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Bay Area Hospital leadership holds open house for citizens concerned with aquisition BY NATE SCHWARTZ Editor
We are now 5 months into the 6-month deliberation period granted by Bay Area Hospital’s (BAH) letter of intent to be acquired by Quorum Health, a private equity firm with a portfolio of similar rural hospitals. BAH, as with many hospitals like it, has been in a challenging position since covid, hemorrhaging money due mostly to a large reduction in insurance reimbursement. Having recently defaulted with BMO Bank, BAH’s elected hospital board has spent the last two years exploring its options to keep the hospital open and out of the bank’s hands. To help address questions from community members, board members and hospital
See BAH CONCERNS Continued on Page 5
President’s Day protest at Coos Bay Boardwalk back in 2017. “People are not wanting Felon 47 in or Muskrat, so they’re happy to be here… On a grey President’s Day, They’re your neighbors. They’re Monday February 17th, dozens your friends and people in the of sign-toting protesters took community, and they’re sick of to the Coos Bay Boardwalk all this stuff that’s going on.” to protest the current All that ‘stuff’ ran a gamut administration. Despite typical as diverse as the various signs February weather for Oregon, on show, with many voicing a upwards of 235 people gathered general opposition, but just as to voice their displeasure and many showing concern over receive supportive honks, and the specific issues. Some were occasional derision, from passing upset with Trump’s stated plans cars along the 101. for the United States to seize A table with hot drinks and Gaza and use it for real estate poster making supplies was development. Others were provided by Coos County furious at Elon Musk’s accessing Democrats, though the event was of private financial information. independently organized through A large contingent of federal social media in conjunction with employees were on hand to a multitude of protests happening protest the mass layoffs and nationwide over a slew of demonstrate their importance to grievances with the current the community. Trump administration, and the One such employee was seemingly unchecked access concerned about their fellow that Elon Musk’s Department workers at the Bureau of Land of Government Efficiency has Management (BLM) and been given over private citizens’ beyond as a National Federation information, and his apparent of Federal Employees union ability to lay-off thousands of member, though they were clear federal employees. they were present as a private “I think this has been probably citizen not a representative of the biggest [protest] since we did those organizations. the original women’s march,” “In 2024, the local BLM said Ronni Jennings, a Coos gave Coos County $2.6 million Bay resident and organizer of from our timber program. As that original Women’s March employees, we are looking at BY NATE SCHWARTZ Editor
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getting illegally fired. We are very concerned because we’ve heard other agencies losing their employees this last week… We are part of this community. We contribute; we are employees that pay taxes. “We are public land, part of the timber program that gives its timber receipts to the County for them to spend on what they see fit. If we get illegally fired, it’s not going to be $2.6 million
anymore… This is huge. We are very concerned about what the future lies for us. I’m sure we’re on the list… Federal employees are being looked at like we’re the problem, is contributing millions to the county a problem?” Around 25% of Coos County is federal land managed by BLM (with over 50% of Oregon the same) who, in addition to timber sales, conduct firefighting and general conservation efforts.
Should the department see cuts to funding and employment, it could have huge consequences on the area, especially following a record fire season in 2024. This is in addition to thousands of rangers and park employees fired last week from the Parks Department. Conservationists throughout the country are concerned with what the future may hold for our forests and federally designated nature areas.
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