Current Listing

I am a retired nurse and clinical nursing specialist. Because I am concerned about our community’s health care, I have been attending the Nehalem Bay Health District (NBHD) Board meetings for the past 12 years. The changes that have occurred due to the hard work of the Nehalem Bay Health District Board under the leadership of Marc Johnson are awesome and inspiring.

The Health District has gone from being a land lord managing rentals, to being a driving force advocating for better health care for our community. We recently lost two local skilled care facilities for seniors. I never thought I would see the day that the quality of care at the Nehalem Valley Care Center would improve. But it has! A needs assessment was performed, a new management company found, staff hired, and strong is oversight provided by NBHD. I never thought anyone would have the foresight or be bold enough to try to renovate the Nehalem Valley Care Center, let alone help the Nehalem Bay Health Center and Pharmacy (formerly Rinehart Clinic and Pharmacy) get a new building. (Vote YES for local Health Care!) All of this extradorinaiy planning and foresight has occurred due to strong performance of the NBHD Board under the formidable leadership and drive of Marc Johnson. I strongly encourage you to vote for Marc Johnson for the NBHD Board in this upcoming election. His track record is outstanding and we could not do better.

Dianne Bloom BSN, MSN, CNM

These are important positions that benefit the Community over all. I only ask you to keep in mind that these Board seats are about the ‘“US’s” of the community not the “ ME’s”. It is about supporting an institution that started as a scrappy startup and over the years has grown into an extraordinary strong and vital institution to our Community – NCRD. We received International Financial recognition when Standard and Poor’s evaluated NCRD as a A+ Investment Grade Bond issuer and that must be preserved. NCRD is a living testament to the “US’s” of our community.

NCRD has been able to grow and prosper because of the Community’s willingness to devote their Time, Energy and Money to this extraordinary institution not for the sake of any individual ego’s but for the good of the Community over all.

In that spirit, we invite the entire Community to: 1). VOTE! 2). join “US” at the Pool Ground Breaking on May 9, 2023 at 4PM. Please bring your own trowel or shovel. There will be no “Officials” there to take credit but instead NCRD gives credit where it belongs, to the Community as a whole…..the Community did it without help from any officials. We, the Community, did it ourselves! Please come celebrate!

Jack Bloom
Board President

We Get What We Pay For

I bet everybody who lives in Tillamook County knows friends, family, or neighbors who have either traveled hours and miles into the valley for health care or have moved somewhere else to get the health care they need. Or maybe it’s your own sweet self, driving the 26 to Portland to see a doctor or get health care that’s unavailable to you here. That’s me, and a whole bunch of other people I know.

On Sunday I went to NCRD to listen to Marc Johnson and Gail Nelson speak about the health bond on the ballot, May 16.

Here’s where we are with health care in north Tillamook County right now and without significant investment the picture is pretty bleak.

The clinic in Wheeler has 1.5 exam rooms per provider. The general standard in patient clinics is 3 rooms per provider. This means longer waits to get an appointment or to see a provider once you do. There aren’t the specialists here that an aging population could use like rheumatologists, cardiologists, neurologists and oncologists. There’s not even a dentist.

Two local long-term homes closed recently but not for lack of patients. For folks requiring skilled nursing care, no beds available means leaving the place you’ve called home for years or maybe a lifetime, to move away from friends and community when you really need your people for support.

There isn’t affordable housing for our health care work force. Not for doctors, not for skilled nurses and definitely not for the folks who do the grunt work of health care like certified nursing assistants or medical assistants.

The pharmacy is only 450 square feet with not much room for storage so not every prescription can be filled the same day because it has to be ordered and there’s also no room for the other stuff we usually get at a pharmacy—stuff like over the counter meds, first aid supplies, hot water bottles, greeting cards and such. There’s no space for a private conversations between the pharmacist and the patient. That little space is crowded and busy. They do a great job but it’s a tight space.

The Nehalem Bay Health Center & Pharmacy works hard for the community. It provides so many necessary services and functions for all of Tillamook County and because it’s also a Federally Qualified Health Care district it receives money from the feds to provide care and services to the uninsured and underinsured including transportation for people who need to get to the doctor but can’t without a ride. They also offer folks without resources a sliding fee scale. No one is turned away because they can’t pay and for some folks it’s the only way they are able to access health care. Other state grants helped to establish the bilingual food program serving 157 low income families, and the Student Health and Wellness Center for the Neahkahnie School District.

