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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 2015)
4A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2015 Heroin: Deaths hit law enforcement, community hard Heroin overdose deaths have ranged from about one to three a year in Clatsop County over the past de- cade, according to the Oregon State Medical (xaminer’s Of¿ce. Of¿cials say the number of deaths and con- victions from heroin may actually be higher than reported since the drug may be a factor in other cases. Continued from Page 1A A major reason behind the surge of heroin is the prevalence of prescription drug abuse. Bergin said the Àood of prescrip- tion pills on society has led to addic- tion. Once people start illegally abus- ing prescription drugs, their dealers often transition them to the cheaper option of heroin. In some cases, a person will have a legitimate injury and be placed on opiates for pain management and then over time transition to heroin. The CDC has reported that some of the greatest increases in heroin use have occurred among women and people with private insurance and higher in- comes, demographic groups that have not historically abused the drug. “The availability is out there and they can only afford the pills for so long,” Bergin said. Ted Ames Trying to save lives The Astoria Fire Department has responded to many calls involving heroin over the past few years. In 201, the ¿re department re- sponded to seven calls speci¿cally ref- erencing heroin. Three of those were overdoses and four were withdrawals. This year to date, the ¿re depart- ment has had six heroin-related calls. Three were for overdoses and three were for withdrawals. Astoria Fire Chief Ted Ames said Tom ¿rst responders have been able to Bergin prevent heroin deaths by using the Solutions anti-overdose drug, naloxone, which As for solutions to the heroin epidemic, Ber- can counter the effects of opiates. Oregon law gin relates the drug problem to weeds in a yard. changed in 2013 to allow wider access to nalox- Bergin wants all Clatsop County communities one. to be drug-free, just like people want their yards Ames said his department and others around to be weed-free. Clatsop County have used naloxone well before Law enforcement agencies work to keep up it was made more widely available. The drug can on the drug problem by focusing on a mixture of be administered through a nasal mist, injection enforcement and treatment. A total of 150 people in a muscle or through an IV. Although it saves have been convicted of possessing heroin in Clat- lives, naloxone can cause serious side effects, in- sop County since 2010, according to ¿gures from cluding seizures. the District Attorney’s Of¿ce. “Sometimes people come out of it really up- Many of those convicted are eligible for drug set,” Ames said. “It’s not without consequences.” court, which Bergin said has become a successful Unfortunately, not everyone can be saved. deterrent to keep people from relapsing. The overdose deaths of the pregnant woman Heroin is especially dangerous because it and the young man, who was a participant in the is so addictive. Someone can use the drug one Clatsop County drug court, hit law enforcement time and be hooked. Unlike prescription pills that and the community hard. come in measured amounts, a dose of heroin may “I’ve worked around here for quite a while,” not be exact or could be mixed with other sub- Halverson said. “I have to tell too many mothers stances. The variability leads to overdoses. that their kid died because of a drug overdose. “Not all drugs are deadly, but this de¿nitely These young people have so much in front of has the ability to end someone’s life,” Halverson them. To see that potential go away because of a said. drug overdose is really sad.” Daily Astorian/File Photo Narcan, also called naloxone hydrochloride, has been used by medical personnel for years to counteract the effects of opiates such as heroin. Coberly: He is one of 12 students in work experience programs Continued from Page 1A loss over the years of many vocational opportunities in school. He said there are plenty of businesses in the region that could create simi- lar trades-based opportunities for youth, and he would like to reach out more to students who are struggling and need hard-working role models. Luke Colvin, another co-founder of Buoy Beer, said it was always his intention to give back through his busi- ness. “There’s been a big prob- lem in Astoria with our youth, retaining our kids here, and there’s not a lot of really great job opportu- nities,” Colvin said. “Part of what was behind it was we wanted to expose kids at a younger age to a growing industry that is in this com- munity here. There’s such an expansion of the craft indus- try and fermentation in gen- eral in the Northwest.” Colvin said he found will- ing participants for the experi- ence through the high school’s administration. “A program like this pro- vides a unique and useful career exploration opportu- nity,” said counselor Andrew Fick, who helped review applications from sever- al students interested in the program. “There are also post-secondary programs that would build upon this kind of experience.” Fick said Coberly is one of 12 students in work ex- perience programs at vari- ous job sites. Other students shadow professionals, take classes at Columbia Memo- rial Hospital and learn about various careers during senior projects. “This is certainly some- thing that is outside the box,” Astoria Principal Lynn Jack- son said of Coberly’s experi- ence. It’s ironic, he said, that education is moving back to- ward an apprenticeship model hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. — Edward Stratton :DXQD&UHGLW8QLRQ,QFOXGHG,Q/LVW2I %HVW1RQSUR¿WV7R:RUN)RU,Q2UHJRQ zZDXQDIFXRUJ Wauna Credit Union has been recognized by Oregon %usiness 0agazine as one oI the %est 1onSro¿ts To Work For in Oregon. This is the Oregon Business Magazine’s 7th Annual Top 100 List, which analyzed employee survey data compiled earlier this year from over 5,000 employees throughout Oregon. “We are thrilled by this wonderful recognition,” reports 6haron Borgardt, Chief +uman 5esources Of¿cer for Wauna CU, “especially since the ranking is based on a survey comparing our employees’ level of pride and satisfaction to those of other similar employers.” Wauna Credit Union compared especially favorable to its peers in the categories of Management & Communication, Bene¿ts and Compensation, 6ustainable 3ractices, and Career Development & Learning. “Much of the success of our organization is based on the amazing service our staff provides to over 20,000 local, member-owners,” says Robert Blumberg, CEO. “As an employer, we truly value our employees as the most important assets of our organization. We strive to provide a work environment that is positive, rewarding, healthy, and fun! The enthusiasm of our employees is conveyed each day through helpful and courteous service to our member-owners.” Wauna CU has earned recognition as a Top 100 Best Green Workplace in Oregon for several years due to its commitment to sustainable practices. 3ictured, L to R 6ara .ulp, 6haron Borgardt, Marc 6ilva, Robert Blumberg, -ohn Moore, Gina Dines, 3am Weller, Debi 6miley, Danea 3assmore, David Merrell.
