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 October OHSU seeks $100 million in municipal bonds Oregon Health Sciences University officials headed to Wall Street in mid-October with a thick document in their hands worth $100 million. They hope to convince municipal bond insurers, MBIA Corp., to back them up. "It's an excellent bond market, we're going for a variant rate under 4%," said Jim Walker, vice president of administration and finance. During the next three years, OHSU intends to use the $100 million in tax free money several ways. Its top priority is building a $30 million gene therapy/neurological sciences center at the Oregon Primate Center, owned by OHSU. Another $42.9 million will be spent on equipment for the university and hospital, while $18.7 million goes towards hospital remodeling projects. Some Oregon HMOs refuse to play the ratings game Unlike students, health plans don't have to take their grades lying down. some HMO's opt out when the lastest surveyor knocks at their door. "Many are dodging scrutiny altogether," complained Newsweek. "Some of the largest plans in the country--including Aetna, US Healthcare, Cigna, PacifiCare and Prudential--declined to participate in Newsweek's survey and are dropping out of others." Consumers resign after their voices ignored Mental health advocates are up in arms over the process used to develop guidelines for anti-psychotic and anti-depressant drugs. They insist their opinions have been ignored and have resigned in protest. "We are tired, as consumer advocates, of being invited into a process later down theline and asked to simply rubber stamp something instead of helping to formulate policy," said Cecilia Vergaretti, executive director of the Mental Health Association and former panel member. Chemical dependency needs another $38 million Detox and residential care are crippling community agencies because of paltry reimbursement rates. "We either fund-raise to offset costs, charge clients or sell other beds at a higher price to the VA or corrections--it's like making soup," said Ann Uhler who runs CODA. Drug and alcohol related problems account for 70% of emergency trauma and 60% of clients seen by Services to Children and Families (SCF) fall under the same rubric "We just don't have the capacity to treat these people," said Barbara Cimaglio, who runs the office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs. Other headlines
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