initiative PeaceHealth Press Release, 5/21/03 CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- PeaceHealth, in Lane County, Oregon, was recognized today as a significant leader in the effort to prepare our nation's children to succeed in school and in life. The health organization won the distinctive local award United Way Success By 6 2003 Philanthropic Partner at today's event. Giving time, talents, resources and outstanding dedication through the United Way Success By 6 Initiative, PeaceHealth Oregon Region has been instrumental ensuring that children are safe, cherished and ready to learn. Awards were presented in Charlotte, North Carolina today during the "Engaging Leaders: Building Bright Futures for Young Children" conference, the first national conference of its kind bringing together business leaders, policy makers, and community stakeholders to address early childhood system-building through public engagement, communications, public policy and proven solutions. PeaceHealth has been a key Success By 6 Initiative philanthropic champion for early childhood since 1997, providing vision, funding, technical and grant-writing expertise, and volunteer leadership throughout the Initiative's history in Lane County. Alan Yordy, CEO of PeaceHealth, joined the United Way of Lane County board in 2000 and adopted the initiative with open arms. On numerous occasions over 4 years their management team spoke to community leaders on behalf of the initiative -- stressing the importance of systemic change, a prevention focus and partnership. PeaceHealth signed up as the first sponsor of United Way of Lane County's SB6 three-year public education campaign ($300,000 commitment), the spark that inspired other sponsors and fueled the launch of the Cherish Every Child campaign in November 2001. PeaceHealth's Sacred Heart Medical Center Foundation secured an additional $635,000 to-date for SB6 through one-on-one meetings and strategic grant applications on behalf of United Way of Lane County, key to their ability to implement strategies and build capacity. "Receiving this recognition is a great honor not only for PeaceHealth, but also for the entire Springfield and Eugene community," said PeaceHealth Oregon Region CEO Alan Yordy. "Working to improve community health is one of the cornerstones of our mission. Working as partners with Success By 6 and United Way helps us fulfill our commitment to this goal. This recognition will serve as an inspiration to us as we move forward in dealing with the many healthcare challenges facing us in the coming years." "Educational success, economic strength and a qualified workforce are deeply rooted in how well we prepare our young children for the challenges they will face," said Brian Gallagher, president and CEO of United Way of America. "Those being recognized for their work with United Way Success By 6 exemplify what matters for the future in each of our communities. We thank the recipients for their time and efforts and congratulate all on their achievements." PeaceHealth's employees have volunteered on nearly every SB6 Initiative sub-committee, including: Child Abuse Planning Team, Prenatal Consortium, Fund Development, Leadership, Parent Support Line, Universal Parenting Education, and Universal Screening. PeaceHealth's Community Health Committee has involved SB6 in their meetings and connected the initiative with area groups working towards similar outcomes. The PeaceHealth Pediatrics group provides a vital connection to the medical community and to new parents. Attending the awards ceremony, Gerry Gaydos, Chair of the Success By Six Leadership Team and attorney at Gaydos, Churnside & Balthrop, said "Our initiative is in its fifth year. As a result of PeaceHealth's commitment to early childhood, United Way of Lane County is able to bring partners together to create lasting change for our children and families. This should be an inspiration to other businesses and organizations to participate in continuing Success By 6 efforts." Active in every state and in 350 communities, the United Way Success By 6 initiative is this year celebrating its 15th year and has become the largest early childhood coalition network in the United States. Twenty one awards were presented to local and national United Way Success By 6 leaders in six categories Committed Communicator, Community Catalyst, Corporate Champion, Philanthropic Partner, Public Partner, and School Superstar. In highly competitive company from all over the nation, other United Way of Lane County Success By 6 supporters received Honorable Mentions: Community Catalyst Honorable Mention: Scott Palmer and Jim Kirk of United Rotary Clubs of Eugene-Springfield. Corporate Champion Honorable Mention: Gretchen Pierce, President Hult & Associates, LLC. Committed Communicator Honorable Mention: Carolyn Chambers, Chairman and CEO & Trustee Chambers Communication and the Chambers Family Foundation. Contacts: Brian Terrett, Director of Public Affairs & Communications, 686-6868 Kate Kloos, Director, United Way of Lane County Success By 6, 741-6000 x 109 About PeaceHealth The Oregon Region of PeaceHealth is a non-profit, Catholic-sponsored health care system based in Eugene, Oregon. It is composed of Sacred Heart Medical Center, a 432-bed regional tertiary medical center; PeaceHealth Medical Group, a multi-specialty group practice; Cottage Grove Community Hospital, an 11-bed rural hospital; and South Lane Medical Group, a 12-member physician group serving a small, rural community. PeaceHealth is Lane County's largest private employer, with nearly 4,000 employees. About United Way of Lane County United Way of Lane County improves lives through the caring power of community. Driven by over 3,500 volunteers, we bring together resources and people to solve local problems. For more information visit http://www.cherisheverychild.org and http://www.unitedwaylane.org Or, call 541-741-6000. