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11, 2004
PAGE 3
• n languag conversational
starting at library soon
SKINNER
Reporter
Como estas?
choovstvooyoo
had trouble reading
line (in Spanish) or
(in Russian), then
the need
as a second lan-
this month the
Community
will host a m-week
program
to help ~
speakers
improve
gather in
Room
library
nights
The help came in the form
of a $40,000 grant from
WSL Money from the grant
covers, among other things,
the conversation circles. The
Goldendale circles are based
on a successful program, Talk
Time, that has been in action
throughout the Puget Sound
area for years, said Fisher.
Funds also go into training
the staff of the Goldendale
library, getting them ready to
lead conversations among
speakers of Spanish, Chinese
I hope this will help the
non-native speakers to
participate in our commu-
nity. - Naomi Fisher
pation as each circle member
can share what holidays are
celebrated in their homeland,
and they become better
English speakers in the
process. A theme of some sort
will occupy each week's con-
versation, and to continue
vocabulary growth, games
like Pictionary will be on
hand.
To facilitate the weekly
conversations, the
Goldendale library has
trained five people, but
Fisher said that the
program proved to be
so popular that the
library will soon seek
more volunteers.
The volunteers on
line to facilitate the
first session were
trained at the Tacoma
Community House.
Photo by Greg Skinner
John Tucker, Brim's senior vice president (LEFT), and John McCormick, regional financial officer,
answer questions after presenting the company's proposal to the Klickitat Valley Hospital board
of commissioners last Thursday
17.
0rmal lan-
program
a program pro-
Washington
(WSL), asking
to join in a
diversity project.
meeting with var-
groups in the
e area, the
,e library deter-
languageskills
priority for the
Project.
more ESL
librarian Naomi
1
-~ name of the chil-
in Washington are
of what cash-
insured patients
to the dentist. The
is written
also say that
can be a lot
Same throughout
aren't enough
to take
any place," said
Start, a federal devel-
Program for low-
Goldendale Community Library
and Russian. Fisher has a
goal for the conversation cir-
cles: "I hope this will help the
non-native speakers to par-
ticipate in our community,"
she said.
Between 20 and 30 people
have signed up for the con-
versation circles so far.
The first week's gathering
will center on the theme of
holidays. Conversations
involving holidays tend to
bring people into a more
comfortable level of partici-
income children, encourages
a visit to the dentist before a
child enrolls in their
preschool programs. Still,
"Probably 3o percent do not
complete work on the teeth,"
said Chambers. "It doesn't
cost a dime to bring them in
here."
Chambers was the only per-
son to offer an answer to the
problem beyond "educate the
parents."
She said the state should
require them to bring there
kids in. "Erase the system and
The current plan has
~ two people per week
on a rotating basis Decision time: Brim offer to
providing coverage and lead-
ing the conversations. A sec-
ond session will happen m Klickitat Valley Hospital
sometime this summer.
Conversation circles can
extend into the larger com-
munity, too. If over the next
several weeks you hear some-
one on the street or in church
speaking another language,
said Fisher, people can invite
them deeper into the commu-
nity with conversation, sim-
ply asking "Como estas?"
start over," said Chambers.
What she means is, to
change the DSHS system to
hold back benefits paid to
parents on a monthly basis if
there is no visit to the dentist
or the doctor in honor of pre-
ventive medicine. In short, a
system that forcefully benefits
the child. -
Brockus disagrees with that
idea, "I would not agree ~ith
something that punitive, we
could not hold funds for that
reason...The funds are for the
children."
By GREG SKINNER
News Reporter
Acknowleding that "It's not
always easy having outsiders
involved," Brim Health
Hospital Management made
its final management proposal
to the board of commissioners
of Klickitat Valley Heath
Services (KVHS) and 25 citi-
zens and employees last
Thursday evening.
The three-man presenta-
tion team made a list of offers:
to straighten out, tighten up,
and better manage KVHS.
"You desperately need leader-
ship," said Steve Kinder, vice
president.
The most profound offer
came from John McCormick,
Brim's regional financial offi-
cer, "Year one, we'll pay for
ourselves." From there the
proposed benefits seem to
only get better.
By year three, when the
proposed offer contains a way
out tbr either party, Brim pro-
jects a net financial gain above
current income for KVHS, of
$481,ooo. That figure comes
in after their management fee.
For the moment Brim is the
only management company
interested in running KVHS.
Two others declined to make
an offer. Keith Mesmer, inter-
im CEO of KVHS, said the
heath group didn't meet the
criteria of Adventist Health
Systems. Another company,
Quorum Hospital Manage-
ment, was not willing to do
business. Mesmer said
Quorum was "angry" and
"didn't bother to put in a pro-
posal."
Mesmer is a retired Brim
employee still on the payroll,
but answers to the board of
commissioners.
If KVHS decides to go a
route other than Brim's man-
agement plan, the board of
commissioners has seven
applicants to choose from in
each search required to place
a new head executive and new
chief of finance.
A 54-slide PowerPoint pre-
sentation showed that
through various methods
Brim intends to: "Increase
market share, build commu-
nity confidence, enhance cus-
tomer service, and improve
the financial viability of
KVHS."
In lay terms, Brim intends
to: Add :zo patients per year,
better manage the employees,
attract more heart patients,
deliver more babies, improve
Medicare-Medicaid billing
and buy hospital goods at a
lower price. Brim feels that
those 2o customers are going
elsewhere when they can be
treated properly in
Goldendale. Brim also intends
to improve the operation of
the Family Practice Clinic.
The promise is to save
KVHS enough money to pay
Brim an estimated $16o,ooo
in management expense and
travel during the first year of
their relationship and have
' $35,ooo of profit.
McCormick said they could
meet these goals without
removing any of the n8 full
time health district employ-
ees. Brim does leave the possi-
bility of not replacing people
as they retire or move on.
Mesmer said the board of
commissioners would decide
which direction to go at a
meeting April 18 or 23.
Cut $
Steak
87
lb
y Ribs
$
87
lb
Grown Boneless $
Chicken Breast
lb
Beef $
Short Ribs
Ib
Shced $
Beef Liver tb
Cut PorkSteak $ l 7
lb
rl
• .--............-. 37¢ lb
QQOQOOOOOOQ
• •
000QO000001000000 7
7¢
Potatoes (U,S. # 1) ............ lO lbs for 97¢
Tomatoes, Large Slicers ............. 97¢ lb.
Clip-top carrots 3 lbs for 97¢
o ib o IB ib o iPtl o Q ID o o o o
Mushrooms, sliced or whole ...... 2 for $ 2.47
Cucumbers ............................. 3 for 97¢
Baby peeled carrots... 1 1-lb. bag for 97¢
Happy Tofu, red, yellow or green
... 1 1-1b package 97¢ lb.