NORTH COAST
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015
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Questions raised whether woman
received adequate mental health care
Submitted photo
A makeshift memorial under the Astoria Bridge honors
Carrie Barnhart, who committed suicide in April.
leave Clatsop Behavioral
Healthcare Wednesday when
he again sought answers to
his questions about Barnhart’s
By DERRICK DePLEDGE Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare care.
The Daily Astorian
and released after two hours.
Clatsop
Behavioral
Clatsop County contracts Healthcare has said it would
A retired Wyoming po- with Clatsop Behavioral work with law enforcement
OLFH RI¿FHU DVNHG WKH &ODWVRS Healthcare for mental health to help prevent similar trag-
County Board of Commission- services.
edies in the future, but has
ers Wednesday night to look
Tutton urged county com- declined to comment about
into whether a woman who missioners to “get answers the details of Barnhart’s care,
committed suicide in April by and see that this never happens citing medical privacy re-
jumping off the Astoria Bridge again. Basically, your own strictions.
had received adequate mental commitment here is you do
County commissioners will
health care.
have the duty and obligation. discuss mental health care at
Norman Tutton, who lives $QG ,¶P OD\LQJ WKDW DW \RXU the board’s next meeting June
LQ 6XUI 3LQHV KDV EHFRPH feet.”
10. The state provides counties
an advocate for the family of
After reading about Barn- with money to pay for mental
Carrie Barnhart, a 54-year-old hart’s death in The Daily As- health services, which are of-
mother of six who took her torian, Tutton initiated his own ten contracted out to private
own life after making several inquiries with the police, the mental health providers.
suicide threats.
county, the hospital and mental
“We’re going to talk
Astoria Police had taken health authorities. He said he about the county’s obliga-
Barnhart to Columbia Memo- has reviewed Barnhart’s health WLRQ´&RXQW\0DQDJHU6FRWW
rial Hospital a week before her care records with her family 6RPHUV VDLG ³:H¶UH JRLQJ
GHDWKDIWHU¿QGLQJKHUDORQHRQ and is convinced she did not to talk about how those dol-
the bridge after midnight. Po- receive the help she needed.
lars are passed through from
lice said she was evaluated by
He said he was asked to the state to the county and
then to our contractor.
“And it’s fairly convoluted,
so we want to try to untangle
that.”
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chairman, said commissioners
could not discuss individual
cases, such as Barnhart’s sui-
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ity.
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that it’s not that we don’t care,”
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We have no access to it for the
same reasons he doesn’t.”
Tutton believes county
commissioners do have the
authority to examine whether
Clatsop Behavioral Health-
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to provide Barnhart with suf-
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the board meeting Wednesday
night with members of Barn-
hart’s family.
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swers,” he said, “they deserve
answers.”
Perez to resign from county position White-sided dolphin
administrative services depart-
ment.
Adding the administrative
Dean Perez, Clatsop Coun- VHUYLFHV GHSDUWPHQW ZDV ¿UVW
ty’s administrative services di- considered in April 2013 as a
rector, has announced his resig- necessary reorganization after
nation effective June 2.
the assistant county manager
Perez oversees the county’s position was eliminated and
human resources, emergency the central services director re-
management, information tech- signed.
nology, community relations,
For different organization-
veterans services and risk man- al purposes, County Manager
agement divisions.
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Perez, who joined the county return to the original structure.
in 1999 as a human resources
“With the recent resignation
director, became the adminis- of that department head Dean
trative services director in 2013. 3HUH]LWKDVFDXVHGPHWRUHÀHFW
He also serves as commander as to whether or not we continue
of Camp Rilea Armed Forces to need a stand-alone depart-
Training Center in Warrenton.
ment to house those divisions,”
Perez was not immediately 6RPHUVVDLG³,GRQ¶WEHOLHYHZH
available for comment.
do, at this time.”
With his resignation, the
Having more divisions un-
Clatsop County Board of Com- GHUWKHFRXQW\PDQDJHU¶VRI¿FH
missioners considered Wednes- means more directors reporting
day to eliminate the admin- WR 6RPHUV ZKLFK KH VDLG KH
istrative services department is comfortable handling since
and place the various divisions PDQ\ GLYLVLRQV DUH VHOIVXI¿-
under the county manager’s cient.
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Direct reports to the county
place prior to the creation of the manager will increase by three,
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
especially after losing Perez’s
16 years of experience with the
county.
“We lose that institutional
memory and experience from
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the process of hiring a human
resources director. The national
search will begin next week.
“We will have a new HR
manager, but it will be a division
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— Scott Lee
divisions don’t need as much
board chairman
hand-holding as they once did,
so they are not going to need as
bringing the total to 12.
much oversight from me.”