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEARBY DEVELOPMENTS Ode To Node What the hell is nodal development? And why does our future depend on it? Node. The word evokes images of swollen pre-cancerous lymph in an arm pit, or a nubbin on a toad. But for Eugene, a node means something quite different. The city and state want 1,600 acres of Eugene covered in up to 34 different nodes in a key effort to save local livability. But the problem is, no one still knows exactly what node means. The Eugene city council is "all over the map" about what a node means, complained Councilor Scott Meisner at a recent meeting. "We could all sit down and [each] write 10 different words about what a node means and there would be 90 different words, many of them oxymoronic." Officially, a node is "a mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly land use pattern that seeks to increase concentrations of population and employment in well-defined areas with good transit service, a mix of diverse and compatible land uses, and public and private improvements designed to be pedestrian and transit oriented." But that's all very vague. As the city found out in the last few weeks, when it comes to nodes, the devil is in the details. (more...) http://www.eugeneweekly.com/archive/05_22_03/coverstory.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRANSPORTATION State OKs temporary bridge funds The prospect of worsening cracks both in local freeway bridges and in the state's sluggish economy has vaulted two bridge projects on Interstate 5 in the Eugene-Springfield area to "do it now" status. Dean Fuller, local project manager for the Oregon Department of Transportation, said the Oregon Transportation Commission has allocated $38.6 million from the state's bridge fund to build temporary freeway bridges across the McKenzie and Willamette rivers at the north and south ends of the metropolitan area. If everything goes smoothly -- the project requires several environmental exemptions and permits from local, state and federal agencies -- construction could begin by the end of the year and be completed in 12 to 18 months. The temporary spans will remain in use until permanent structures can be built, which will take several more years and could cost as much as $100 million. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/05/14/a1.bridges.0514.html Editorial: Long-lasting 'detours': Get used to 'temporary' freeway bridges The Oregon Department of Transportation has known for a couple of years that the Interstate 5 bridges over the Willamette and McKenzie rivers in the Eugene-Springfield area need to be replaced. Typically, traffic would be routed over temporary bridges while new spans were installed in the old ones' place. Now, however, ODOT wants to install the temporary bridges as soon as greenway and other environmental permits can be obtained, with construction starting by the end of the year. The temporary bridges -- ODOT calls them "detour bridges" -- will carry freeway traffic across the rivers until more expensive permanent bridges can be built as part of a statewide bridge repair and replacement plan. Travelers on I-5 will be living with the temporary bridges for quite a bit longer than expected -- probably several years. ODOT's decision underlines the urgency of Oregon's problem with deteriorating bridges, and raises worries about what might happen if funding for the permanent Willamette and McKenzie bridges is delayed or never comes. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/05/20/ed.edit.tempbridges.0520.html Springfield may repeal road fee, take 'a more equitable' approach Springfield -- Scarcely five months after approving a controversial road fee, the City Council has said it may cancel the charge and instead concentrate on getting road improvement money out of Lane County. Eugene and Springfield passed similar road fees in December, although neither city has yet implemented the charge, which would be earmarked for the upkeep of city roads. Lane County Commissioners Bill Dwyer and Bobby Green have led campaigns to put the fees on the ballot. Dwyer managed to get the issue on the Sept. 16 ballot in Springfield, while Green has until June 9 to collect more than 5,500 signatures in Eugene. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/05/21/d1.cr.streets.0521.html City to reconsider road maintenance fee An effort to repeal Springfield's transportation system maintenance fee cleared another hoop Friday after Lane County Elections certified enough signatures to allow the issue to go before voters. The fee is expected on the Sept. 18 special election ballot, but the City Council will consider early next month whether to repeal the fee on its own and find another way of funding street maintenance. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/05/21/local/news3.txt Maintain city streets By Janet Calvert, President, League of Women Voters of Lane County, Eugene Letter to The Register-Guard, 5/22/03 The League of Women Voters of Lane County strongly supports maintaining our public improvements, including our transportation system. Eugene's backlog of transportation maintenance costs is $90 million, prompting the Eugene City Council to pass a transportation system maintenance fee. This fee is not a new idea; nine other cities in Oregon have enacted such fees, and none was referred to the voters. In Eugene and other Lane County cities, road maintenance is primarily supported by the cities' shares of state gasoline tax and vehicle registration fees, plus allocations by Lane County from federal funds for local roads. These funds are inadequate. Not maintaining roads means that eventually the road must be rebuilt at enormous cost. In fact, one dollar spent on repair and preservation saves four to five dollars in road reconstruction later. The league believes that user fees are an appropriate method to fund maintenance costs. One advantage of this fee is that it collects transportation repair money from residents, businesses and even organizations that use roads but do not pay property taxes. Even home-bound persons use the streets with mail delivery, visitors and service calls, including ambulance and repair services. The idea is that everyone pays a part. With these additional funds, Eugene can start reducing the backlog of transportation system upkeep. As always, the League of Women Voters urges people to think before they sign any petition (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/05/22/ed.letters.0522.html City streets need repair By Lee Young, Eugene Letter to The Register-Guard, 5/23/03 I moved to Eugene almost 18 years ago in large part because of its