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Happy Sunday, Lookout Eugene-Springfield,
The steady drumbeat of negative news about PeaceHealth continues.
From the doomed effort to replace Eugene Emergency Physicians with ApolloMD, to the unceremonious dismissal of top PeaceHealth Oregon executive Dr. Jim McGovern, to the nearly $500,000 in accumulated state fines for allegedly violating nurse staffing levels, each new story has unleashed a chorus of criticism from letter-writers, online commenters and Lookout’s own editorial board.
The consistent theme? As one letter-writer succinctly concluded in an April letter to the editor: “Shame on you, PeaceHealth.”
Yet much as they (and we) have taken aim the hospital system this year, they (and we) need PeaceHealth to be successful, as I explain below.
PeaceHealth’s long road back to public trust
The Lookout Eugene-Springfield Editorial Board weighed in last week on steps PeaceHealth can take to recover its standing among patients who come to RiverBend, as well as PeaceHealth’s Cottage Grove and Florence hospitals.
It starts with transparency — a commitment by PeaceHealth to release as much information as it legally can about the decision-making that went into its decision to cancel its contract with Eugene Emergency Physicians, as well as the ongoing investigation into McGovern, now the former chief hospital executive for PeaceHealth’s Oregon network. And it continues with a financial contribution toward the next generation of Lane County nurses.
Or, if you’re Eugene letter-writer and retired neurologist Michael Smith, it starts with supporting the good employees and the well-functioning systems it already has, and ends with politicians understanding that better medical care will require higher taxes.
How do you think PeaceHealth should improve its reputation in Lane County? Let us know: lte@lookoutlocal.com
To serve and protect?
What’s your opinion of the Eugene Police Department?
We’ve published two very different community takes on EPD recently, in the wake of the resignation of an officer whose body-cam video showed him making racist and other offensive comments while driving a patrol car on Jan. 30, the night Eugene police declared a riot during a protest at the federal building.
For Eugene letter-writer Amber Hoar, “The footage showcases the disparity between shared values of Eugene police officers versus community members,” adding that “Chief Chris Skinner must be removed, and we must reform EPD.”
After reading Hoar’s letter, fellow Eugene letter-writer Ben Bonner said, “It’s interesting how two people can look at the same event and come away with entirely different conclusions.” Bonner agreed that there’s no place in EPD for an officer who behaves this way, but argued that the officer resigned because he “knew the rest of the police officers of EPD would not want their reputations sullied by working or associating with him.”
Students on protesting
Speaking of downtown protests, the scene around Eugene Federal Building has been quieter in recent months than at the start of the year, when it was ground zero for large protests against ICE activity.
Federal officials may chalk up the relative calm to the security fencing that went up around the building in late April. But that fencing — as well as the size and scope of protests during the second Trump administration — seems to have made an impact on the next generation of local leaders.
Tashi Alessi, a sophomore at South Eugene High School, said the fencing raises questions about protesters’ First Amendment rights. “Violent shows of resistance are not safe or reasonable ways to protest, but I am still very concerned about the constitutionality of building a fence around the federal building,” he wrote in a letter to the editor.
Charlotte Tapper and four of her classmates and Sheldon High School and Eugene International High School recently drafted a state protest policy for a civics class, spurred by what they call “a crucial time in Oregon’s political history due to the increased law enforcement presence, with protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement taking place in Eugene and other Oregon communities in recent months.” They call their plan the Oregon Peaceful Assembly Protection and Public Safety Act.
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recent Letters TO THE EDITOR
We’re five Eugene students with a plan for ensuring the right to safely protest | Letter to the editor
Eugene’s one-way streets are a menace to bike riders like me | Letter to the editor
For some, Eugene police will be the villain no matter what | Letter to the editor
PeaceHealth can improve by supporting its employees, but deeper changes will take taxpayer support. | Letter to the editor
Timber industry shenanigans continue to go unchecked | Letter to the editor
Will Springfield leaders learn from other payroll tax misfires? | Letter to the editor
Fencing off Eugene Federal Building raises important First Amendment concerns | Letter to the editor
The J.H. Baxter plant is my neighbor. After two family deaths, I worry about my own health. | Letter to the editor
Jennifer Smith’s election to Eugene City Council showed the power of workers over corporate influence | Letter to the editor
When will Oregon leaders turn our public schools around? | Letter to the editor
How do we restore confidence in Oregon’s public schools? | Letter to the editor
Eugene police must recommit to serving the public. It can start with new leadership. | Letter to the editor
4J leaders cut valued programs in their rush to reduce costs | Letter to the editor
Our president resembles the worst of Greek mythology | Letter to the editor
Lookout’s PeaceHealth reporting set a high bar for journalism | Letter to the editor
recent guest opinions
The Lookout Look Back: Illustrating the news of the day
Ollie Court shows how neighborhood associations are a force for progress
The Strait of Hormuz is filling news feeds. Its history is far richer.
Eugene needs a stronger effort to redesign streets to make them safer
Higher education and the long shadow of Oregon’s tax-limiting Measure 5
A brief history lesson for Springfield Public Schools: Will it learn from its mistakes?
Send us your Letter to the Editor: lte@lookoutlocal.com
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