From The East Oregonian, July 13 2009
Blue Mountain Recovery Center in Pendleton will remain open, retaining 115 jobs and providing services for 60 patients, contrary to the governor’s 2009-2011 recommended budget.
Kerry Kelly, the centers’s superintendent, said the primary state hospital resource for central and Eastern Oregon was set to begin closing this month but found out just last week it will remain open for at least two more years.
The center, Kelly said, exists to serve adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression, that interfere with their ability to live an active, normal life in the community. The 60-bed facility which currently has 48 patients, provides psycho-education and wellness management groups, as well as vocational, occupational and recreational therapy, among others. The average length of stay for patients is three to four months, Kelly said.
Closing the center would have meant finding alternative placements for patients, Kelly said.
Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner, said the decision to keep the center open came after months of talks in Salem, and was finalized just before the 75th Oregon Legislature adjourned June 29. BMRC employees took the action to keep the center open with letters to lawmakers and by telling their personal stories to committee members, he said.
BMRC employees include nursing staff, mental therapists, administrative positions, cooks and maintenance workers. The center also serves as a resource for area professionals and as a clinical site for nursing and psychology students from Oregon Health and Science University, Blue Mountain Community College and Walla Walla Community College, according to the Oregon Department of Human Services Web site.
Joe Albitre has been at BMRC as a mental health therapist for seven years. He said feelings among center employees for the past seven months have ranged from anxiety to fear with an overwhelming general attitude of uncertainty, given that not one of the 115 workers knew if their job was safe.
“I was trying to be optimistic through it all,” Albitre said. “I just bought a house here in town and I couldn’t fathom losing my job. With the economy as it is I had no where lined up to go.”
Kelly said all employees were made aware of BMRC’s precarious situation in December. Two center employees left their positions as a direct result of the impending closure, she said.
Albitre said he is thankful the center is remaining open because it is a great place to work and the services provided for clients are much needed.
Many of the center’s employees are members of Service Employees International Union 503. Arthur Towers, the union’s political director, said the union considered closing BMRC a big mistake.
“This was a real fight, one that we knew it would be hard to win,” Towers said. “There was a tremendous lobbying effort, and we tried to make the most local money available to move Blue Mountain up the list.”
He said SEIU had BMRC workers showing their support through the entire process and brought every dollar possible to the center, which garnered $2.64 million dollars from the state, comprised of income tax and lottery funds, Tower said.
“There is no substitute for frontline workers coming to the capital and telling people what’s going on, it’s a powerful thing,” Towers said. David Oles is one of these frontline workers. The mental health therapist and union member has worked at BMRC for almost 20 years. Oles was one of four people who went to Portland to speak to the Legislature’s Ways and Means Committee in the spring. Another four spoke to the committee when it came to Pendleton. All wrote letters to state representatives and senators.
“It was an odd situation because management couldn’t help us,” he said. “We either had to fight now or lose our jobs.”
The fight for Blue Mountain Recovery Center, however, isn’t over. Smith said in two years the center will most likely combine resources with similar operations. Towers said he fears the center’s future is still undecided.
Oles, though, is more optimistic about where the center will go from here.
“We have two more years as BMRC, and then hopefully we can morph this into something that will benefit the state more” Oles said. “I think it’s hard to generate support from the community because a lot of people don’t know what we do out here.”
EXTRA – Blue Mountain Recovery Center at risk, December 2008