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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 23, 2017)
2A Wednesday, August 23, 2017 Appeal Tribune Shelter Continued from Page 1A funded and, for fiscal year 2016-17, had a budget of more than $1.3 million. Over the past year, a shelter manager with no experience at dog shel- ters was hired and subse- quently fired, a position focused on coordinating volunteers was left va- cant for nearly six months and conflict between paid and unpaid staff grew to the point of protests. The shelter manager, Dean Freeze, was ousted in late June. He was the first to occupy the posi- tion when he was hired in August 2016. Volunteers said that re- lations deteriorated un- der his management. Tamra Goettsch, com- munity services director at Marion County, ac- knowledged that part of the issue may have been that Freeze lacked shelter experience prior to being hired, although she said that wasn’t the primary reason for his firing. Goettsch said his release was not disciplinary, but that he just wasn’t a good fit. “It could’ve been that somebody who had shel- ter experience would have the same issues,” said Goettsch. “I don’t be- lieve it to be a Dean issue. It’s just a communication issue.” Dahl said that Freeze often didn’t seem to want to be around the dogs. “[He] definitely didn’t want to get dirty, didn’t want the dogs to rub PHOTO BY MOLLY J. SMITH/STATESMAN JOURNAL Marion County Dog Shelter volunteer Sandy Weaver walks three-year-old Elsa on Tuesday. against him,” said Dahl. “He’s not into dogs at all.” Freeze couldn’t be reached for comment on this story. Goettsch said shelter experience is “at the top of the list” in the hiring of a new manager. Although the position’s online de- scription lists that experi- ence as a preference and not a requirement, Goettsch said, “That doesn’t mean it won’t be required.” In Freeze’s hiring, Goettsch solicited input from volunteers. “They were involved at all stages of the public process,” she said. “Ulti- mately I make that deci- sion, but (volunteers) def- initely had a weight factor in there.” She said she didn’t recall which of the two finalists had a major- ity approval among staff, SENIOR LIVING SOLUTIONS A Place for Mom has helped over one million families fi nd senior living solutions that meet their unique needs. There’s no cost to you! CALL (855) 864-4711 ! We’re paid by our partner communities Imagine The Difference You Can Make DONATE YOUR CAR 1-844-533-9173 FREE TOWING TAX DEDUCTIBLE Help Prevent Blindness Get A Vision Screening Annually Ask About A FREE 3 Day Vacation Voucher To Over 20 Destinations!!! 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Volunteers also claim to have been left out of the loop when it comes to dogs being euthanized, as well as other duties per- formed by paid employ- ees. “We have all seen dogs disappear, and we know they were killed,” said Schachtsick. “We don’t get that information.” Goettsch said that there is no reason volun- teers shouldn’t have ac- cess to this information. “We’re government, we need to be transparent,” she said. But Dahl agreed with Schachtsick, saying that employees at the front desk were friendly until she began asking more questions about euthana- sia decisions. She said that the process of assess- ing the “adoptability” of dogs seemed to be an arbi- trary process. “It was heartbreaking. There were some top- quality dogs,” she said. “And then boom, they were gone quicker than I could blink.” Dahl said later when she asked about assess- ment practices or specific dogs, employees told her, “We’ve been instructed not to answer the volun- teers’ questions any- more.” Goettsch said that vol- unteers didn’t see a lot of what was happening be- hind the scenes to deter- mine a dog’s health. She said she would never tell employees not to commu- nicate with volunteers, but acknowledged that in- formation sharing had to be streamlined. “It’s hard to say how communication happens, not being there and not hearing that directly,” said Goettsch. “I have told staff that in complicated cases, or in cases where you don’t know informa- tion, we need to have a sin- gle point of contact.” Goettsch said that they’ve added a white board in the volunteer area, which may be used to make announcements in the future, saying it is a “communication tool that we’re looking to imple- ment.” But volunteers argue that, despite their neces- sity to the functions of the shelter, their input isn’t wanted. Besides Freeze’s hire, volunteers said their opin- ions were left out of major policy decisions at the shelter, including a recent change in dog walking protocol, which blindsid- ed Schachtsick and result- ed in his departure. “It didn’t go over good with me,” said Schacht- sick, who was asked not to return after getting into a dispute with employees over the policy. New train- ing was required, even for volunteers who had long been walking the most un- stable dogs. “Not every person is a fit for a volunteer situa- tion,” said Goettsch. “It is a balancing act.” The core group of vol- unteers is made up of 15 to 20 members, while the paid staff will be 12, once a new manager is hired. Shelter management acknowledged that part of the issue with communi- cation may have been the absence of a program spe- cialist, a position which focuses on volunteer management and was left vacant from February un- til mid-July for budgetary reasons. “With any change, I think there is some bump- iness in communication,” said Allison Barrows, shelter operations lead. Goettsch and Barrows both said that a good shel- ter manager hire and the recent filling of the pro- gram specialist role should improve commu- nication. Goettsch said she appreciates when vol- unteers raise concerns. “One of the things I love about the volunteers is that they’re always challenging us to be think- ing beyond what we’re currently doing,” she said. CPR Continued from Page 1A hands and began compressions, stopping to breathe into her lungs. Muscle memory took over; he’d prac- ticed the movements hundreds of times on dummies. “Doing that repetition over the years was super helpful,” he said. “I knew what to do.” Five minutes after Brad called 911, Silverton Po- lice Officer Bryce Mintz arrived, running into the house from the snow, carrying an automated exter- nal defibrillator, or AED. Every