reputation for a high quality of life and as a paradise for bike riders. Now this reputation is being threatened by anti-tax activists who want to starve the public sector and deny the community the services we need. The effort to stop the new transportation user fee is a good example of this. Smooth streets have never been one of this area's assets. As a bike rider, I am dodging many of the same cracks in the pavement on area streets that I encountered when I came out here in 1985. The problem is getting worse. A decline in timber receipt money for Lane County and voter refusal to raise the gas tax have left a huge backlog of street maintenance. If the streets aren't fixed now, they will need even more expensive repairs later and the cost will be overwhelming. The Eugene City Council wisely decided to act to prevent this crisis. On the average, households will only pay $2.90 per month for street maintenance. Businesses that generate a lot of traffic will pay much more. We all use city streets. As a bike rider, I know what I pay towards this tax will be money well spent. I ask everyone to just say no to petitions being circulated to put this fee on the ballot. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/05/23/ed.letters.0523.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COST OF PUBLIC SERVICES County panel makes tough budget work Rural health clinics and the welfare of animals fared relatively well Tuesday night as the Lane County budget committee did its final juggling in the search for a balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year. So did rural areas, where traffic patrols, which have been practically nonexistent for the past several years, will be beefed up by four sheriff's deputies, a sergeant and two support staff. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/05/21/d3.cr.countybudget.0521.html County fine tunes budget for 2003-04 Lane County Animal Regulation and rural health clinics won't see the devastating cuts in the Lane County 2003-04 proposed budget as first thought. Several restorations, considerations and add packages were discussed and approved Tuesday during a five-hour Lane County Budget Committee meeting that balanced the budget. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/05/23/local/news2.txt City nips from here, tucks it there If Eugene Budget Committee members seemed to pinch pennies while scraping together a pool of unallocated money over the past two weeks, they turned downright miserly Monday night while deciding how -- or whether -- to spend it. In three hours of deliberations sandwiched around an hourlong public hearing on the budget, committee members approved just three spending proposals while rejecting six others. The panel also reversed course on its earlier decision to dip into an airport marketing fund for $300,000 over three years to help pay for otherwise unfunded city services. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/05/20/d1.cr.budget.0520.html Budget panel revives funds for pets, kids Supporters of programs to deal with problem dogs and homeless kids were rewarded Wednesday night with the last-minute attention of the Eugene Budget Committee. The Lane County Animal Regulation Authority -- in which the city and county serve as partners -- won funding for a field officer even though money for operation of a cattery was denied, and committee members approved a third, scaled-back proposal to shore up funding for the Safe & Sound program for homeless youths. In all, the committee approved just five "add-backs" in two meetings this week before approving the city's 2003-04 spending plan Wednesday night with some final shuffling of the service reductions necessary to patch a $1.9 million hole in the budget. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/05/22/c1.cr.eugenebudget.0522.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER NEWS Celebrity Roast is May 30 Tickets are now on sale for the Inaugural Celebrity Roast Friday, May 30, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Springfield. The evening starts at 6:30 p.m. with a reception and follows with a dinner and roast from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey and Springfield Mayor Sid Leiken will be roasted by Alan Yordy of PeaceHealth, Mike Kelly of the city of Springfield, Brad Leiken of Oak Hills Golf Club, Dave Hauser of the Eugene Chamber of Commerce, Lane County Commissioner Bobby Green and Gene Manley of Manley Administrative Services. The event will raise money for Direction Service, which provides services to individuals and families with special needs. The cost for dinner is $50. For tickets or more information, call 686-5060. (end) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2003/05/21/local/news9.txt Mayoral 'roast' to raise funds for child agency A celebrity roast skewering the mayors of Eugene and Springfield will be held May 30 to benefit Direct Service, a local child advocacy organization. The inaugural event will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel on Gateway Road in Springfield. Cost of the reception, dinner and roast is $50 per person or $500 per table. Dennis Nakata of radio station KMGE will serve as emcee of the roast of Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey and Springfield Mayor Sid Leiken. "All-star roasters" will include Lane County Commissioner Bobby Green, PeaceHealth CEO Alan Yordy, Springfield City Manager Mike Kelly and Eugene Chamber of Commerce President Dave Hauser. For more information, call 686-5060 or visit http://www.directionservice.org on the Web. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/05/19/b3.cr.digest.0519.html A tram disappointment By Tandy Gragg Oregonian, 05/25/03 As the Oregon Health & Science University has lobbied the past few years for an aerial tram, its officials have maintained that the device would be a "public transportation system." More than 90 percent of riders will be OHSU employees, students and patients, according to the university's own traffic projections. But tram supporters have steadfastly countered critics' assertions that the device will be nothing more than "an elevator between OHSU and North Macadam." (more...) http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/1053691628124560.xml?oregonian?yalcrg