Dear CHOICES Subscribers, Now is the time to speak your mind about PeaceHealth's plans for a new hospital in the Gateway area. Come to the public hearing on PeaceHealth's master plan and zone change at the Springfield City Council meeting: Tuesday, January 20 6 pm -- work session 7 pm -- public hearing Springfield City Hall Should there be a height limit on the hospital? Should PeaceHealth be required to retain the tall Douglas-firs on the site? Should PeaceHealth be required to build a parking garage as part of Phase 1? Heck, should PeaceHealth be required to make sure the needed roads are in place before they open for business so that ambulances don't get stuck in traffic? Indeed, should a hospital even go next to the McKenzie River? Now is your last and most important chance to tell the Springfield City Council, who will make the final decision, what you think and feel. Indeed, all along we have been told by Springfield's staff and legal counsel that it wasn't yet time to consider whether or not to build a hospital but that the master planning stage was when that and all other questions could be addressed. And now we are at the master planning stage. The time is now... No, wait! I can't do this with a straight face. (As Dave Barry might say: "Ha ha! Just kidding.") What I am about to say will sound cynical, but cynicism is completely justified in the current situation. The decision to build a hospital was made a long time ago, even before any of us knew a decision was being made. It was made when PeaceHealth loaned money to Arlie and Company to buy up property in the gateway area, Arlie persuaded Springfield to annex their property, and PeaceHealth bought on option on the property. All of this occurred before the public knew anything about PeaceHealth moving to Springfield. The decision was made when PeaceHealth persuaded Springfield to annex the second half of the property, promising to pay millions of dollars for road improvements if Springfield allowed them to build a hospital. Such a financial arrangement either makes sure a property owner pays its fair share or is legalized bribery -- you decide. In any case, once that annexation agreement was signed, Springfield couldn't say "no" without losing the money for road improvements. So who is the Springfield City Council going to listen to: its citizens or money talking? The decision was made when Springfield gutted the Gateway Refinement Plan, substituting the community's vision for residential development and neighborhood shops with PeaceHealth's vision for a regional medical center/palace/fortress designed to last for 100 years. The decision was made when Springfield allowed PeaceHealth to begin excavation work before approval of the master plan, even though they had explicitly agreed that excavation wouldn't begin until after the master plan was approved. The final decision won't be made by the Springfield City Council but by the Oregon Land Used Board of Appeals (LUBA), who have ruled that the plans are partially flawed, and perhaps by the Court of Appeals, who will either affirm or overrule LUBA's opinion, if given a chance. And the really important way for citizens to speak out isn't at the public hearing on Tuesday but at the ballot box this May. I was friends with the late Springfield City Councilor Lyle Hatfield. Once over lunch, he once told me that Springfield was different from Eugene. In Springfield, pretty much everyone agrees with each other and trusts their elected officials to do the right thing. I believe that Lyle sincerely believed that, but I am not sure he was correct. I don't think McKenzie-Willamette and former Springfield Mayor and McKenzie-Willamette Board Chair Maureen Weathers thinks that forcing Springfield's community hospital to move was in Springfield's best interests. I have heard state senators, state representatives, county commissioners and city councilors raise serious concerns over plans for a hospital at Gateway. And LUBA ruled that, at least in part, the plans are not in Springfield's best interests. But what does one do when elected officials don't listen? When the judge in the lawsuit over the early excavation asked essentially that question, Springfield's own attorney answered, in effect, that the people can always "vote the bums out" if elected officials don't keep their pledges and act in the public's best interest. Five of Springfield's seven elected officials are up for reelection this May: Mayor Sid Leiken, Ward 1 Councilor Christine Lundberg, Ward 3 Councilor Anne Ballew, Ward 4 Councilor Dave Ralston, and Ward 6 Councilor Tim Malloy. (Ward 2 Councilor Tammy Fitch and Ward 5 Council John Woodrow aren't up for reelection until 2006.) For more info about the Springfield Mayor and Council, see: http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/council.htm Now I won't go so far as to say they are all bums who should be voted out. More to the point, I don't live in Springfield, so I don't even get a say. But those of you who do live in Springfield -- and your friends and neighbors -- do get a say. If your elected officials have pretty much done what is best for Springfield, fine. If not, then find candidates you like better, go out and help them campaign, and get them elected. The choice is yours! In summary, please do come to the public hearing this Tuesday. It may be your last formal opportunity to speak your mind. And elected officials need to hear from the people, even if they don't listen. Democracy (what we are fighting for in Iraq) works only if people are informed and active. Then wait for the attorneys to sort it all