FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 5
Local
Mental health, substance
abuse topics of meeting
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The Baker County Local
Alcohol Drug Planning
Committee and Mental
Health Advisory Coun-
cil (LADPC-MHAC)
Joint Committee met for
its regular meeting, on
Tuesday, August 30, 2016,
12 p.m., in the Community
Connection Board Room,
located on the west end of
the Community Connec-
tion/Senior Center build-
ing, 2810 Cedar Street,
Baker City.
Among the topics
discussed is a September
screening of the KPJR
Films produced video, “Pa-
per Tigers,” which follows
six students at an alterna-
tive high school for a year,
as a new, trauma-sensitive
program’s implemented, to
break the cycles of poverty,
violence, and disease that
affect families.
Present from the com-
mittee were Chair Anthony
Washington, New Direc-
tions Northwest (NDN)/
Powder River Correctional
Facility (PRCF); Vice
Chair Staci Erickson,
Baker County Juvenile De-
partment; Shari Selander,
NDN CEO, Ex-Officio;
Kelli Wright, New Direc-
tions Behavioral Health
and Wellness (NDBHW);
Lisa Weichbrodt, NDN/
Developmental Disabilities
(DD); and Michael Fed-
derly, NDBHW Consumer.
Washington called the
meeting to order at about
12:15 p.m., in order to
allow other members a
chance to attend (eight
members were absent), and
the committee reviewed
the minutes from the last
meeting (meetings are
usually held on a quarterly
basis). The minutes were
approved, with a motion
from Erickson, and a sec-
ond from Wright.
Washington asked if
there was any news or
details to share, from the
MHAC, and Selander
began the discussion by
reading from a handout
she provided, titled “The
Power of Attitude.” The
handout included the
acronym ATTITUDES:
“Always make today your
best day; Take pride in a
job well done; Treat others
with respect; Interrupt
negative thoughts; Treat
tasks and challenges as
opportunities; Utilize your
personal talents daily;
Discover the gifts that
others bring to you; Expect
positive outcomes; Speak
well of others.”
Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press
The Baker County Local Alcohol Drug Planning Committee and Mental Health
Advisory Council (LADPC-MHAC) Joint Committee.
Selander discussed some
current projects, including
working with the School
District, to implement spe-
cialized classroom instruc-
tion, to address behavioral
issues, from kindergarten,
through the third grade,
initially. She said that
potential staff are being
identified. Wright added
that the group of students
would be kept to a size of
around eight to ten, located
at North Baker, and that
funding for the program
has been located. Wash-
ington asked when the
program might be expected
to begin, and Wright said
around mid-October, with
meetings with teachers and
therapists to be scheduled
before that, to develop cri-
teria, among other details.
A possibility is a partial
day of instruction, 9 a.m.
to 1 p.m., then the students
could return to their regu-
lar classroom, she said.
Salender spoke about
other projects and pro-
grams, including“Total
Health,” New Direc-
tions Northwest’s newest
program, located at 3975
Midway Drive, in the far
west wings of St. Alphon-
sus Hospital. Total Health,
an out-patient program,
serves the residents of
Baker County, and ad-
dresses a broad range of
mental health, substance
abuse and addictions, pain
management, community
health care, and prevention
services.
Erickson discussed
a free screening of the
film“Paper Tigers,” sched-
uled for Thursday, Septem-
ber 29, 2016, from 9 a.m.
to 11:30 a.m., at the Eltrym
Theater, in Baker City.
She said that this screen-
ing is for adolescent and
other related staff, but there
will be a future screen-
ing for the general public.
This particular item is one
she emphasized, and she
repeated the topic of the
screening during the meet-
ing, saying that it “really
opens your eyes.” Accord-
ing to the handout she pro-
vided, there will be a brief
discussion following the
film, regarding the Adverse
Childhood Experiences
(ACEs) study, as well as
trauma informed care.
Wright added that she
hopes that the screening
of the film will be comple-
mented later with some
related training, in order
to begin to implement a
program of the same type
in the community.
Washington asked if
there was any news or
details to share, from the
LADPC, and Weichbrodt
said that final corrections
from the audit were being
turned in this week, and
effort is being made to pro-
vide more in-house train-
ing for support workers.
Wright said that, through
a grant co-written by Will
Benson of Parole and
Probation (P&P), drug and
alcohol addiction treatment
will be provided to both a
male group, and a female
group, while in prison,
resulting in continuous
treatment, making the
process easier, once they’re
released. Also, she said
a sex offender program is
being implemented at P&P,
covering both adults and
juveniles, which Erickson
added is a benefit, because
it allows treatment locally,
instead of contracting that
out.
