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10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2015 Gaps: County faces challenges in treating the mentally ill Continued from Page 1A A crisis respite center planned for Warrenton could also provide an alternative to jail or hospitalization. But Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis said in July that the county is in crisis on mental health, and docu- ments reviewed by The Daily Astorian under the state’s pub- OLF UHFRUGV ODZ FRQ¿UP D SHU- ception that the county is fall- ing short. Columbia Memorial Hospi- tal and Providence Seaside are QRWFHUWL¿HGWRSURYLGHLQYROXQ- tary care, custody or treatment for the mentally ill, so Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare has to ¿QGDFXWHFDUHSV\FKLDWULFKRV- pitals elsewhere in the state, a challenging and often unpre- dictable process. Astoria Police Chief Brad Johnston believes law enforce- ment is left in an impossible situation. “No one wants the police to be the people that are deal- ing with the critically mentally ill,” he said. “Nobody wants it to become criminalized. No- body wants force used. Nobody wants tragedies to occur. “But, because of a lack of other resources, the police tend to be that safety net for all of the other social agencies. And we end up being the people that are responding. “And we’re responding to people that professional men- tal health workers have been unable to reach, family has been unable to reach, and then a stranger in a blue suit is being asked to come in and solve the problem.” Daily Astorian file Records from Clatsop County, the Astoria Police Department and the Oregon State Po- lice show the challenges of treating the mentally ill. vices to discuss ongoing con- society, especially when a lot cerns with the agency. He said of the current mental illness in many in the community were our communities is from peo- “pretty outraged.” ple making poor choices with “From the article, it sound(s) the methamphetamine and drug like another case of denying ad- epidemic.” mission to someone in need,” Improving crisis Somers wrote in an email. response “This is the consistent message Cracks in mental health care we’ve been hearing.” Sumuer Watkins, the execu- are not unique to Clatsop Coun- tive director of Clatsop Behav- ty or other rural parts of the ioral Healthcare, has been sen- state. The federal government sitive about public perceptions has prodded Oregon to improve of the agency and her leader- mental health treatment. But counties and cities have ship. In an extraordinary email complained that federal and sent to community leaders in state money does not match the June, Watkins apologized and PDQGDWHOHDYLQJORFDORI¿FLDOV sought to repair any potential with the responsibility — but rifts. She said she had heard not the resources — to respond A tragic suicide of consistent feedback that to patients in crisis. The county’s struggle to care she had not been This year, the for the mentally ill was brought displaying appro- state Legislature into public focus in April after priate leadership approved an ad- ‘This Carrie Barnhart, a 54-year-old skills and was de- ditional $20 mil- mother of six with a history of fensive and abra- may have lion for housing mental illness, jumped off the sive. for people with been Astoria Bridge. mental illnesses “I am reaching Astoria Police had respond- out to all commu- or addictions. one of ed to Barnhart’s suicide warn- nity partners that Lawmakers ings four times in the months I have personally the most also adopted a before her death. The week be- interacted with change to the absurd fore Barnhart killed herself, po- over the last year law that expands lice had taken her off the bridge to apologize for GH¿QLWLRQ RI failures WKH after midnight and brought her any offensive be- mental illness for to Columbia Memorial Hospi- havior that I may purposes of civil of our tal, where she was evaluated by have exhibited,” commitment. Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare Watkins wrote. In Astoria, local and released after two hours. Mayor Arline “Please know that system The Daily Astorian, through this is not the per- LaMear has ap- the public records law, request- son that I wish to a task that I’ve pointed ed documents related to suicide be nor has it ever force to look at from the county and the po- been my intent. If homelessness and been lice after Clatsop Behavioral even one person mental health is- Healthcare chose not to answer has experienced involved sues that includes questions about what steps the this with me, I am Police Chief with.’ agency had taken to prevent truly saddened.” Johnston and similar tragedies. Watkins of Clat- Clatsop Coun- — Brad The documents show, and ty Sheriff Tom sop Behavioral WKH QHZVSDSHU KDV FRQ¿UPHG Bergin offered Healthcare. Johnston WKDW WKH VWDWH 2I¿FH RI $GXOW Watkins some en- Watkins, in