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Local LCC Lifestyle Sports Center 74 49 to protect McCoy’s Pharmacy reopens for credit, Wednesday October 9, 2024 | www.cgsentinel.com $2.00 non-credit The mental classes City establishing mini Life in Cottage Grove
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CINDY WEELDREYER Cottage Grove Sentinel
Cottage Grove
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Number 39, 135 years
A David vs. Goliath legislative battle in Salem has independent rural pharmacies, like McCoy’s in Cottage Grove, fighting for their future against the prescription drug middlemen industry, known as Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). BACKGROUND In 2023, the Oregon Audits JEREMY C. RUARK Division released a report Cottage Grove Sentinel on Oregon Health Authority Public works crews are in the Pharmacy Benefit Managers that process of establishing a new addressed “Poor Accountability smaller homeless camp site at the and Transparency Harm Medicaid vacant lot on 12th Street in Cottage Patients and Independent Grove. Pharmacies”. Cottage Grove City Manager The report notes the complexity Mike Sauerwein said the city is of the prescription drug system in behind its original Oct. 1 timeline the U.S. that involves many entiis establishing the camp, following ties. In recent years, some efforts to the Aug. 22 closure and cleanup decrease drug prices have targeted of the 12th Street and Douglas drug manufacturers. The report said, Street homeless camps. During the “There is growing public interest in transition, the adjacent Lulu Dog assessing the role, value of, and sigPark at 12th Street has been used nificant power and influence held by as a homeless camp site with hours third-party organizations known as from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily. pharmacy benefit managers.” “None of us have ever managed Large employers and health insura homeless camp before, so we ance companies pay PBMs to act knew that date was a bit aspiraas middlemen. PBMs are supposed tional,” Sauerwein said. “We are to leverage their purchasing power hoping that this week we will be with pharmaceutical companies to able to make the transition. Our get discounts and rebates, with the goal was to provide folks with goal of controlling prescription drug a safe and secure place to spend costs for patients. It is the strategies the night and that’s what we are they employ to maximize their middoing.” dlemen profit and their marketplace Sauerwein said city staff was dominance that is creating concern cleaning up the Lulu Dog Park to in America’s statehouses and within reestablish it as a dog park. Specific federal agencies. costs of that cleanup and establishHOW PBMs WORK ing the smaller homeless camp at The state’s audit report notes 12th Street were not immediately that pharmacy benefit managers are available. influential within the U.S. health care system. The United States is the only developed country that uses PBMs for its public health programs. Three companies made up 80% of the 2020 market share of claims for PBMs. The supply of prescription drugs starts with drug manufacturers, who develop and manufacture
homeless camp at 12th Street
health impact facing Oregon’s wildland firefighters CINDY WEELDREYER Cottage Grove Sentinel
In the fall of 2022, the community gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony that began an extensive remodeling of the interior of Lane Crews began developing the smaller homeless Community College’s Cottage Grove camp site this week on the vacant lot at 12th Street. Center on South River Road next to Cottage Grove High School. It culminated years of planning JEREMY C. RUARK among Cottage LCC, South Lane School Grove Sentinel District and Lane County’s Public Oregon’s wildfirestaff. season is Health Department expected to continue Some of the center’sthrough local this month, but the mental scares and advisory board members initially impact of the season on the fireexpressed concern the redefighters who battlethat blazes in Lane sign of the building would diminCounty and across the state, and ish LCC’s capacity offer local their families, maytolast a lifetime, courses. However, the critical according to Jeff Dill, the founder need for a federally fundedHealth comof Firefighter Behavioral Alliance (FBHA). munity health clinic in South Lane Dill and established the FBHA in County the opportunity it pro2010 following Hurricane Katrina. vided to offer more credit classes than a Battalion Chief inHethewas healthcare career path was for a fire department in northwest compelling. Chicago. The two-year construction process “I saw our brothers and sisters significantly reduced local classthat struggle from the devastation