➟➠➡➢➤➥
HOME & GARDEN SPECIAL
Year of the hummingbird
➦➧➨➨➧➩ ➫➭ ➧➯ ➲➳➵ ➩➵➸
➷➬➬➮ ➮➱✃ ❐➬ ➬❒❮ ❰➱Ï❒Ð➮ Ñ❒ÒÑÓ❮ÔÒÐ❮ ÕÐ❐❐➱ Ö➬×ÔÐ ➬Ø Ù➱ ➷❮➱Ú➮Ð
MONDAY ➺ ❑➻➼➽➾ ➚➪ ➶➹➘➴ ➺ $1.50
Ladd
Canyon
project
rolling
Mental health
resources lacking
in Union County
school districts
ÛÜ
ä ✉✈ ✇ ßåèà
éêë t ìíîëïðëï
❲ ❳❨❩❬❭❪❫ ❴❵❪❫❴ ❜❨❩❫ ❝❞❜❜❞❢❣❭❵❥ ❩❜ ❜❞❭❭❞❦❧
♣❩❴❞❵❞❩❦❴ ♠❦❝ ❨❪❵♠❞❦❞❦❧ ♥❞❨❪❪❴♦ qrs ❴♠❥❴
ÛÜ ÝÞßàáßâãäåæçèá
éêë
ìíîëïðëï
Oregon is the lowest
ranked state for access to
mental health services in
the country, according to
Mental Health America,
ñ òòóôõöñ÷ôøùú ûøûü÷øýþ
dedicated to addressing and
promoting mental health
needs across the country.
In its 2019 State of
Mental Health in America
report, MHA ranks the
state 51st out of all 50
states and the District
of Columbia. It is also
ranked 44th in the nation
for youth mental health
ÿüö ✁ ý ñùùõ ✂ ✄ û þ ☎ öÿö úñþñ
sets, low rankings indicate
a higher prevalence of
mental illness and lower
rates of access to care.
MHA reported 44 million
American adults live with
a mental health condition,
which is about 18 percent
of the adult U.S. population.
Fifty percent of adults with a
mental health condition ex-
perience their onset by the
age of 14, but this number
spikes to 75 percent by the
age of 25, according to the
National Alliance on Mental
Illness, a grassroots organi-
zation dedicated to raising
awareness and providing
support and education on
mental health issues.
According to NAMI’s
ö ÿ þö ûö ✁ û ý ✡ ö õø ☛ þ ☎
✆ ✝ ✁ ✞ ✟✠
live with a mental health
condition (in the U.S.),
but less than half of these
individuals receive need-
ed services,” and schools
“play an important role”
in “providing a unique op-
portunity to identify and
treat mental health condi-
tions by serving students
where they already are.”
Prevalence of Mental Illness in
U.S. Adults and Youth, 2019
▼✏✑✒✓✔ ❍✏✓✔✒✕ ✖✗✏✘✐✙✓✴ ✚✛✶✾ ✜✢✣✢✤ ✥✦ ✧✤★✢✣✩ ✪✤✣✩✢✫ ✬★ ❆✭✤✮✬✯✣ ✮✤✰✥✮✢
✱✲✲✳✵✷✸✹✺ ✻✳ ✻✼✸✽ ✷✿✻✿ ✽❀✻ ✲✳❁❂✸❃❀✷ ❄❅ ❇❀✹✻✿❃ ❈❀✿❃✻✼ ✱❁❀✵✸✲✿❉ ❊✵❀✺✳✹ ❋●■❏
✸✽ ✻✼❀ ❃✳❑❀✽✻ ✵✿✹▲❀✷ ✽✻✿✻❀ ✸✹ ✻✼❀ ✹✿✻✸✳✹ ✿✹✷ ❡✸✽✻✵✸✲✻ ✳◆ ❖✳❃P❁❄✸✿❉ ❁❀✿✹✸✹✺ ✸✻
✼✿✽ ✻✼❀ ✼✸✺✼❀✽✻ ❂✵❀❤✿❃❀✹✲❀ ✳◆ ❁❀✹✻✿❃ ✸❃❃✹❀✽✽ ✿✹✷ ✻✼❀ ❃✳❑❀✽✻ ✿✲✲❀✽✽ ✻✳ ❁❀✹✻✿❃
✼❀✿❃✻✼ ✽❀✵❤✸✲❀✽◗ ❘✿✹▲❀✷ ❙P✽✻ ✿❄✳❤❀ ❊✵❀✺✳✹ ✿✵❀ ✱❃✿✽▲✿ ❋●❛❏ ✿✹✷ ❚✷✿✼✳ ❋❯❱❏◗
Aaron Grigg, mental
health director at the Cen-
ter for Human Develop-
ment in La Grande, agrees
that schools are in a special
position to provide on-hand
mental health care to youth.