out and make the final decisions. In other news, my dad called my attention to a story in the (Charleston, South Carolina) Post and Courier. He's a family physician in Michigan and I grew up learning about the costs of health care. Regardless of what happens with PeaceHealth, the way in which we pay for health care in the United States is screwy. We are well on the road to bankrupting us all unless there are significant changes in the way that health decisions are made and paid for. Indeed, 50 or 100 years from now, who knows if expensive, large, centralized hospitals will still play the same role in health care as they do today? The Post and Courier story, "Health accounts could encourage more doctors to practice retail," talks about one such trend. Bob Welch puts words in the mouth of a "Mrs. H" -- unlike Dave Barry, she's imaginary so she can't sue him -- to suggest that we need to find ways to work together if we are going to have the kind of community we can and should have. Hmmmm... sitting down and discussing how best to provide for the community's health care needs rather than fighting every step of the way. Now there's a good idea, indeed, the idea that CHOICES pitched to PeaceHealth CEO Alan Yordy over two years ago. Unfortunately, Yordy still hasn't gotten back to us on that idea... Rob Zako, Editor 343-5201 rzako@efn.org ================================================================================ Health Options Digest January 18, 2004 Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CALENDAR Tuesday, January 20 -- Springfield City Council Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth St., Springfield, 726-3700 6:00 p.m., Work Session, Jesse Maine Room 1. Request for Master Plan and Zone Change Approval (PeaceHealth). (30 min.) 2. 2006-2009 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) Projects. (20 min.) 3. Library Board Application Review. (10 min.) 7:00 p.m., Regular Meeting, Council Meeting Room 1. PUBLIC HEARING: Request for Master Plan and Zone Change Approval (PeaceHealth). (120 min.) 9:00 p.m., Executive (Non-public) Session, Jesse Maine Room 1. Intergovernmental Agreement Between City of Springfield and Willakenzie Fire District (WFD). (15 min.) 2. Status Report on PeaceHealth LUBA Appeals. (20 min.) Agenda: http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/CMO/2004Council/2004%20January%2020%20agenda.pdf January 23-24 -- Visions of Eugene Center: A Public Design Charette Sponsored by the City of Eugene An exploration of ideas for a civic center encompassing a new city hall, police services building, and other local government facilities. Issues include: * expression of our community's artistic, cultural, social and governmental values; * the creation of civic open spaces; * enhancement of great streets; * sustainability; and * contributing to the variety of downtown. Invited Participants: Southwest Oregon Chapter of the AIA Willamette Valley Section of the ASLA Downtown Eugene Incorporated Downtown Neighborhood Association Eugene in Common The Eugene Planning Commission The Citizens of Eugene Time and Place: Kick-Off Meeting: Date: Friday, January 23, 2004 Time: 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Place: Eugene Public Library, Bascom/Tykeson Room Agenda: Presentation of background information, program, orientation, sites, general discussion Design Charrette: Date: Saturday, January 24, 2004 Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Place: Atrium Building, Sloat Room Agenda: General discussion, establish work groups, develop concepts, reviews Please mark your calendars for this important event. The City has retained the services of WBGS Architecture & Planning PC to assist with assembling information in advance of the Charrette and in organizing and refining the results. Concepts for the Civic Center will be presented to the Eugene City Council in February. Please RSVP to Tricia Berg by Wednesday, January 14th. tberg@wbgs.com or 541-342-7291. For additional information please contact Tricia Berg or Eric Gunderson at WBGS Architecture & Planning PC, phone 541-342-7291 or Michael Penwell, City of Eugene Facility Management Division, phone 541-682-5547 or by email at . January 28 -- Ideas sought on parks and recreation plan 4:00-7:00 p.m., Memorial Building Community Center, 765 A St., Springfield On the parks side of the Willamalane Park & Recreation District, planners are looking for opinions on a draft document intended to help identify future needs for parks, open space, recreation facilities and related services in Springfield. Draft copies of the district's Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan -- in the works since January 2002 -- are available for review at the Willamalane Administration Center and the Springfield Library. Copies can be purchased for $15.82 apiece at Willamalane, or may be downloaded from the district's Web page at www.willamalane.org. An open house for discussion and explanation of the plan will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Memorial Building Community Center, 765 A St. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2003/12/20/b2.cr.spfldcitybeat.1220.html January 29 -- A new view on toxic chemicals: how they impact our health 6:00-8:00 p.m., Downtown Athletic Club, 999 Willamette St., Eugene It has been a long-held truth that the "dose makes the poison" when it comes to toxic chemicals and their impact on our health. However, recent science indicates that even low-level exposure, particularly at the wrong time in the development of a fetus or small child, can cause subtle yet serious health impacts. John Peterson Myers, Ph.D., will highlight cutting-edge science, the conceptual shifts that are occurring as a result, implications for clinical practice and opportunities for health professionals to advance public understanding of the emerging evidence. Dr. Myers is co-author of Our Stolen Future, CEO of Environmental Health Sciences, which publishes , a daily collection of links to press articles on environmental health, and Senior Advisor to the United Nations Foundation and Commonwealth. The Healthy Environment Forum series is intended to bring health professionals, environmentalists and engaged community members together to learn about emerging issues and being to forge consensus about linkages between some of Oregon's most difficult environmental and health challenges. The series is designed for physicians and other health care providers, especially those in Family Medicine and Pediatrics, and for interested citizens. *** CME, CNE and Naturopathic credits are available. To register online, visit . Tickets are $25 ($20 for OEC members and employees of nonprofit or governmental agencies) or $75 for the series. Heavy hors d'oeurves will be provided. To register by mail, please send checks to Oregon Environmental Council, 520 SW Sixth Ave., Suite 940, Portland, OR 97204-1535. Register by phone with Visa or MasterCard by contacting Cheryl Bristah at (503) 222-1963 x100 or cheryl@orcouncil.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPPORTUNITIES Plan ahead If you think it's time you tried your hand at planning projects, the city is accepting applications for the seven-member Planning Commission. The commission makes recommendations to the council about growth and development, and it has authority over zone changes, variances, appeals and discretionary use requests. Each term is four years. At a minimum, serving on the commission requires about six hours of meetings monthly, with three to six hours of preparation each time. Applications are available in the City Manager's Office in City Hall, Fifth and A streets; the deadline is 5 p.m. Feb. 6. For more information, call Mel Oberst at 726-3783. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/01/17/b1.cr.spcitybeat.0117.html Building appeals panel seeks five volunteers SPRINGFIELD -- The city has openings for all five positions on the Building Board of Appeals. The board determines suitability of alternate materials and methods of construction, gives reasonable interpretations of building safety codes, and hears various building and sign code appeals. The positions will expire at the end of 2004 and 2006. You must have training or expertise in building design or construction, or be a property owner in the city. Applications are available at City Hall, 225 Fifth St., and the deadline to apply is Jan. 23. For more information, call Lisa Hopper at 726-3753. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/01/04/c2.cr.rg.briefs.0104.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PEACEHEALTH PeaceHealth gets planning board OK SPRINGFIELD -- PeaceHealth's $400 million hospital plan is one last vote from victory, pending legal challenges. The Springfield Planning Commission on Tuesday unanimously recommended that the City Council approve PeaceHealth's 160-acre plan for Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend, a mix of offices, stores and housing around a regional medical center in the Gateway area. The council will take the matter up and could decide it on Feb. 9. However, even if the council approves the project, legal appeals could slow PeaceHealth's hopes of beginning construction this year and opening the nine-story facility in 2007. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/01/14/d1.cr.peacehealth.0114.html Hospital talk The PeaceHealth endgame begins Tuesday. The City Council will open a final public hearing on the 160-acre hospital project at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers, City Hall, 225 Fifth St. That's following a 6 p.m. meeting to discuss the project with staff. The public hearing will continue Wednesday if necessary, and the City Council will vote Feb. 9 on whether to approve the development plan. That's one question. The other is whether PeaceHealth and the city will appeal a state decision that says the city erred when it gave the hospital a green light to build last year. If they fight the decision, opponents also will have another opportunity to plead their case to the Oregon Court of Appeals. If they comply, the necessary changes could slow plans to win approval and start construction immediately on a regional medical center to open in 2007. The City Council and city attorneys will discuss that question privately after the public hearing. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/01/17/b1.cr.spcitybeat.0117.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MCKENZIE-WILLAMETTE/TRIAD City sours on Metro partnership Springfield elected officials have called into question the work of an organization designed to boost business in the Springfield-Eugene area. The city of Springfield gives the Lane Metro Partnership $50,000 annually to provide economic development leadership in Lane County, especially in Springfield, and city leaders are contemplating whether the funding stream should be cut off in the next fiscal year. During a work session Monday night, councilors agreed to put the partnership and other service partners on notice that because of budget cuts -- and in some cases, a growing uneasiness with services -- that funding will likely be reduced during the budget process this spring. While the merit of several agencies was debated, the Lane Metro Partnership was targeted. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2004/01/14/local/news07.txt McKenzie-Willamette supports work of Lane Metro Partnership Letter by Roy Orr, CEO, McKenzie-Willamette Hospital, Springfield I read with disappointment in the January 13th Springfield News that members of the Springfield City Council may consider reductions in funding for the Lane Metro Partnership, citing as a reason that Partnership staff have been working to "move McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center to Eugene." Nothing could be further from the truth. We have received consistent support and counsel from the Metro Partnership regarding our efforts to explore all possibilities for replacement hospital sites in Springfield as well as Eugene. Sites in Springfield continue to be viable candidates. I can honestly say that the Metro Partnership staff is scrupulous in its neutrality as it relates to city limits and boundaries. As your Springfield's City Manager knows, we have never abandoned our desire to determine whether an alternative Springfield location could prove optimal for McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center. Should the City Council feel a need to reduce funding, any reduction to the Lane Metro Partnership based on perceived bias in favor of Eugene would be unfortunate and, in our experience, unfair. We are very grateful for the assistance we continue to receive from the Metro Partnership and would sincerely regret losing that support. We are also grateful for the continued support and encouragement we receive from Mayor Leiken, members of the Springfield Council, City Manager Mike Kelly, and his excellent staff. (end) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2004/01/16/opinion/opinion02.txt -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COST OF HEALTH CARE Fire service merger faces foes SPRINGFIELD -- The city and the Willakenzie Rural Fire Protection District are tweaking a prenuptial agreement, but both say the residents must vote whether to bless this union. The City Council and Willakenzie board met jointly Monday to discuss folding the city fire department into the Willakenzie district, a move meant to free up city taxing power and realize long-term savings if more departments join up. Supporters of the annexation said they hope to refer the proposal to the May primary election ballot -- because it's important that taxpayers have their say, but also to beat opponents to the punch. Lane County Commissioner Bill Dwyer of Springfield said Monday that he'll force the issue to the ballot if proponents don't, because he believes the city has camouflaged an obvious attempt to "get around" a property tax cap. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/01/13/a1.firedistrict.0113.html Council at odds with Willakenzie fire district They are infected with pre-wedding jitters. Springfield city councilors and members of the Willakenzie Fire District are months away from marriage, and they are disagreeing about the prenuptial agreement. Elected officials met for the first time Monday night for a special public hearing. They discussed a 205-page intergovernmental agreement to transfer fire services from the city to the district, and they proved to be at odds on two key issues -- land and building transfers, and district governance. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2004/01/14/local/news02.txt Demand universal health care Letter by Jeremy Jacobs, Eugene Recently, my wife and I discovered that her health insurance plan -- we can't afford health insurance for both of us -- is dropping dental and vision coverage due to cost increases. On top of that, her premiums are going up by nearly $20 a month. Sound familiar? Our elected leaders enjoy top-quality, taxpayer-funded health care 365 days a year. And yet millions of members of "we the people," who are supposed to be the bosses of our elected leaders, have inadequate or nonexistent coverage. Have you ever heard of a company where the employees have better benefits than the bosses? Poll after poll shows that a strong majority of Americans want universal health care. So how do we get it? Write your congressional representatives. Let them know you are making universal health care a litmus test. Make it very simple for them: Tell them that if they do not take specific and solid legislative steps to bring about universal health care, you will take your vote elsewhere. And then follow up. Keep your eye on them. Write them again. And again. Volunteer one or two hours a week for a group working toward universal health care. Vote. Write letters to the editor. Get mad. Talk to friends, family, coworkers. Get them to write letters. Share HMO horror stories. Get even madder. Don't stop. Don't get discouraged. Don't give up. We already know we want it. So let's roll up our sleeves and make it happen. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/01/14/ed.letters.0114.html Put annexation on ballot: Give voters a say on move to join fire district Register-Guard EditorialÊÊÊ Bill Dwyer must not have enough work to keep him busy as a Lane County commissioner. If he did, he wouldn't spend so much time trying to unravel the work of the Springfield City Council. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/01/16/ed.edit.springfieldfire.phn.01.html Health accounts could encourage more doctors to practice retail By Jonathan Maze Of The (Charleston, South Carolina) Post and Courier Staff Monday, January 12, 2004 One of the more intriguing, and, some say, under-reported, health care trends in the last year or two is the number of physicians abandoning insurance altogether, treating patients on a cash-only basis, making the doctor's office like a pharmacy with nurses and no candy aisle. That trend, which reached the Charleston area in 2003, received a massive boost when Congress added Health Savings Accounts to the Medicare prescription drug act. The accounts allow people, or their employers, to buy a high-deductible health plan (no less than $1,000 for individuals, $2,000 for families) and then save money in a tax-free, interest-bearing account to be used for health expenses under the deductible. If these accounts become popular, the proliferation of millions of patients with money specifically targeted for health care that they can more or less spend as they wish would remove much of the risk of retail medicine. A few doctors in the Charleston area have taken this step, led by Dr. Dave Albenberg, who opened his practice downtown, Access Healthcare, early last year. "No doubt, this is good news for us," he said. Many believe a lot of other doctors are drooling to do the same thing. A lot of doctors have come to loathe insurance companies. They don't like dealing with the paperwork and bureaucracy that comes with billing third parties. By opening a retail practice, doctors theoretically can reduce the number of people they have to hire for those duties. Albenberg, for instance, has only two employees and says his practice would need more than twice that if he dealt with insurers. With less overhead, the physicians can see fewer patients and can spend more time with each one. Life is less stressful, and the pay is about the same. Such practices are risky because the fact remains that the vast majority of the public relies on some sort of health insurer to pay the bills. Patients with insurance can still go to doctors like Albenberg, but they have to pay cash up front, then convince their insurer to cover the cost. Many people don't like to do that, and there's hardly a guarantee that they'll get all they spent in return. So, many retail medicine practices have failed. Health savings accounts could change that, because then people would have their own funds with which to pay the doctor in these instances. SC Likes Research South Carolinians think health research is important and that the state could spend a bit more money on it, even if it means increasing the cigarette tax. That's the conclusion of a Harris poll commissioned by the Virginia-based nonprofit Research America, which says the country should spend more money on health care research. Both the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina are members. The organization has conducted similar polls in states around the country, generally with similar results. According to the poll, 70 percent of South Carolina residents think too little is spent on disease-prevention research. A huge majority, 92 percent, believe that state tobacco settlement funds should be spent to find cures for chronic diseases. And 71 percent support an increase in the sales tax on tobacco products for research on preventing disease. Among other results, 69 percent favor increasing the sales tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products to reduce the state's budget deficit. Jonathan Maze covers health care and non-profits. Reach him at jmaze@postandcourier.com or 937-5719. (end) http://www.charleston.net/stories/011204/bus_12health.shtml -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEARBY DEVELOPMENTS Vacancy Springfield continues to attract new businesses that bring jobs and revenue to town, but its largest commercial facilities remain empty. The former Sony, Emporium, Waremart and Kmart buildings are still vacant despite efforts from the city and corporate managers to lease them. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2004/01/16/business/business01.txt St. Vincent de Paul unveils plans for downtown Downtown needs new life, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society aims to deliver. The charitable nonprofit plans to raze its store at Main and Fifth streets and put up a three-story building with housing and retail space, Executive Director Terry McDonald said this week. "It gives a prominent corner on the downtown area something new, (a project) of sufficient mass and scale to be a signature building," McDonald said. "Downtown definitely needs something new that will help jump-start its commercial revitalization." The building will be stainless steel and brick, with colored glass moldings and trim "to set off the building, give it a pretty look," McDonald said. Twenty-two apartments will rent for $350 to $375, while the 6,500-square-foot retail area will lease for $65,000 per year. McDonald also wants a 22,000-square-foot space in Springfield to relocate the St. Vincent de Paul store. But he doesn't want the store in the new building because he needs more space and because he hopes to lure somebody else. Downtown is "not exactly the retail hot spot," McDonald said, but he's hoping developers will be drawn to "attractive rent and a nice building, and more population around, and more traffic." McDonald wants to raze the current building in spring 2005 and start soon after on the $3.5 million project, but he needs city and federal dollars to get it done. He'll likely get help from the city, considering there is $500,000 in grants for downtown projects. "It's a perfect fit," Assistant City Manager Cynthia Pappas said. "It is redevelopment, it adds density downtown, it adds residential units downtown, it improves existing retail space. It's a great project." (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/01/17/b1.cr.spcitybeat.0117.