By: Tia Politi, ORHA President
October 2023

Meeting report
We had a fantastic turnout for our Bend meeting this year and a record number who stayed for Teams training on Sunday morning. Since we only meet in person four times a year, we need to make the most of it and we sure did. The Leadership Dinner was great, and Committee Chairs shared their updates for the year. We then headed back to McMenamins Parish House for fun and games. After the board meeting Saturday, we headed back to the house and out the back door to the patio where we ate, drank, and made merry while listening to lively Irish music.

We are working diligently to include fun with the work!

The board voted to approve bylaws change related to profit sharing for the Forms Store. Sharing will now happen once per year instead of twice. The formula will remain the same, but some chapters were noting that the twice per year formula was having a negative impact on their sharing amounts as some six-month periods were falling when they had fewer members. Associations will now receive one annual payment at the end of each fiscal year that will more accurately measure membership levels. Checks for chapters who are eligible for profit-sharing will be sent no later than August 31 of each year.

Upcoming meetings and meeting changes
Since our board has grown, the Executive Committee is making some changes to how our meetings will run. With a larger group it’s more challenging to keep things on track so our meetings will be much more formal moving forward. We will be strictly following Roberts Rules of Order because meetings aren’t as productive if we don’t stay on track. Past President Jason Miller has agreed to serve as Parliamentarian to help me keep things running smoothly. There will be a reminder at the beginning of each meeting so we’re all on the same page.

Our November meeting is online only, and barring any unforeseen emergencies, no meeting in January. Our March meeting will be held in beautiful Bandon on March 15-16, 2024. Look for an announcement from the office about reserving your space, and in May, we’re heading east for a Property Management Palooza in Umatilla. Stay tuned for more info.

Fentanyl
I got a call from a Lane member last month, here’s his story:

“We entered an apartment after a Sheriff lockout. Upon entry the police notified us about a bunch of drug paraphernalia scattered throughout the apartment. Needles, foil, bongs, and pipes. We wore gloves and proceeded to clean the unit out by carefully removing the bigger items that we could not use a shovel to remove first. We then used scoop shovels to clean the remaining apartment. Once cleaned out, we proceeded to remove the carpet. Upon removing and disposing of the carpet into the dump trailer, one of my employees started feeling dizzy and nauseous. We helped him to the ground and called 911.

With the knowledge of the apartment condition, we were concerned he may be experiencing some kind of drug exposure – likely fentanyl. The EMT’s showed up, administered Narcan, and he immediately started to feel better. We then took him to the ER for testing to make sure it wasn’t some other kind of health emergency. Upon further testing his health was good but his urine screen showed trace amounts of opioids (he is not a drug user).

So, what we learned is: We should have had masks on, disposable paper suits on, and worn safety glasses. I have been in this business for over 20 years. We have cleaned out and removed carpet from hundreds of apartments. I learned that we as honest hard-working people cannot take things for granted any longer. The things people are putting in their bodies can hurt or kill us without even knowing it’s happening. Luckily, he wasn’t working alone and was able to get help immediately. We will always have paper suits, masks, gloves on for carpet removal and clean-outs from here on out. This small exposure did affect him for about three days mentally and physically. Be safe out there!”

It seems that Narcan should now be part of the standard maintenance supplies you keep on hand. I looked it up online and you can purchase Narcan at any pharmacy like Walmart or CVS. So awful that we must do this. Check out the DEA fact sheet – click here.