“We know we need to do
more to help kids develop
resiliency, and one of the
best places to do that is in
the school setting because
they’re easily accessible,”
he said. “Rather than ask-
ing them to leave school to
come to an appointment at
ø ☛ ÷ ø ☞ ö ✞ ✌☛ ÿ ✍ ✝ ö ✁ û ✎ ✁ û þ ☎ ö
schools is really important
(so we can) meet students
where they’re at.”
The schools of Union
County are no exception.
CHD is responsible for
contracting most of the
school counselors in Union
County, but Greater Ore-
gon Behavioral Health, Inc.
is responsible for providing
funds for these counsel-
ors and wellness centers,
according to Erin Rust, a
school-based program co-
ordinator at GOBHI.
GOBHI is also the coordi-
nated care organization for
See Health / Page 5A
Building confidence
through horse riding
❲ ➀♠ ➁❨♠❦❝❪ ❞❦❴❵❨❣❢❵❩❨ ❪➂♣❭♠❞❦❴ ♥❩➃
❵❨♠❞❦❞❦❧ ➃❞❵♥ ♥❩❨❴❪❴ ❢♠❦ ♣❩❴❞❵❞➄❪❭❥
❞❦❜❭❣❪❦❢❪ ❫♠❦❥ ❝❞❜❜❪❨❪❦❵ ❵❥♣❪❴ ❩❜ ♣❪❩♣❭❪
ÛÜ ⑥ ìíîëïðëï
çßà ✉ äå ✉ ß Ûãàä ⑦ ã ⑧
éêë
Jaci Weishaar owns Vic-
tory Acres in La Grande,
where people can board
their own horses or take
horsemanship
classes.
As the head instructor,
Weishaar works with peo-
ple who ride horses fre-
quently for sport and com-
petitions, but also teaches
children and adult novices.
Weishaar also works
with people who have
PTSD, including veterans,
and with children who
have problems to work
through, whether their
challenges stem from dis-
abilities like autism and
ADHD or from a lack of
ÿöù ④ ô øûýúöû ö ú ☛ ö þø ✝☛ ùô
lying or shyness.
She said working with
horses can help anyone
ùú ☛ ü ÿöù ④ ô øûýúöû ö ✞
✝☛✁
“Removing the bridge
See Ladd / Page 5A
üõ þø ö ö ö þ ö ñõÿ þø
ûøþ ø û þøñÿ
ñ öÿ ñû ö ø÷þ þø þ÷öñþ ö÷
þ öõ ñ÷ö ø û ÿüö ý ñùô
ñûõ ÿ öûþ ý ý÷ÿþ ñûú þ þøø ñ ùøþ ø
❞❍❡❢❣
♠♦♣qr♦s t✉✈✈ ✇①②③④⑤⑥⑦①⑧⑦⑨③⑩⑤④❶①✇❷⑥③④⑦❸①⑧
✑ ✏ ✎✆✔✞
✠ ✥ ✝✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✹✓ ✸✓
✥ ✥ ✥ ✽☛ ✺☛ ✙✗✞
✄☎ ✄☞✌✞
✆✝✝✞ ✍ ✟ ✝✥ ✞✠ ✥ ✡✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✸☛ ✹☛ ✄✔☞✝✝✕☞✔✡✥
❹❺❻❼❽❾❿
❹➉➊➋➌➍➎
✙✚✞
✞
☞
✏✥
✖✠✆✔✓✗✗✒✥
✥
➀➁ ➂➃➄
➀➅➆➇➈
✄☞✌✌✎✏✞✑✒✥✥ ✻✓ ✘☞✑✑✠✔✒✥✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥✷✓ ❙✚☞✔✑✝✥✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥✼✓
➏➐➑➒➓➔→➣
↔↕↕➙➑➒➛➜➣➝ ➒➔➜➞
WEDNESDAY
ö ý÷ÿþ ü ☎ ñÿö ø ④ þ ☎ ö
③☎
Ladd Canyon project
will involve removing an
eastbound lane bridge
near the entrance into
Ladd Canyon and re-
placing it with a con-
crete box culvert. The
box will be large enough
to accommodate log
trucks and semi trucks,
said Mike Remily of
ODOT, manager of the
Ladd Canyon Freight
Improvement Project.