patrol car in the fleet carries one, and all Silverton officers have CPR training, said Capt. Jim Anglemier. “CPR is a lifesaving skill all should learn,” he said. “With a society as mobile and active as ours, a heart attack victim could be miles, if not hours away from medical help. A person trained in CPR gives a heart attack victim a fighting chance to survive.” Over the last two years, Anglemier recalls the de- partment’s officers using AED technology a dozen times, with about 60 percent of patients regaining a pulse. That includes both heart attack and cardiac arrest patients, although the two conditions are vast- ly different. A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked; symptoms can go on for hours, days or even weeks, and the heart usually does not stop beat- ing entirely. A sudden cardiac arrest is an electrical malfunction that shuts down a body’s systems in- stantaneously and leads to death within minutes. Outside a hospital, away from emergency ser- vices, it’s nearly impossible to survive cardiac ar- rest and those who do often suffer brain damage. About 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States each year, according to the American Heart Association. “I knew about heart attacks, but I didn’t know much about cardiac arrest,” Stacey said. “It was off my radar; I had no clue.” As it turns out, Stacey has an enlarged heart, due, she expects, to the potent chemotherapy drug she took to fight non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in her 30s. Last summer, she learned her heart was compro- mised, but she didn’t know she was in danger of car- diac arrest. She worked out the gym almost every day, ate well and had clear arteries. She has no memory of the days leading up to or immediately following Dec. 15. After Stacey received CPR from her husband, Of- ficer Mintz used the AED unit to shock her heart twice, and it restarted. She was transported by am- bulance to Legacy Silverton Medical Center and then to Salem Hospital, where she stayed for eight days and received an internal cardiac defibrillator via surgery. The ICD is programmed to shock her heart back into rhythm if it starts beating irregular- ly again. “It gives me some security,” she said. Stacey has learned her heart is functioning at half-capacity, so she is adopting a new lifestyle. Among the changes, she’s cranked-back her exer- cise routine, vastly cut her sodium intake and searched for ways to relax when she’d rather be on the go. “It’s hard to slow down now … I still do everything I did before but just modified,” she said. To the observer, she hasn’t suffered noticeable brain damage, although doctors told her it will take up to two years for her brain to recover. As her memory and strength came back in the weeks following the cardiac arrest, she struggled with mental exhaustion, especially when calculating numbers. Now she’s back at work for her family’s in- surance company in Lake Oswego part-time, taking up her life again, just at a slower pace. “The whole thing was just surreal, but mostly I just feel blessed,” she said. “CPR literally saved my life.” COURTESY OF THE MCINNES FAMILY Stacey McInnes and her grown children. Bond Continued from Page 1A tests and at the end, the doctors concluded that Lindsey was mildly men- tally retarded – a phrase that thankfully is not used anymore - and from an unidentifiable syndrome. They said she had a short in her neurological sys- tem and would never process information the same as her peers.” Linda spoke about re- cently picking up a friend at the airport who men- tioned that Lindsey was “the most difficult special needs person she’s ever met.” “You’d think it was an insult but I was relieved,” Linda said. “I’m not a per- fect mom and have made some mistakes but I do the best I can. Lindsey is on the autism spectrum and can be very combative and headstrong. But she’s also always been very passionate and driven and the sweetest, kindest per- son. When she was 16, she ‘adopted’ two girls from the Philippines Children International and she has adopted two cats. These are her ‘kids.’” Linda noted that she didn’t realize at first that Silverton was the perfect place to raise her daugh- ter as it is such an open and accepting town, and embraces diversity. Lind- sey has had opportunities for new experiences and has made many new friends. She has never been made to feel like an outcast, according to Lin- da. Lindsey was aware her mother was writing the book and explains to peo- ple, “My mom is telling the good, the bad and the ugly.” But she told Linda, “As long as you tell the truth, I guess it’s all right because I’m pretty darn funny.” The memoir includes both a number of those hu- morous incidences but also the more exhausting times, such as when, at age 20, Lindsey ran away for over four years with a man more than twice her age. “It’s really all about the complicated relation- ships between mothers and daughters and how do you find an acceptance on both parts?” Linda said. “It’s also about how it has affected my husband (John) and son (Michael). And it’s not just a story about special needs chil- dren. As society changes, it’s becoming difficult for everyone. “I used to say to Lind- sey, ‘You can choose to be happy or you can choose to be sad’ and she throws it right back in my face. Sometimes I’ve chosen to be frustrated and sad but we keep going on.” Right now, Linda is working on a piece that ties in with the calligra- phy “Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while but their hearts forever.” With a lump in her throat, she said, “There’s a sadness in me and a sense of loss that my child will never be the grown- up I imagined her to be. To some degree, I will be holding her hand for the rest of our lives.” P.O. Box 13009 Salem, OR 97309 Address P.O. Box 13009 Salem, OR 97309 Phone 503-873-8385 Fax 503-399-6706 Email sanews@salem.gannett.com Web site www.SilvertonAppeal.com Staff President Ryan Kedzierski 503-399-6648 rkedzierski@gannett.com Advertising Terri McArthur 503-399-6630 tmcarthur@Salem.gannett.com Deadlines News: 4 p.m. Thursday Letters: 4 p.m. Thursday Obituaries: 11 a.m. Friday Display Advertising: 4 p.m. Wednesday Legals: 3 p.m. Wednesday Classifieds: 4 p.m. Friday News Tips The Appeal Tribune encourages suggestions for local stories. 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