offerings to mostly virtual and got offthey saw, so I went back and Center Administrator PHOTO JEREMY C. RUARK / COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL site myoptions. degree and became a licensed Holli Turpin he hassaid. worked the cencounselor,” “Weatstarted Sauerwein and other city officials Cindy currently doing,/ Cottage which isGrove providing The new mini homeless camp Weeldreyer Sentinel ter for 13 years. She was delighted tracking EMS and firefighter suihavetwo told the Sentinel, that there a location for folks to spend8,000+ the will include the same as are Mike Hankins andrestrictions Sarah Myers of the five pharmacists at who serve McCoy’s cides across America.” when the building reopened in are no additional plans to offer any night from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.” the former larger camps. customers. January for Winter Term classes and other long-term sheltering for the Read previous coverage about “The same rules will apply,” Behavioral provided instruction toImpact 135 students medications.said. Some of the largest when pharmacies fill and dispense PBM RESPONSIBILITIES homeless. the homelessness challenges in Sauwrwein “The camp will According to Dill, firefighters in its first term of post-COVID, postdrug manufacturers thetoworld medications to customers. SomeGrove of the and current responsi“Cottage Grove will follow Cottage follow new be available from 7 in p.m. 7 a.m. often don’t recognize the behavioral construction operation. include emerged asit,” powerbilities of PBMs include creating statePBMs law ashave we understand developments at cgsemtinel.com impact of their work. and the Johnson rules will&beJohnson, enforcedEli She changes at thebrainCottage Lilly, Pfizer, and AbbVie.company, ful intermediaries between a preferred drug list, which is a “Wesaid become cultural Sauerwein said. “That is whatinsurwe and in the Wednesday print editions through our contracting Grove Center forced staff to adapt washed,” Dill said. “Whether it’s Drug manufacturers, manufacturers, listThe of prescription are doing. To change that is up to of Sentinel. drugs a health One Security of Eugene to help us and reconfigure services but the structural or wildland fires. So, we ers thenthis selltransition medica- period. They and plan will cover for its beneficiaries. the legislature. Thepharmacies, city of Cottage during overall goal of improving access to are meant to believe we are suptionsa to wholesale governments, Negotiating prices and rebates with Grove has no plans to do any though kind are very experienced homeless posed to act strong, brave, be help, higher education remains. distributors, who company.” historically of a shelter beyond what wethey arewere drug manufacturers. Contracting camp management don’t ask forTERM help, and we don’t SPRING OFFERINGS resell those drugs created as simple with pharmacies and collective want to look weak and ask for The center offers four not credit directly to pharmaclaims processing groups who negotiate on behalf help.” classes – two are in-person and two cies or collective administrators. of pharmacies to create pharmacy Dillaadded whileMost firefighters Zoomthat format. of the groups who pool networks. Drug utilization reviews, utilize are on the front lines battling the classes are also hybrid with one (or resources and negotiwhich analyze the prescribing, wildfires, one of the biggest chaltwo shorter) in-person meetings each ate on their behalf. lenges they face is the unknown. week andhow additional The final step in the “It’s rapidly work thesesonline. fires can Turpin said this can be a big help See MCCOYS, Page 6 move, and the unknown is where supply chain happens toisstudents their weekly it going balancing to end? Where will this schedule childcare fire go towith andwork, how long will itorlast? And activities. that is a struggle,” he said. other The English as a “So, when you are(ESL) fighting Second Language maththat class fire,returns you’re spring trying term. to do your best also toInstop and yet theeducation wind kicks the it, community realm, up at 60 miles an hour and Mud it drags TONY REED Florence ORganizes planner the center offers pickleball, it further and further behind them. Country Media Inc. Leonora Kent said it would be hard and Horses: Managing Small Farms That aspect of the unknown is very JEREMY C. RUARK CINDY WEELDREYER / COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL to estimate the number of people (offered OSU Extension Cottage Grove difficultby in the wildland fires. The fireMatchbooks fromSentinel the Village Green Resort in Cottage Grove. See more photos with this story cgsentinel.com. sinceatthey spanned corners from the Office), a spring fighters have