Taking out the bridge
ùù ö öûöý ✁ ñù ✝ ö ñ ☛ ÿö
✠⑤✠③ ø ☞ ✁ ñù ÿñ ✁ ú ✂
øñùÿ ñûú ✎ öþ øûýúöû ö
ÿñ ú
ODOT work scheduled
for this year is complet-
ed, around Oct. 31. The
speed limit, according to
ODOT, will then return
to 70 miles per hour.
it tends to get icy, the
in themselves,” Weishaar
said. “I love watching peo-
ple grow.”
She said part of the rea-
son working with horses
is so helpful to personal
growth is the simple as-
pect of achieving goals.
❷❸❹✘✒✏❺❻ ❼✕❸✒❸
People who come to her
classes set horsemanship ❊❑✹❀✵ ✳◆ ❽✸✲✻✳✵❅ ✱✲✵❀✽ ❾✿✲✸ ❿❀✸✽✼✿✿✵ ❑✸✻✼ ✼❀✵ ❁✿✸✹ ✽✼✳❑✼✳✵✽❀❉ ❿✸❃❀❅◗ ❿❀✸✽✼✿✿✵
goals for themselves, and ✼✿✽ ❄❀❀✹ ✽✼✳❑✸✹✺ ✼✳✵✽❀✽ ✽✸✹✲❀ ✻✼❀ ✿✺❀ ✳◆ ■❯◗
she helps them achieve
them. She said her person- as animal-assisted thera- children on her,” she said.
Weishaar said horses
al teaching style includes
“She’s super quiet — just helped her during her youth
✝
② ✁✡ ✆
pushing people a little bit manage pain and anxiety. sassy enough to teach quite a bit because she ex-
out of their comfort zone.
Humans can learn a lot them something, but very perienced bullying that she
Weishaar said she tells from how horses deal with safe.”
described as “severe.”
them, “Now we’re going to stress and trauma, added
The instructor said her
“Horses were my outlet
do this. Yes it’s hard, yes Weishaar, who often res- experience has taught her growing up. They were my
it’s scary, but you’re going cues horses
that horses sport. They were my thera-
to do it and you’re going to that
might
don’t dwell py. They were my healing,”
on
the she said.
✝
✂ ✄⑨①
✎ ✁ ✎
⑩ have trauma
➅➆➇➈➉➈ ➊➉➇➉ ➋➌
you to do something you’re in their pasts.
past. “They
She stressed that work-
➆➍➎➏➉➎ ➐➇➆➊➑➒➐ ➍➓➔
not capable of.” She said She said that
live for the ing with horses is good for
→➣➉➌ ➊➉➇➉ ➋➌
when her students accom- the 18-year-
c o m f o r t everyone, whatever their
➈➓➆➇➎➔ →➣➉➌ ➊➉➇➉ ➋➌ and securi- challenges are or their past
plish something they were old
horse
➎➣➉➇↔➓➌➔ →➣➉➌ ➊➉➇➉
originally nervous to do, she currently
ty they feel experiences have been. She
➋➌ ➣➉↔➏➑➒➐➔↕
they realize they are more uses for train-
in this mo- ① ⑩
②
☎
➙ ➛➜➝➞ ➟➠➞➡➢➜➜➤➥
capable than they thought. ing children
ment,” she students the same, even if
➦➧➨➠➤ ➦➩ ➫➞➝➭➦➤➯ ➲➝➤➠➡
Just being around hors- younger than
said.