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER NEWS Jim Torrey remains mum on re-election bid Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey is keeping his potential successors -- or opponents -- off-balance to the end. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/01/14/d1.cr.mayor.0114.html Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey won't run for third term Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey announced Wednesday that he'll turn the reins of city government over to a successor at the end of 2004, opting to spend more time with his family and push for statewide tax reform rather than seek a third term as mayor. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/01/15/a1.torrey.0115.html A darned good mayor: Torrey limits himself to two terms Register-Guard Editorial Being mayor of a city like Eugene -- wait a minute, there is no city like Eugene -- is a tough assignment. The city's yeasty political culture ensures that any mayor will have loud critics, left, right and sideways. Eugene is big enough to ensure that the mayor will always have plenty to do, but not so big that he's given a salary and staff to match the responsibilities. Yet through nearly two terms, Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey has done more than make it look easy. He's made it look fun. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/01/15/ed.edit.torrey.0115.html Nathanson jumps into Eugene mayor's race Nancy Nathanson filled out her spot on this year's primary election dance card Thursday, announcing that she will try to succeed Mayor Jim Torrey -- who announced a day earlier that he would not seek re-election -- as Eugene's top elected official. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/01/16/d1.cr.nathanson.0116.html New leaders introduced to Lowell The people of Lowell finally had a chance to meet their new city administrator and county commissioner. (more...) http://www.springfieldnews.com/articles/2004/01/16/local/news03.txt Rep. Barnhart named assistant minority leader SALEM -- Eugene lawmaker Phil Barnhart has been named to a leadership position in the Oregon House of Representatives. Barnhart and Rep. Gary Hanson of Portland were elected by fellow Democrats on Tuesday to serve as assistant minority leaders. The two positions were created after Rep. Alan Bates, D-Ashland stepped down as assistant minority leader to run for the state Senate. In his new position, Barnhart will help House Democratic Leader Jeff Merkley of Portland in developing a policy agenda for the next session and in running campaigns for House Democratic candidates. When the Legislature is in session, Barnhart will help manage his caucus's floor strategy. Barnhart is running for a third term in the House. His House District 11 includes portions of Eugene and outlying areas of Lane County and central Linn County. (end) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/01/15/b3.cr.briefs.0115.html Bob Welch: Old Growth to fill new role in column The waiter at the Valley River Inn left me the usual -- marshmallows for my portable s'mores stove -- then lingered at the Siuslaw Room door. "It's none of my business, Mr. Welch, but you've been set up in this boardroom for a week now. What's up?" "I'm hiring a fictional character for my column," I said, stepping onto the second-story deck to roast marshmallows, "and I'm interviewing prospects." (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/01/11/c1.cr.welch.0111.html Bob Welch: Bridging the river that runs through us Ambrosia's wood-fired oven flickered beyond us, a welcome sight on this foggy day. "You're edgier than a cop at an anarchy rally," she said while stirring her Zuppa del Giorno. "I've never done this before," I said, wondering why, if I'm trying to cut down on cholesterol in 2004, I just ordered the Pizza Four Seasons. "Done what?" "Had lunch with an imaginary person. I don't even know your name." (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/01/13/d1.cr.welch.0113.html Bob Welch: Eugene folk need to listen to each other Like a lot of people, Dianne Lobes moved to Eugene not because of a job, but because of this almost mystical sense that this is where she needed to be. "It was a serendipitous thing," says Lobes, a 53-year-old psychologist. "When I visited, it felt great. Friendly people. I loved it." Still does, in fact, after moving here from Cincinnati, Ohio, three years ago. But like a lot of us, she worries about Eugene having become something of a municipal mosh pit -- lots of energy, yes, but most of it spent with people crashing into one another instead of moving forward -- together. "Frankly, that's why nothing much gets changed here in Eugene," she wrote me after Sunday's "Mrs. H" column on the subject. (Lobes, unlike Mrs. H, is completely real!) "Everyone's promoting their own agenda and endlessly talking others down rather than listening to the common thread, a thread that we can use to knit us all together. That goes for both 'sides.' " Lobes, when we got together to talk, said that a community's failure to communicate is similar to the on-the-rocks marriages she's dealt with as a therapist -- and to management-employee breakdowns. (more...) http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/01/18/c1.cr.welch.0118.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 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