“My impression is those di-
A slight savings is expected
visions are largely self-function- from eliminating the adminis-
LQJ QRZ´ 6RPHUV VDLG ³7KH\ trative services director posi-
don’t need as much oversight as tion and re-creating the human
they did before.”
resources director position, ac-
The Board of Commission- cording to the county.
ers agreed Wednesday to revisit
Perez also served as county
eliminating the administrative manager pro tem. The Board of
services department at its next Commissioners on Wednesday
regular meeting June 10.
appointed Budget and Finance
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sees the change as a housekeep- ty manager pro tem to replace
LQJLWHP,WLVQHHGHG/HHVDLG Perez.
`We lose that
institutional
memory and
experience
from Mr.
Perez
(resigning).’
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nook and steelhead.
The reason for the change
The Washington Depart- is because harvestable num-
ment of Fish and Wildlife bers of hatchery salmon
KDV DQQRXQFHG D ¿VKLQJ UXOH remain available, based on
FKDQJH HIIHFWLYH 6DWXUGD\ the updated forecast, asso-
The Columbia River spring ciated management agree-
FKLQRRN VSRUW ¿VKLQJ ERDW ments and harvest estimates
boundary has been lifted to date.
on the mainstem from the
The daily bag limit is
Tongue Point/Rocky Point VL[ ¿VK KDWFKHU\ FKLQRRN RU
line upstream to Bonneville hatchery steelhead), of which
Dam, allowing both boat and no more than two may be
bank angling for spring chi- adult chinook or steelhead,
The Daily Astorian
and no more than one may be
an adult chinook. All wild chi-
nook and wild steelhead must
be released. The salmon mini-
mum size is 12 inches.
For information, call 360-
696-6211, ext. *1010, or go to
KWWSZGIZZDJRY¿VKLQJ
W A NTED
Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber
N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A
Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500
* 3 "+3
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GO ONLINE
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ACCE P T IN G N E W P AT IE N T S
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AN N GO L D E E N , D .C. | B ARRY SE ARS, D .C.
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A Pacific white-sided
dolphin washed ashore
in Ocean Park, Wash.,
Tuesday afternoon.
offshore species, the dolphins
will sometimes venture clos-
er to shore. They are endemic
WRWKHQRUWKHUQ3DFL¿F2FHDQ
ranging from the Aleutians
down the west coast to the tip
of Baja California.
BIKE CREW
255 fundraiser
Friday May 29
Spaghetti D inner
with salad & garlic bread
8
$ .0 0
M om m y & M e Skate
W ed 10-11 a m
$5 Pa ren t & child 5/u n d er
includes ska te renta l.
$2.50 ea . a d d ition a l
pa ren t & child
Sash cord replacement
Wood rot repair
Stabilize joints
Weather-strip
Replace glass
Reduce air intrusion
Storm and screen sash fabrication
Leaded glass repair
Licensed, Bonded, Lead-Safe Certified, Certified Woman Owned Business/
Emerging Small Business, Adhering to the Secretary of the Interior’s
Standards for Historic Preservation
CCB# 203203
503-741-5389
Katie Rathmell
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4 pm
‘til gone
All proceeds benefit
the Bike Crew 255’s
trip across the U.S.A.
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for parties!!
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n
1-60 64
Open to the public.
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AMERICAN LEGION
1132 Exchange Street 325-5771
Soils!
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TIFFANY BOOTHE — Seaside
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@ the
Asto ria
Arm o r y
Specializing in the restoration &
preservation of wood windows
and leaded glass in homes and
historic buildings.
pacificwindowrestoration
OCEAN PARK, Wash.
— A 7-foot-long, 250-pound
PDOH3DFL¿FZKLWHVLGHGGRO-
phin washed ashore in Ocean
Park Tuesday afternoon.
The dolphin had died be-
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Aquarium staff recovered the
animal. Marine mammal ex-
SHUWVIURP3RUWODQG6WDWH8QL-
versity will perform a necrop-
sy to see if they can determine
the cause of death. External
observations suggest this may
have just been an old male
who died of natural causes.
3DFL¿F ZKLWHVLGHG GRO-
phins are known for their ex-
uberant behavior, leaping out
RI WKH ZDWHU EHOO\ÀRSSLQJ
somersaulting and riding the
bow waves of boats. They
can live for a little over 40
years. Although they are an
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5 03 -3 25 -3 3 11 2935 M ARIN E DR • AS TORIA
Find us on
The Daily Astorian
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The Clatsop SWCD is an equal opportunity employer, providing services
to the public without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age,
disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation and marital or family status.