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Tuesday
July 13, 2010
News-Leader.com 5A

Health Commission releases findings

By Kathryn Wall
KWALL@NEWS-LEADER.COM
On Monday, The Health Commission, a
Springfield nonprofit partnership among
various stakeholders committed to public
health, released its initial findings after its
first 10 months of existence.
A lot of numbers were analyzed and sev-
eral strategies were discussed, but a few in-
creasing trends stood out—a lack of den-
tal care is creating a strain on the emer-
gency care system, the current safety-net
program shouldn’t be the only option and
there’s a gradually growing shortage of pri-
mary care providers in
Greene County.
In a lot of ways, the
shrinking number of pri-
mary care providers in re-
lation to the growing pop-
ulation is the source for Sontheimer
many of the problems that
plague the rest of the health system in
Greene County, according to Dr. Dan Son-
theimer.
Sontheimer chaired the Access to Care
Advisory committee, which is one of four
subcommittees under The Health Com-
mission umbrella.
According to the report, many of the ail-
ments that become emergency-room-wor-
thy problems could be treated much earli-
er in the process by primary care
providers.
But a shortage of providers can lead to
long wait times for a scheduled visit, which
deters some patients, among other rea-
sons.
According to data compiled by the com-
mission, Greene County needs another 70
to 100 primary care providers to meet the
needs of the Greene County population.
But a problem that Sontheimer said exists
with that statistic is that Greene County
residents aren’t the only ones served by lo-
cal hospitals.
“People come to Greene County for
health care,” he said, citing a statistic that
pointed to around 60 percent of patients
served in the county coming from outside
the area.
Another trend the committee noticed is
that a lack of dental care in adult life has
led to an increasing problem at emergency
See Health, Page 7A

For sale: Roy Rogers nostalgia ‘Common

sense
change’
suggested
at council
Zoning ordinance
changes could be up
RICHARD DREW / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS for vote in 2 weeks.
The 1963 Pontiac Bonneville parade car of
movie cowboy Roy Rogers is displayed. By Amos Bridges
ABRIDGES@NEWS-LEADER.COM

Christie’s to auction off Trigger, City Council considered

several proposed changes
Bullet and a Jeep called Nellybelle. Monday to make the city’s
zoning ordinance more
By Eva Dou business-friendly, as well as
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS a list of projects using left-
NEW YORK — Christie’s auction house in over Capital Improvements
Manhattan will be selling items from the now- Program sales tax revenue.
closed Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum Neither issue drew much
in Branson on Wednesday and Thursday. public comment and could
Unlike the fine furniture, paintings and be voted on in two weeks.
jewelry that Christie’s is famous for, the cen- The zoning changes, con-
terpiece of this auction is a stuffed and tained in four separate bills,
mounted horse rearing on its hind legs. It are meant to streamline ex-
also will feature another type of horsepow- isting zoning rules to create
er — Rogers’ 1964 Bonneville convertible a more flexible, user-
adorned with collectible silver dollars, its friendly process, said Prin-
door handles and gear shift replaced by sil- cipal City Planner Mike
ver-plated pistols. MacPherson.
The car is estimated to draw $100,000 to The first, which he de-
$150,000. Trigger is expected to fetch scribed as a significant de-
$100,000 to $200,000. parture from current prac-
Other items for sale include: Rogers’ and tice, would alter the current
Evans’ performance outfits; the preserved re- zoning rules to focus on
mains of Rogers’ dog, Bullet; about 60 pairs of general “use groups” per-
cowboy boots; the Rogers family dining table; mitted in various
and the Jeep “Nellybelle” from the Roy Rogers nonresidential districts,
TV show. rather than attempting to
list the myriad of specific
uses allowed.
Currently, “if a use is not
specifically listed in a zon-
ing district ... the use is not
permitted,” he said, even if
a proposed business is very
similar to one that is specif-
ically named.
Short of amending the or-
dinance, the only way
around the issue is for the
RICHARD DREW / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS owner to request the prop-
An employee of Christie’s auction house places RICHARD DREW / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS erty be rezoned, “which
identification cards on some of the belongings. The preserved remains of Roy Rogers’ horse and dog are on display at Christies auction house. costs money and takes
time,” MacPherson said.
Gil Perez (right), a Under the new system,
doorman at Christie’s modeled after one used in
auction house, wears Portland, Ore., since 1991,
an outfit and holds a most uses will be lumped
guitar belonging to into 10 general-use groups
Roy Rogers as he with common characteris-
stands alongside tics, such as retail sales,
”Trigger” and ”Bullet.” food-and-drink or com-
RICHARD DREW mercial outdoor activities.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Each group will include
various examples as well as
Photo some exceptions for uses
NLL gallery: “that don’t fit,” MacPher-
ONLINE
NE View addi- son said. Other uses — he
tional images from the mentioned crematoriums
upcoming Roy Rogers as an example — still could
RICHARD DREW / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS auction with this story be specifically allowed or
Memorabilia of movie cowboy Roy Rogers is up for bids. at News-Leader.com. prohibited, but the general
groups will cover most cas-
es.

Diverging diamond at National opens with few problems
NEWS-LEADER STAFF
A new diverging diamond inter-
change at National Avenue and
James River Freeway opened ear-
ly Monday morning with few re-
ported problems, according to the
Missouri Department of Trans-
portation.
“We got it open at 4 a.m. this
morning; a couple of cars early on
went the wrong way but traffic
was very, very light and we were
able to get them stopped,” said
MoDOT spokesman Bob Ed-
wards. “No crashes, and then as
traffic picked up and the sun came
up, people followed the striping
and the signs and drove it the way
they’re supposed to drive it.”
In the diverging diamond,
north- and southbound traffic
briefly swaps lanes to facilitate
turns to and from the freeway.
The Springfield Police Depart-
ment website showed one non-in-
jury traffic accident at the inter-
section at about 2:45 p.m. Monday.
Details were not immediately
available.
If there were additional prob-
lems, “none of our customer ser-
vice reps have gotten a call about
it,” Edwards said. “That’s a good
sign.”
The bridge was closed through
the weekend as construction
The proposal has been re-
viewed and recommended
by city staff and the plan-
crews worked to ready the inter- ning and zoning commis-
change for public access. Spring- sion, as well as a committee
field police were stationed at the at the Springfield Area
the bridge during the closure. Chamber of Commerce.
“They were there for safety pur- “It’s not a huge change ...
poses, and they also were able to but it’s a common sense
help get some emergency vehi- change,” said Brad Boden-
cles across the bridge” to Cox hausen of the chamber.
South hospital, Edwards said. Of- Mayor Jim O’Neal and
ficers also escorted two or three Councilman Jerry Comp-
See Diamond, Page 7A See Zoning, Page 7A

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