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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 27, 2017)
Wednesday, December 27, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 21 Mentally ill: Working to balance rights, safety Be cautious on trails treatment law in the short be feasible today, he said. By Molly Harbarger The Oregonian/OregonLive PORTLAND (AP) — Winter can be lethal to people without shelter. Last year in Portland, the combination of homelessness, freezing tem- peratures, and mental illness took four lives. As temperatures drop and the wind chill sharpens, debates are reigniting over how best to balance the civil liberties and the safety of peo- ple whose mental conditions render them unable to make good decisions. In Oregon, with a popula- tion of 4 million, about 600 people are required to receive treatment for mental illness against their will each year. That is a low rate compared with that of other states. A workgroup of judges, mental health advocates, police and state lawmakers is trying to revise those rules to allow officials the latitude to ensure that fewer people like Karen Batts die on the streets. Batts grew up in Portland a vivacious, friendly teen- ager and Rose Festival prin- cess. As she entered her 20s, she was slowly overtaken by delusions and paranoia due to schizophrenia. Family mem- bers repeatedly tried to help her. But they were often frus- trated by obstacles to ensur- ing she took her medicine and received treatment because she never qualified for civil commitment, they said. Her case, profiled in The O re g o n i a n / O r e g o n L i v e , was one the state workgroup looked at when weighing changes to state law to bet- ter serve severely mentally ill people. In addition to Batts, five other people died in the cold winter including Zachary A. Young, 29, who had mental illness and slept in the woods. Mark Elliot Johnson, 51, and David Guyot, 68, also died outside in the cold. Sen. Floyd Prozanski, a Democrat who represents south Lane County and north Douglas County, said he might introduce a small set of tweaks to the involuntary February 2018 session. But the workgroup is mostly focused on a broader bill for 2019. Prozanski worked as a district attorney’s office and is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said that backdrop informs his view of ways the law could be strengthened — but also show restraint. “We want to do the right thing, and part of the right thing is we don’t overre- act where you don’t take someone’s liberties away,” Prozanski said. That balance has been the fulcrum for the narrow guidelines Oregon uses now. Groups that advocate for the rights of people with men- tal illness like the National Alliance on Mental Illness are also present in these discus- sions, saying that in the past, involuntary treatment laws were too broad. Those allowed states to keep people who could take care of themselves in hospitals indefinitely, and even now, that many people who experience a psychotic break or mental health crisis are stigmatized and should be provided services rather than locked away. Bill Osborne heads a Multnomah County team of master’s level mental health workers who investigate up to 4,000 cases a year of people recommended for involun- tary commitment. His team receives “notices of mental illness” from a hospital which indicate someone is being held there for five days. Before that time is up, Osborne’s team must review police records, court documents and inter- view friends and family mem- bers to determine whether to go before a judge and ask that the person be committed. About 10 percent of those cases end up before a judge, and the overwhelming major- ity are sent to longer-term treatment against their will. That work has been refined over time to account for Appeals Court rulings. Cases Osborne might have approved for trial in the past wouldn’t Come Meet Baby Alpacas Free! at Alpaca Country C o untry Estates Est t a t es Holiday Open House Nov. - Jan., Mon. - Sat., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays by appt. (Closed Christmas Eve & Christmas) Unique alpaca gift s using our alpaca fi ber woven into apparel, rugs & more. Come take a tour of the ranch. AlpacaCountryEstates@yahoo.com 541-504-4226 541 504 4226 70397 Buckhorn Rd., Terrebonne “We’ve definitely seen a narrowing of the definitions. They’ve talked about what clear and convincing evi- dence is, how the state is not supposed to be paternalistic and tell them how to live,” Osborne said. “It’s made our job one of really making we have a strong case to move forward.” D u r i n g t h e w i n t e r, Osborne’s team is allowed to use the weather as a justifi- cation to put people into the Oregon State Hospital or keep them there. This past win- ter, Osborne factored in the fact that some of the people he investigated were under- dressed for the weather and sleeping in a tent when he made his case to a judge. Cases like Batts’, though, haunt him and his team. They reviewed her files after read- ing about her death and found that, while they had dealt with her in the past, they hadn’t seen her in a long time. But, without her being referred to their office, he can’t say where the system failed her. in burned areas Most National Forest lands within the Milli Fire area are open to public access. However, some trails and roads remain closed due to hazardous trees and trail treads damaged by fire- related erosion. Currently, most trails in the fire area are open, the Sisters Ranger District reports. However, the Forest Service does not fall stand- ing dead trees along trails. Forest users should use extreme caution when enter- ing burned areas and should expect many trees fallen across the trails next spring before trail crews can clear them. The popular McKenzie Highway (242) is open for winter recreation, includ- ing snowmobiles. In win- ter, the route is closed to vehicles. The Sisters Ranger District advises that winter users should use extreme caution, particularly in the Black Crater area, which burned with high inten- sity on steep slopes. This fire behavior created a high risk for falling trees and limbs, landslides, and avalanches. The Cross-District Snowmobile Trail, Bluegrass Loop Snowmobile Trail, McKenzie Highway 242 are all open to over-the- snow travel only. A portion of the Upper Cross-District Snowmobile Trail from the junction of Bluegrass loop (junction 518), south to the junction with the Cross District Trail (junction 519A) is closed. The District has miti- gated danger trees along 18 miles of road within the Milli Fire area. Roads are not maintained for winter access. For specific information on trail status and conditions, contact the Sisters Ranger District at 541-549-7700. n i g n i s i t r e v Ad ! s k r o W t e g T h e Nug Having launched my business, She Soars Psychiatry LLC, just two months ago, I have Th e Nugget to thank for helping build momentum and interest in our innovative treatment approach that focuses on holistic mental-health solutions based in functional medicine. With a combination of advertisements and articles, Th e Nugget has been instrumental in helping my business get off to a great start and tell the story of what makes She Soars Psychiatry unique. Clients often reference Th e Nugget as having been their primary referral source and how they heard about She Soars Psychiatry. Th is speaks to the power of Th e Nugget’s reach and dedication to the local community of Sisters and beyond. Th e staff at Th e Nugget have a clear passion in helping promote and support local business. 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