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OHA announces eligibility renewals resume April 1 By WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.

On February 13, the Oregon Health Authority announced it wants Oregon Health Plan members “to know that health coverage renewals will resume on April 1.” Though most people “continue to qualify for existing benefits,” OHA must review the membership eligibility for all 1.47 million members by January 2024. In the Coos Bay area, there are

some 28,553 OHP members, according to Deputy Director at Coos Health and Wellness Eric Gleason. While renewals will begin this April, Gleason and the OHA doesn’t expect too much to change. “A lot of the members will be automatically renewed. Oregon Health Authority expects that, in a lot of cases, no action will be necessary for any of the OHP members,” Gleason said. “And information that would be needed from those that ar-

en’t automatically renewed and have to send in eligibility information, they’ll receive letters between April of this year and January of next.” For those who may have to renew their eligibility, the OHA urged members to keep their contact information up to date to receive renewal forms and information. A press release stated that these messages will be important and “may require members to respond in a

timely manner.” Gleason said that people with questions about their coverage should ensure they find the information. “We’re always here and available; anybody in Coos County that has OHP is going to want to reach the coordinated care organization, Advanced Health, if they have questions regarding their

Volunteer base growing for community cleanups

coverage,” Gleason said. “We have a few OHP assisters here at Coos Health and Wellness that can help answer any questions for individuals that might receive a letter stating that they need to determine eligibility. We’re available for questions and help in those ways.” The continued coverage of Oregonians under OHP is a top priority for OHA, and customers shouldn’t hesitate to reach out to authorities or care providers on their coverage status. “Health care is vital to Oregon Please see RENEWALS Page A5

As volunteers with Oregon Bay Area Beautification continue their work to clean up the community, word is beginning to spread. At the latest event to clean up the area around Ferry Road Park in North Bend, close to 60 people came out and helped remove nearly 12 cubic yards of trash and debris. To thank the volunteers, North Bend Parks Superintendent Paul Thompson and City Administrator David Milliron cooked up close to 100 hot dogs to feed the volunteers, which included chips and drinks, and Ziply Fiber donated cookies for all. The volunteers with OBAB will continue their Second Saturday Cleanup efforts at John Topits Park in Coos Bay in March. Follow OBAB on Facebook for the latest information.

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Marshfield Pioneer Cemetery close to meeting phase 1 fundraising goal By WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.

Marshfield Pioneer Cemetery is raising funds to help restore and preserve 380 “at risk” gravestones in the graveyard. “Partners to Preserve our Pioneer Cemetery” is a multi-phase project that aims to address “years of vandalism and deferred maintenance.” Phase one of the project seeks to preserve 101 of the most severe-

ly damaged gravestones, costing approximately $33,000. In December, the Coos Bay City Council unanimously approved a $15,000 Certified Local Government historic preservation grant to aid the cemetery in its efforts. According to a December Marshfield Cemetery press release, “this Certified Local Government grant, administered through the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office and the National Parks Service,

supports preservation, rehabilitation, and restoration projects at sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places.” The CLG grant requires a 1:1 matching of funds, so finding the other $18,000 to meet their $33,000 goal has been a priority for the cemetery. Becky Soules, who does the grant writing for the graveyard, was happy to report that they recently secured a $5,000 grant from the Three Rivers Foundation, the

Photo courtesy of Becky Soules

The historic Marshfield Pioneer Cemetery had more than 1,000 gravestones and more than 2,000 people buried on its grounds.

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giving arm of the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians. “They fund lots of projects in Coos, Curry, and this area. So, we applied for one of their small grants to help with raising the matching funds and also because it’s really relevant,” Soules said. “One of the goals of this project is not just to restore the gravestones of the town fathers, for lack of a better word. So, there’s about 380 gravestones that need repair, and in picking the high-priority ones, one of the considerations was making sure that we have a diverse population represented. So that includes women and children and a lot of immigrants’ gravestones and also some local natives who are buried in the cemetery as well.” Through the CLG grant, the Three Rivers grant, fundraising, and charitable contributions large and small, the cemetery is just about $2,800 away from its goal. Much of the work on phase one will be done in the spring and summer this year. According to Soules, to adequately restore the 380 at-risk gravestones, an outside firm estimated that the total cost would be around $90,000. Phase two

....[The cemetery] represents that microcosm of the Coos Bay region, which at the time, was an international port, the largest port between San Francisco and Portland, and had connections to all over the world....So, of the 2,000 people who are buried there, we have people from 42 different states and 22 different countries.” Becky Soules will hopefully tackle somewhere between 150 and 170 headstones. The final phase would cover the remaining graves in need. Soules hopes to secure additional grants to help fund future phases. The Marshfield Pioneer Cemetery is the Coos Bay region’s oldest extant graveyard and was active from the mid-1880s to the 1920s. The Independent Order of Oddfellows established the graveyard. Historically, the cemetery gives a window into the hub of Coos Bay in the 19th and 20th centuries. “It sort of really represents that microcosm of the Coos Bay Please see CEMETERY Page A11

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