thatcohort stressfor andProject anxiety, Siuslaw Bridge to Highway 126. Management Certification The message was evident on a and that struggle to protectbegins is a very She estimated 500, but said others April 15, challenge and a Flagger Certification multitude of signs visible along difficult for the wildland she spoke to had higher numbers. will also have spring class options. firefighters.” Highway 101 on April 5- Protesters She said three groups were presIt iscenter often supports very difficult for famThe students needwanted the Trumps Administration’s ily to members of the firefighters ent, Florence ORganizes, Indivisible ing take proctored exams thattoare Hands off of Social Security, CINDY WEELDREYER understandtowhat emotions there are, the way” during thegroup construction helped us meet many of our future Nearly 50 people attended the and an impromptu of Hands monitored prevent cheating. Study Medicare, healthcare, reproductive For The Cottage Grove Sentinel and that many firefighters don’t project. bookstore customers,” Birdy said. Cottage Grove Historical Society’s off protesters. rooms with high-speed internet suprights, voting rights, the LGBTQ express their emotions, Hethe saidprotest, he wasCity given an import- port She shared a humorous mem“Farewell to the Village Green” at In 1975, when Birdy Hoelzle and At Councilor participation in mainaccording campus community and even Greenland to Dill. ant job of opening the boxes ory they made in the formal Iron the Community Center, Saturday, and her sister Gail opened The Sally Wantz restated the words classes in Eugene and provide quiet Canada. “We ask the family members delivered to the guest rooms and Maiden Dining Room that drew Sept. 21. Bookmine were familiar with of Sen. Corey Booker, who told respite forunderstand students with situaHundredsthey of demonstrators to try to the living cultural,” recalled felt driving laughter from the crowd. The internationally famous resort the The Village Green. Senatehow thatcool the he current state tions that make studying a challenge. joined countless Americans around he said. “Be direct. Challenge theAmerica orange golf cart around but the a “My sister and I were budding was created by Walter A. Woodard father traveled a actions lot and of as not partisan, NEW HEALTHCARE theTheir country in protesting with compassion when something propertymoment.” for assigned errands. feminists at the time and were quite (W.A.) and his son, Carlton. Some often brought its matchboxes home “moral Jamie Smith Years and of Trump Administration and its doesn’tCAREER look right CLASSES or doesn’t sound shocked by the sexism practiced in members of the family attended and later, another special memory was as keepsakesof forElon his girls. A multi-agency workgroup right, and do an internal size meets up, employment MuskThe andsisTony Reed / Country Media, Inc. Mark Levy led songs of protest in seeingofthe famous the dining room,”Hands she said. “The shared personal memories. tersDepartment were in theirof20’s when they Front City Hall. football player, which wetoask the afirefighters regularly create joint train-to the Government The Florence Off! rally. See more photos with this O.J. Simpson, runningCastle, on onethat of the ing menu given to a woman had no do program as well,”that he said.” Internal size opened the(DOGE). Main Street A poem by Charles prepares students Efficiency T bookstore story at cgsentinel.com THROUGH THE LENS up means asking why am I acting resort’s paths. prices on it and foot pillows were and, to enhance their income, concludes with to enter the healthcare field. The he protest, called “Hands Off,” Kris Woodard’s introductory this way, and why am I feeling According to the Canadian Press, protests cityuncomfortable from Coos To the delight thosefor gathered, providedinsoevery ladies’ worked at the “There is a highofprice freedom group includes administrators andthis was heldasinwaitresses all US States andresort. over remarks even included personal memway? The best thing we can do is Bay to Portland, to Bend to Eugene protests took place north of the Kris’ brother, Casey Woodard, shoes could be removed while din“It was a wonderful place to 1,200 locations according to the ories heinmade through the lens of and protests era.” were border Toronto, Montreal, Halifax ing. Salem. It was aSimilar very different work and, being town, it Associated Press.new Newinsources a 12-year-old who was often “in See LEGACY, Page 6 SeeSee HEALTH, Page held in smaller towns as well. and others. LCC Page 4 6 See HANDS OFF, Page 6 around Oregon showed large-scale
Florence, Newport protesters say ‘Hands Off’
Grovers gather to remember Village Green Resort
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