“Signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs …” Let’s make a day out of it and prove that there really is a lively and diverse group of card-carrying democrats in Yakima and the surrounding areas!
Please join us to meet like minded people, take a walk around downtown and maybe post up to wave at a street corner or two. Once we are done, we can disperse to a wide range of businesses for hydration and sustenance.
Date: Saturday, October 22, 2022
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Location: Performance Park – Northwest corner of North 2nd Street and Sgt. Pendleton Way in Yakima
Bring a sign that radiates your passion, expresses your anger, embodies your hope or advertises your candidate in the upcoming election.
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Our next joint monthly meeting of the Yakima County Democrats and the 14th LD Democrats will be held on Monday, October 24th at 6pm, in person at our office at 402 S. 3rd Street, and also via Zoom.
We look forward to seeing you!
Naomi Whitmore Chair, Yakima County Democrats Aileen Kane Chair, 14th LD Democrats
Our mailing address is:
Yakima County Democrats
402 S 3rd St
Yakima, WA 98901-2834
Happy New Year! I hope that you and your loved ones had a bright and happy holiday season!
This Saturday is our biennual Reorganization meeting, where we elect officers for the next 2 years. Yakima County will meet at 1:00pm and the 14th LD will meet at 2:30pm. The meetings will be held via Zoom to ensure greater accessibility across our geographically large districts.
All are welcome to attend, but only Precinct Committee Officers elected in 2022 will be able to vote at the meeting.
If you would like to receive the Rules and Agenda and the Zoom link for the meeting, please fill out the following form to register for the meeting:
(The Zoom link will also be sent out to this list prior to the meeting – you do not have to register to attend.)
The most important thing to note about the rules is that nominations are required in advance. This means we will not be accepting nominations from the floor during the meeting. If you wish to nominate yourself for an elected position – Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, or State Committee Member (2 positions), please send a declaration of your candidacy to Yakima County Chair Naomi Whitmore (naomijwhitmore@gmail.com) by January 5th.
Declared candidates for Yakima County are:
Lindsey Keesling for Chair
AJ Cooper for State Committee Member Pos. 1
Doug White for State Committee Member Pos. 2
Naomi Whitmore for Treasurer (this office is appointed)
Declared candidates for the 14th LD are:
Naomi Whitmore for Chair
Betsy Shedd for Vice Chair
Patricia Whitefoot for State Committee Member Pos. 1
Naomi Whitmore for Treasurer
Throughout the year, there will also be plenty of opportunities to work on Committees either at the local or state level to accomplish specific goals. There will also be local elections to work on, including City Council and School Board races.
What do you think the Democrats should be doing? Join us and help make it happen in 2023!
Upcoming Events
January 9 – First day of Legislative Session
January 22 – Women’s March
January 27 will be our return to Lobby Days, hosted by the WSDCC Advocacy Committee. More information to come on this exciting event!
January 28 – State Party Reorganization, Olympia
The Yakima County Democrats and the 14th LD Democrats are 100% volunteer (no paid staff), and entirely funded by donations. We need your support more than ever to keep our office open and to expand our outreach and programs in 2023. We have exciting plans and we can’t wait to get to work on them!
Thank you to all our supporters who make our work possible!
Giving Tuesday 2022 is November 29th. This year please support our work to strengthen democracy, and also receive some special gifts with your donation! It’s our way to say thank you for supporting our efforts for democracy.
We have two ways to give…
Donations to Fix Democracy First Education Fund, our 501(c)(3) civic education and outreach organization, supports all our civic outreach and public education programs including, our Democracy Happy Hours, our youth outreach program YO VOTE!, and Women in Office Now, which offers free training to women running for office. All donations to FDFEF are tax deductible.
Donations to Fix Democracy First, our 501(c)(4) advocacy organization, supports our work to expand and strengthen democracy through various reforms, including public funding of elections, getting big money out of politics, expanding access to voting, eliminating gerrymandering, and alternative voting systems like ranked choice voting and proportional representation. Donations to FDF are not tax deductible.
We are delighted to announce that registration is now open for our first hybrid Annual Dinner celebration Pathways of Solidarity on Sunday November 20 (program begins at 5:30pm)!
Please register by October 31 for your best chance for attending in person in Renton or Spokane, or put together a watch party for joining the celebration online.
We started looking at rural hospitals from the selfish position of saving our lives, and those of our families. A less urgent but maybe no less selfish view is that health care is big business. And we in rural areas need the employment and property taxes.
Recall, too, that several months ago we talked about “gateway” communities and the unwanted housing, water and environment, and cost-of-living effects that come with being attractive communities. The Methow was our test case but the same holds for Omak, Chelan Leavenworth, Cle Elum, and Dayton, too.
We recognize the downsides of Puget Sound residents moving east to work remotely and recreate locally. We acknowledge, though, that they bring not only pressure on scarce housing but also purchasing power, tax revenues and innovative ideas. They bring dollars and culture.