a Astoria police chief Abuse Prevention and Investi- couragement. written statement, gations is conducting an inves- said Clatsop Be- “You person- tigation into Barnhart’s death. ally have done a great job but havioral Healthcare has com- While Clatsop Behavior- the problem is that the system mitted to hiring an additional al Healthcare may have done is broken, not you,” the sheriff worker to coordinate care and everything available under the wrote in an email. provide outreach to people in law to help Barnhart, the docu- “The bar has been raised need of crisis services, arranged ments suggest a serious degree so high over the last 20 years for the training of all employ- of concern about the agency’s to actually identify one with ees in the sanctuary model ap- performance. mental illness for detention, is proach to providing services, County Manager Scott sad to say the least. There are and continued to reduce the Somers, after reading a news no beds, the facilities that do time between initial assess- article about Barnhart’s suicide, exist are overwhelmed and let’s ments and treatment. called a meeting with staffers face it, it’s just easier to walk Kevin Campbell, the chief who work on mental health ser- away and ignore people in our H[HFXWLYH RI¿FHU RI *UHDWHU Astin: Owner ‘needs room to (breathe) from adoring fans ... and insensitive trespassers’ ‘Something has to give’ DPXVHXPRUDIRUSUR¿WYHQ- ture, he said. Astoria-Warrenton Chamber At the time of the inter- His Facebook message of Commerce and the city to view Friday, Astin’s appeal DVNV*RRQLHVSURGXFHU6WHYHQ help curb the relentless tide of had already reached a quar- Spielberg and director Rich- tourists. ter million people. The vast ard Donner to “help establish “She needs room to preponderance of comments an appropriate tourist outpost (breathe) from adoring fans and agree with him, he said. And in concert with the city.” tactless and insensitive tres- he hopes that attitude of un- But, right now, a private passers,” Astin wrote. derstanding reaches the peo- resident owns the home, some- Asked why he issued his ple who have so far failed to one who has helped carry the SOHD WR *RRQLHV HQWKXVLDVWV be respectful. spirit of the movie into the next Astin said, “I think I was in Preston, he pointed out, generation, and who deserves a position to have an impact has gone so far as to open her to sleep comfortably and live on this story. Everybody, of KRPH WR *RRQLHV IDQV ³7KDW her life in peace, he said. course, understands the im- kind of generosity needs to be “I absolutely love how portance of courtesy,” he said. reciprocated,” he said. much the movie has grown “But sometimes we, the pub- No longer, however, is the in the hearts of people,” Astin lic, don’t often behave prop- problem limited to fans leav- said. “I think it’s awesome for erly.” ing cigarette butts and beer people to make a trip to see, Sometimes leadership is bottles after loitering about not just the house, but the required, he said, to encourage the property. The popularity SODFHVZKHUHZH¿OPHG´ people to “tap into the better RI WKH ¿OP $VWLQ VDLG ³KDV He said he would not want part of ourselves.” grown so much something has to diminish that feeling for Astin, 44, lives in Los Ange- to give.” people. And he recognizes les and has starred in other be- Astin said there are proba- how much time, effort and ORYHG ¿OPV LQFOXGLQJ ³5XG\´ bly ways for Preston, the city PRQH\ LW WDNHV IRU *RRQLHV and “The Lord of the Rings” and possibly Warner Bros. to fans be near the site of their trilogy. come together and work out cherished childhood movie. Attempts by The Daily As- a solution in which everyone “I recognize all that,” he torian to interview Preston have ZLQV 3HUKDSV WKH *RRQLHV said. “All I’m saying is that it’s been unsuccessful. house could one day become important to be respectful.” Continued from Page 1A Oregon Behavioral Health Inc., which manages mental health services in Clatsop and several other counties, said in a state- ment that the agency has been working closely with Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare to im- prove the lines of communica- tion with law enforcement and the justice system. At a Clatsop County Board of Commissioners work ses- sion in July, Scott Lee, the board chairman, expressed his FRQ¿GHQFH LQ &ODWVRS %HKDY- ioral Healthcare and joined oth- ers in suggesting that the agen- cy simply needed to publicly share successful outreach. But public and private agen- cies that make life-and-death decisions often get measured — fairly or not — by failures. After near misses or crash- es, airlines — as District Attor- ney Marquis said after the work session — do not get judged by how many planes land safely. Submitted Photo A makeshift memorial under the Astoria Bridge honors Carrie Barnhart, who committed suicide in April. er learned the man had a mental health condition