☎
①✁ ✎
✁
es is therapeutic, accord- 5 was rescued
Accord- ly to help deal with a prob-
ing to Weishaar.
from a slaughter pen.
ing to Weishaar, seeing a lem related to something
“Grooming a horse is
Weishaar said the horse horse overcome a problem like PTSD or ADHD.
calming for them,” she was extremely timid at can teach people how to
“I still treat it like they’re
✁ ✂
❶
✁
✁
✁
⑩
④ tackle their own problems coming to ride a horse. I
sources including the careful training to get her and move past them.
don’t treat them any dif-
Mayo Clinic recognize used to her new life.
“If the horse can do it, then ferent,” she said.
See Horses / Page 5A
time with animals as well
“Now I put 3-year-old they can do it,” she said.
ö ýûö
÷ö ① ñ ✁ û ✁ û ö ② ö þ ☛ ûþ ✁ ù ñùù
✆✁ ✝ ✝
whether they have a tan-
gible problem to work
through or not.
“I really enjoy working
with people and watch-
ing them achieve their
✎
A $30 million Oregon
Department of Trans-
portation project in the
Ladd Canyon area that
will add a 1.5-mile third
lane to Interstate 84 and
other safety features is
beginning.
The launch of the
18-month Ladd Canyon
Freight Improvement
Project means the speed
limit through ODOT’s
work zone on the west
side of Ladd Canyon is
now 50 miles per hour.
The reduced speed will
▲● ❆■▲ ❖❆❉ ✁❯■❊❚ ✂❖◆❊ ❆❈❈❊P❚❊❉
❇❋❍❏❑❇❏ ◗❘
❱❲❳❨❩❬❭❨❭❳❬❳
✹❫ ☞✏✝❴ ✹❵✚✆❜✠✝
✸ ✘✆ ❪✝✝✎✠
✝✠✍✑✞
❝✔✆✏✡✠❴ ✙✔✠❜☞✏
U.S.
Cellular
holds
fundraiser
ÛÜ
çßà ✉ äå ✉ ß Ûãàä ⑦ ã ⑧
éêë ⑥ ìíîëïðëï
➳✂➵✂ ➸ öùù ☛ ùñ÷ ✞ þ ☎ ö ý ④ þ ☎
largest telecommunica-
tion network in the na-
þ ✁ øû ✞ ✁ ÿ ø ② ö÷ ✁ û ✎ õø ☛ þ ☎
groups an opportunity
to fundraise that is much
more high-tech than
selling candy bars or col-
lecting cans and bottles.
Instead, groups can earn
money by using social
media.
The U.S. Cellular pro-
gram, called Community
Connections, began in
2015 and can sponsor
youth organizations with
up to $1,000 toward ex-
penses.
According to U.S. Cel-
lular’s website, many dif-
ferent types of groups, like
sports teams and academ-
ic clubs, can apply to par-
ticipate in the program,
See Cellular / Page 2A
❤❑✐❢ ❑ ❘❏❋❥❦ ❞❡❢❑❧
✛✜✢✢ ✣✤✦✧★✩✦✪✫✦✪ ✬✦✭✩✪✮✮✯ ✜✰
✱✲✳✴✵✶✾✴✾✳✶✳✮✪ ✩✦✬✿ ✜✬ ✦✯✜❀✢✰✮
✬✦✭✩♥✢✜❁✪✜✬✿✦✮★✩✦✪✫✦✪❂❃✮✯❂
▼✮✪✦❃✮✬✰✜❃✰ ❀✬❄✮✮✬ ❅✜❁✦✲❛❂
Online at lagrandeobserver.com