The Local Health Care bond would help create the space to do more for our community and to do it better.

The plan is to build a nearly 17,000 square foot pharmacy that would include a three-chair dental suite. The proposed location is at the bottom of Hospital Road and 101. There’d also be room for disaster supplies and food storage. There’d be room for the kind of merchandise that a typical pharmacy carries like greeting cards and such. Located right on 101, it could make some cash money.

Up top of the hill the old hospital will be torn down and the site prepared for building some much needed work force housing for health care workers built in keeping with the character of the existing neighborhood. Some of those units could be studios for visiting specialists who commit to providing care a certain number of days per month.

The existing 50 bed skilled nursing and care center would get an update and modernization like some air conditioning for those hot summer days. There’s nothing worse than being sick and sweaty or doing a physically demanding job in the heat.

There are discussions to engage in collaborative partnerships with Providence, and OSHU to get specialists and interns. There are more plans, people, and they’re good ones. These plans invest in the health and well being of our entire community.

Does it cost money? Yep. It’s an investment in the community that we live in for all our people.

It will cost a total of 10.25 million dollars over the 25-year life of the loan, and if the bond is approved, property owners within the Health District boundaries would pay .37 cents per $1000 of assessed not market value. For a $300,000 home that’s $111 at first and will increase to $170 over time. That’s like $14 bucks a month. That’s less than Netflix, kids. And we get some stuff we need.

We are all connected. When one of us is in trouble, we’re all in trouble. In taking care of each other, we take care of ourselves. This bond is an investment in our shared future.

The last presentation is at NCRD May 3, at 5pm. You don’t need to register, just show up.

You can find out more (and honey, there’s plenty more) at NehalemHealthCare.com

Kim Rosenberg loretta.kim.rosenberg@gmail.com

1. Why are you running for this position?
I’m running because I think its important for board members to understand the history of the NCRD and the mission statement it stands for. I grew up swimming at the pool and my family has lived in the Nehalem Valley for four generations now. I have an understanding of this community’s goals and aspirations. I also think the board needs more “family minded” representation. I’d like to see more programs available to families who work and live here.

2. If elected, what will be your priorities?
My priorities will be to support transparency, stay budget minded and uphold the NCRD’s mission statement.

3. What particular experiences or skills have prepared you to serve?
Since I’m self employed I understand the importance of fiscal responsibility and self motivation. I’ve also served on the New Discoveries Preschool board for nearly 6 years now. As a board member for NDP I experienced the importance of a pragmatic approach to obstacles, and value of dialogue. I’m familiar with board procedure and I enjoy being constructive and helpful. My occupation requires a lot of negotiating and problem solving, skills that I think are very beneficial to being a board member.

4. What issues do you believe the board needs to address? Please list 3 and your solutions/ideas

1. Once the new pool is built, the board will need to determine what to do with the old one. It would be a shame to leave the space unused. Maybe we should poll the community and see what they think.
2. Since NES reduced the school’s swim program by two thirds I think the NCRD’s mission statement is at risk. I think the board needs to take a look at this and make sure all the community’s children have access to swim lessons. This could be solved with scholarships and supplemental swim programs.
3. Another issue that the board will need to address is the issue of staffing. Like the entire coast, staffing is a real challenge and the board faces an even greater challenge of hiring a new Executive Director. I would really like to see the board look at individuals who are familiar with and are invested in our community. Someone who knows and loves this community would be ideal for all the obvious reasons!

5. If you could make one improvement to the work this board does, what would it be?
I think the board could improve on its communication with the community.

6. In your opinion, what attributes must a good board member have?
I think a good board member listens well and meets challenges directly while taking a sensible and realistic approach to solutions. A good board member should respect and uphold the over all goal of the organization and take great care to remain fiscally responsible.

7. What is your vision for our community?
My vision is in line with the community members who built the pool way back in 1930. It has since expanded into the NCRD that offers much more than just the pool now but the sentiment is still the same. I envision a community that continues to look out for one another.