Health care access is part of responsible planning for populations shifts, for folks moving into our communities. Access to good health care is a major factor for both young families with kids going to our schools and retirees converting their house equity to investment in our downtowns.
If “selfish” means planning for our own welfare, then we all should know about, care about, and do something about making our rural health care viable.
Join Shane McGuire in talking through these issues. Shane enjoys widespread respect in southeast Washington and has graciously agreed to help us understand what makes small hospitals work.
Don 13 November 2022
Rural Hospitals. Essential. Viable? Who pays what?
Some years ago, ARC heard from Providence that their estimates of how the Affordable Care Act would work were thrown off by the greater than expected proportion of their patients that were on Medicaid. The expansion of Medicaid had the intended effect of increasing the number of previously uninsured residents who were seeking health care.
The statement then was that Medicaid paid less than private insurers. A current study of small rural hospitals turns that on its head. Private insurers short small rural hospitals relative to Medicaid and Medicare. What are the facts?
This quickly drops us down into the rabbit hole of health care finance. One shaky handhold is Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation. (Here is what they are. And here is who they are in Washington.) It turns out that CAH’s are compensated differently than Sole Community Hospitals, for example. CAH status buys you compensation based on your cost of service. No other classification gets this privilege. Most hospitals are paid under Prospective Payment Systems – “pre-determined, fixed discharge payment”.
If CAH status is so good, then, why is there such a variation in payment? If Dayton’s 60 percent “weighted cost to charge” is good, then what about Pomeroy’s 553 percent? What does this mean?
FINAL CRITICAL ACCESS HOSPITAL (CAH)
WEIGHTED COST TO CHARGE (WCC) RATES
INPATIENT
OUTPATIENT
WCC
WCC
Cascade Medical Center
92.88%
48.29%
Columbia Basin Hospital
155.03%
68.40%
Coulee Medical Center
77.70%
55.86%
Dayton General Hospital
59.70%
46.20%
East Adams Rural Hospital
73.31%
56.79%
Ferry County Memorial Hospital
125.46%
36.35%
Forks Community Hospital
57.91%
39.68%
Garfield County Memorial Hospital
553.75%
139.84%
Jefferson Healthcare Hospital
70.58%
42.22%
Kittitas Valley Healthcare
66.14%
41.31%
Klickitat Valley Hospital
130.02%
50.56%
Lake Chelan Community Hospital
47.31%
56.49%
Lincoln Hospital
102.80%
71.33%
Lourdes Medical Center
23.60%
21.10%
Mason General Hospital
43.03%
31.79%
Mid-Valley Hospital
72.62%
47.63%
Morton General Hospital
83.89%
54.67%
Newport Community Hospital
75.37%
54.10%
North Valley Hospital
95.55%
56.20%
Ocean Beach Hospital
107.28%
54.89%
Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center
199.39%
107.98%
Othello Community Hospital
61.12%
42.59%
PeaceHealth United General Medical Center
38.77%
29.01%
Prosser Memorial Hospital Medical Center
41.57%
28.72%
Providence Mount Carmel Hospital
65.10%
40.53%
Providence St. Joseph’s Hospital
100.02%
49.06%
Pullman Regional Hospital
78.76%
44.73%
Quincy Valley Medical Center
433.39%
74.33%
Skyline Hospital
84.51%
73.16%
Snoqualmie Valley Hospital
85.63%
80.87%
St. Elizabeth Hospital
26.46%
17.63%
Summit Pacific Medical Center
54.43%
36.62%
Sunnyside Community Hospital
33.16%
21.44%
Three Rivers Hospital
102.36%
73.57%
Tri-State Memorial Hospital
43.84%
39.48%
Whidbey General Hospital
73.20%
30.00%
Whitman Hospital & Medical Center
62.22%
56.80%
Willapa Harbor Hospital
102.47%
57.93%
Let’s ask Shane McGuire on the 17th, but don’t expect an easy route out of the rabbit hole.
Don 7 November 2022
Rural Hospitals. Essential. Viable?
It is commonplace that rural hospitals are important. Common, that is, until it is your father has a cardiac arrest at the Thanksgiving table, your wife wakes up in the middle of the night gasping for air, or your son catches his hand in the baler’s power take-off, working alone on the other side of the farm. Then your local hospital becomes essential.
Will your hospital be there for the next curve life throws at your family?
Is your rural hospital viable? The cost structure is simple enough: physicians, nurses, support staff, supplies…the lights. That is where the simplicity stops. What is the denominator? A rural hospital does not know from day to day who is going to present as an outpatient, inpatient.
The bigger complication is payment for services. What do you get paid for a patient? And who decides?
Join Shane McGuire, CEO of Columbia County Health System (Dayton), to get a feel for the ins and outs of managing a rural hospital.