Washington spoke about
the treatment program at
PRCF, which he said has a
good success rate. He said
that currently, he notices a
surge in the number of her-
oin addicts--the most he’s
seen at one time. Erickson
added that methamphet-
amine addiction is usually
seen in the age range of 15
to early 20s, and Washing-
ton said that heroin addic-
tion is usually seen in ages
above that range.
Erickson said she had
been asked to speak to
school students about the
issues of “sexting,” and
dating violence, by staff of
Mayday, Inc., a domestic
violence, sexual assault,
and elder abuse service
agency, located at 1834
Main Street in Baker City.
She’s enthused about the
idea, which she said will
be a good partnership.
Selander said she had
been communicating with
the Eastern Oregon Coor-
dinated Care Organization
(EOCCO), and the EO-
CCO will be the first CCO
in the state to implement a
new approach to analyzing
individual case rates, re-
garding drug, alcohol, and
mental health issues. She
said the news is exciting,
and she hopes to provide
more detail on the topic at
the next meeting.
The next meeting is
scheduled for Tuesday,
October 25, 2016, 12 p.m.
Wildfire causes Griffin Gulch
evacuation Wednesday
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
A wildfire up Griffin
Gulch, just two miles
southeast of Baker City,
was reported around 4:30
p.m., triggering an almost
instant response with air
and ground support tapped.
By 5 p.m., the immedi-
ate area around Griffin
Gulch was under a Level 3
Evacuation Notice—leave
immediately, with the area
between Griffin Gulch and
Baker City under Level 1.
SEE GRIFFIN GULCH
PAGE 9
Earthquake
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
According to that plan, “In all counties east of the
Cascade Mountains, effects related to the earthquake
include: indirect impacts related to transportation cor-
ridors (roads, rail, and air), power disruption, supply
side chain distribution (including fuel, food, and natural
gas), demand for logistics and staging areas, shelter, and
relocation of individuals and animals from the impacted
areas. Transportation interruptions and prioritization of
emergency supplies to Western Oregon will disrupt raw
material imports and finished agricultural product export.
Financially this is an extreme impact and alternate routing
to ports of opportunity will be required. This will increase
shipping costs, affecting Oregon’s agricultural economy.
Massive staging areas are likely to be required in various
areas of Central and Eastern Oregon with the primary
location of relief supplies likely at an established federal
ISB at Roberts Field Airport in Redmond, Oregon, De-
schutes County. River traffic on the Columbia
River will be an important response and recovery lifeline.
Mutual aid from Eastern Oregon local jurisdictions will
be sought to the maximum degree possible. Many build-
ing inspectors, police, firefighters, medical personnel,
engineers, and public works personnel may deploy to the
impacted areas of Western Oregon.”
Woman
accused of
credit card
theft
Photo courtesy of the Baker County Sheriff’s Office.
Jamie Marie Patton.
According to Baker City Police Chief Wyn Lohner on
Wednesday, a Baker City woman has been arrested on
multiple charges including 13 counts of fraudulent use of
a credit card.
Arrested was Jamie Patton, age 30, at 6:43 p.m. Tues-
day. Patton is accused of charging $143.40 to her alleged
victim's credit card at Jackson's on Campbell Street
between July 29 and August 16.
Lohner said the victim, Jorja Culley, reported the card
stolen and a surveillance system inside the business aided
in the detection of the crime.
The $143.40 was used to purchases “food, fuel and
tobacco,” said Lohner, over a period of 13 different visits
to that business.
Patton is also accused of aggravated identity theft, sec-
ond-degree theft and 13 counts each of computer crime,
which as Lohner explained, is due to using a computer-
ized card scanner during the purchases on the stolen card.
Another MIP
marijuana
arrest made
School Resource Officer Lance Woodward arrested
another juvenile on Wednesday morning at Baker High
School, charging that individual, age 16, with Minor
in Possession (MIP) of Marijuana at around 10 a.m. A
second juvenile, age 15, has been charged with Unlawful
Delivery of a Controlled Substance within 1,000 feet of
a school.
To date this year, 11 minors have been charged with an
MIP for marijuana—more than double the amount typical
in an average full calendar year, according to Baker City
Police Chief Wyn Lohner.
Officer certified
Photo courtesy of Tiffany Maness.
The fire, shown here at just under 10 acres, as viewed from the Maness’s drive-
way.
Jonathan Stanley, one of the Baker City Police Depart-
ment’s newest recruits, will graduate September 9, 2016,
11 a.m. at the OPSA Auditorium in Salem from the Or-
egon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training
(DPSST). Stanley has achieved his basic certification,
which required the completion of several areas of skill
and testing pertinent to on-the-job duties.