State investigating death linked to surgery

The Washington Department of Health has opened an inquiry into the unreported death of a Spokane man following surgery last year in the office of Spokane dentist Dr. Patrick Collins.

The state’s action came after a Spokesman-Review report this week on the death of Jon Gellner, a 71-year old insurance agent who suffered from sleep apnea and whose palate was operated on last Aug. 16.

Gellner was sent home, where he began to take blood into his lungs. He was hospitalized and placed on a ventilator Aug. 18 and died Sept. 1, according to his widow, Jean Gellner.

“We’ve opened a report based on your providing the patient’s name,” said Taylor Stair, of the department’s investigation and inspection office.

The Dental Quality Assurance Commission will decide by next week whether to send Gellner’s case to a panel of experts for review, Stair added.

Following stories this week in The Spokesman-Review and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on three other recent patient deaths – including two in Spokane – the state’s top health officer is calling for more aggressive investigations into every death linked to dental surgery.

Karen Dorn Steele

Boise

Panel rejects fees on nonmotor boaters

A task force has decided against new fees for Idaho’s kayakers, canoe paddlers and drift boaters.

Gov. Butch Otter has suggested nonmotorized boaters start paying if they want to use state lakes and rivers.

Nonmotorized boaters should pay their share of the costs for services such as search-and-rescue, Otter has said.

Nonmotorized boaters argue most state-funded services are directed at motorized boaters.

A group appointed by the governor to explore the possibility of new fees ruled Thursday that the plan wasn’t feasible, the Idaho Statesman reported.

Otter aide Jon Hanian told the Associated Press the governor hadn’t seen the report, but he intended to follow the recommendation of the task force.

Associated Press

Washington

Saturday is key date to register to vote

Saturday is one of the main deadlines for Washington residents to register to vote in the Aug. 19 primary.

Registration forms, which can be picked up at most public libraries and government offices, must be postmarked by Saturday. The same goes for the forms that can be filled out online or printed from the secretary of state’s Web site, www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/, and mailed in.

After Saturday, residents who want to register and vote in the primary have until Aug. 4 to go to their county elections office and register in person.

Jim Camden