and had expe- rienced a great digression in the past few weeks. The trooper con- vinced the man, after a lengthy discussion, to be handcuffed and taken to Columbia Memorial Hospital for evaluation by Clat- sop Behavioral Healthcare. What happened next illus- trates the shortcomings with the county’s mental health safety net. A long wait A Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare worker asked the state trooper — according to his report — whether he needed any paperwork about the man. The trooper said he did not. Four hours later, the trooper learned the inquiry was actual- ly about whether he wanted to place a mental health hold on the man. “I was completely un- ‘A danger to aware she had meant that at the himself and others’ time,” wrote the trooper, who On a Wednesday afternoon wondered why it took so long in July, an Oregon State Police to initiate a hold. trooper came across a blue Saab When the man’s mother sedan parked on the shoulder of arrived at the hospital late that U.S. Highway 26. A 25-year- evening, the man refused to old man — a former star foot- leave with her. ball player, 6’4” and about 270 Instead, he walked out of the SRXQGV ² KDG FRQ¿JXUHG KLV hospital and reached the park- belongings along the roadway ing lot of the Columbia River and covered the car with a tarp. Maritime Museum, near the A good Samaritan had Peacock pilot boat, before be- pulled over and was trying to ing stopped and handcuffed by help. the trooper, who had also called Wearing only athletic pants, Astoria Police for help. the man, who was attempting to Back at the hospital, Clatsop hitchhike, explained that his car %HKDYLRUDO +HDOWKFDUH ¿QDOO\ had attacked him and that he placed a hold on the man. feared the car and his belong- Yet over the next few days, ings. Astoria Police were called The man removed his multiple times about the man clothes, then put his pants back acting erratically or leaving on. “In my opinion,” the state the hospital. In one episode, a trooper wrote in his report, the police report shows, the man man “was clearly a danger to GURSSHG KLV SDQWV DQG ÀDVKHG himself and others. I knew I his genitals towards a police of- would not allow him to drive a ¿FHUDQGDQXUVH$IWHUSXOOLQJ vehicle in his condition. up his pants, the man, with an “I also began to be con- odd smile on his face, started to cerned for my own safety, as shadow box while staring at the (the man) would speak to me SROLFHRI¿FHU EULHÀ\DQGFRKHUHQWO\DQGWKHQ The frustration, spelled out abruptly stop speaking and in police reports and emails, stare at me as if he were looking was whether Clatsop Behav- through me.” ioral Healthcare or the hospital After talking on the phone had a plan to treat the man, who with the man’s mother, the troop- was allowed to walk around the emergency room and out of the hospital. There was also sub- stantial confusion, according to police, about the legal status of the mental health hold. 3ROLFH RI¿FHUV ZRUULHG WKDW confronting the man, who police described as “very strong, and very big,” and forcing him to come back to the hospital could escalate into deadly force. “I was alarmed by the fact that the hospital didn’t have a plan to deal with the poten- tial threat that (the man) could pose, other than to call the po- OLFH´RQHSROLFHRI¿FHUZURWH Watkins, of Clatsop Behav- ioral Healthcare, would later ex- plain that the problem stemmed from not being able to access any psychiatric beds in the state. At one point a bed for the man had been found, she said, but the placement was rescinded after a critical incident at the facility. “This seems to be a perfect storm that resulted in a signif- icant strain on all partners in- volved and highlighted gaps in our continuum of care,” Wat- kins wrote in an email to law enforcement. ‘Absurd failures’ By that weekend, a decision was made to release the man to the Astoria Rescue Mission, a Christian ministry that works with the homeless. But the man did not want to stay at the rescue mission, and was no longer welcome at Columbia Memorial, which had reported him to police for trespassing. On Sunday afternoon, four days after he was picked up by the state trooper for having a mental breakdown on Highway 26, the man was given a cour- tesy ride to the Astoria Transit Center. Police bought him a bus ticket back to Portland. “This may have been one of the most absurd failures of our local system that I’ve been involved with,” Police Chief Johnston wrote Marquis in an email. “It was certainly am- SOL¿HG E\ WKH VKHHU VL]H DQG combative experience of the patient.” A whale of a sight Neal Maine/For The Daily Astorian The Daily Astorian Wildlife photographer Neal Maine captured several shots of humpback whales last week near the Hammond Marina. View more of his shots online at www.dailyastorian.com. Several Oregon and Washington state residents have also reported seeing the awe-in- piring creatures.