Don 29 October 2022
Legacy News
The Lower Snake River dam system moves grain from the Palouse and the Camas Prairie to Portland. Replacing this capacity is a difficult issue. Solutionary Rail, an advocacy group, has done an exceptional job of mapping rail alternatives to the barges.
The Odessa Groundwater Replacement Project is widening irrigation mainlines to deliver increased quantities of Columbia River water to replace the groundwater extraction from the Odessa aquifer. A problem, though, is finding funds to replace the existing bridges.
On November 17, the Columbia Basin Badger Club will present an analysis of the 2022 midterm elections by Peter Wehner, Richland native, and Senior Fellow at the Trinity Forum, a conservative think tank.
Wehner is a contributing opinion writer for TheNew York Times, and a contributing editor for The Atlantic. He served in the Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush administrations, including as Deputy Director of Speechwriting and later Director of the Office of Strategic Initiatives for President George W. Bush. He is the author of several books, including his latest, The Death of Politics: How to Heal Our Frayed Republic After Trump.
Wehner will provide his analysis of the meaning of the 2022 mid-term elections; what’s ahead for our politics as a result of those elections; what the mid-terms tell us about the state of American politics; and his take on the future of the Republican and Democratic parties after the mid-terms.
You won’t want to miss this important program. There is no cost to Badger Club members. Non-members may register for a nominal $5 charge.
November General Business Meeting Details
5:30 social hour w/guests, 6 p.m. start
Thursday, October 20
Downtown Pasco library
1320 W Hopkins St.
October minutes available here.
Fellow Democrats,
Please take a moment today, Veteran’s Day, to honor veterans for their service to our country.
This upcoming meeting is our last regular meeting of the year. We are going over the recent election and what we can learn from it, what our reorganization meeting in December is going to look like, and some involvement opportunities for everyone to consider.
This month’s meeting also features our ongoing series, “Why I am a Democrat.” This is where anyone can speak to the body about why they consider themselves a Democrat.
As part of our efforts for 2023 and 2024, please consider setting up a monthly dues payment through our ActBlue donation account.
This is a potluck meeting, so feel free to bring whatever dish you wish to share.
We’ll see you there!
— Your FCDCC Executive Board
Our mailing address is: P.O. Box 2621 Pasco WA 99302
Creating an Inter-Movement “Generative Change” Community to Save & Strengthen Our Democratic Republic with Walter Roberts & Caleb Christen
Democracy Happy Hour November 16 @ 5 pm PT!
Grab a drink and come hear about the latest democracy news, ongoing efforts to fix democracy, and actions you can take at our weekly Democracy Happy Hour, Wednesdays @ 5 pm PT.
Today's topic for November 16, 2022:
Creating an Inter-Movement "Generative Change" Community to Save & Strengthen Our Democratic Republic with Walter Roberts & Caleb Christen
Upcoming Topics in November:
Nov 23 – NO Democracy Happy Hour this week – Holiday Break
Nov 30 – Share your favorite democracy themed book or documentary
Nov 30 – Share your favorite democracy themed book or documentary
Dec 7 – Moore v Harper: Opening Arguments
Dec 14 – Is the US a Republic, Democracy or Both?
Dec 21 – NO Democracy Happy Hour this week – Holiday Break
Dec 28 – NO Democracy Happy Hour this week – Holiday Break
We look forward to gathering with you at our upcoming South-Central Regional Cluster Gathering this Sunday, November 13, at 2:30 pm, in person at Shalom United Church of Christ at 505 McMurray Street in Richland, and also on line. For those in the Yakima area, you also have the option of joining a watch party at Wesley United Methodist Church at 14 N 48th Avenue in Yakima.
Please register hereyour intention to attend this gathering, including letting us know if you will be attending in person or on line. Everyone who registers will receive an emailed link to join on line. This email will come from Anderson@FANWA.Org.
Cluster gatherings are designed for learning from each other about what is happening in and around our region while also working together to develop ways that FAN can help us respond to issues collectively and powerfully.
We hope to see you Sunday. Until then, stay well and well loved!
Eric
Eric Don Anderson, M. Div. South Central WA Regional Organizer, he/him/his FAITH ACTION NETWORK www.FANWA.org 509.492.2216
Grab a drink and come hear about the latest democracy news, ongoing efforts to fix democracy, and actions you can take at our weekly Democracy Happy Hour, Wednesdays @ 5 pm PT.
Today's topic for November 9, 2022:
Midterm Election Report
Upcoming Topics in November:
Nov 16 – Creating an Inter-Movement “Generative Change” Community to Save & Strengthen Our Democratic Republic with Walter Roberts & Caleb Christen
Nov 23 – NO Democracy Happy Hour this week – Holiday Break
Nov 30 – Share your favorite democracy themed book or documentary
