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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 2017)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2017 Drug crisis sparks lifesaving A US veteran returns a dead efforts around the region Japanese soldier’s flag to kin Some deputies will carry an opioid antidote By AMY NILE EO Media Group LONG BEACH, Wash. — Washington state and Ore- gon leaders are rolling out pro- grams in and around Pacific County that aim to slow the spread of disease through drug use and curb the rising over- dose death toll. Law enforcement lead- ers and medical experts are expanding access across the county to a lifesaving antidote that can reverse an overdose of heroin, oxycodone or other opioids, natural and synthetic pain-relieving drugs that are derived from the opium poppy. Public health officials in Clatsop County are work- ing to reduce harm caused by addiction by opening two sites where dirty needles can be exchanged for clean ones. Overdoses now kill more people than traffic collisions. The National Safety Coun- cil counts 567 traffic fatali- ties across Washington state in 2015. Annual data from the state Department of Health show 718 people died from opioid overdoses. Nationwide, deaths involv- ing the use of the pain-reliev- ing drugs have quadrupled since 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Opioids, such as fentanyl and morphine, were involved in 33,091 fatal overdoses in 2015. Prelimi- nary data indicate an increase to about 60,000 in 2016. The CDC found the amount of painkillers prescribed during the year was enough for every American to be med- icated around the clock for three weeks. Stopping the spread of disease A syphilis outbreak spurred Clatsop County offi- cials to start working on ways to reduce the spread of dis- eases through the sharing of syringes, Public Health Direc- tor Michael McNickle said. Two needle exchanges are expected to open on Aug. 31, one in downtown Astoria and another in the Knappa area. Nurses at the sites will pass out a clean syringe for every used one they collect. Specific times and locations have not been released. Clatsop Post 12 BBQ Pork Rib Dinner McNickle said not all authorities agree with the idea of providing clean syringes for illegal drug use, but law enforcement has agreed not to interfere by busting people at the exchanges. However, he said, they will shut down them down if they see drug use or paraphernalia other than syringes at the sites. “None of us want anyone to be addicted,” McNickle said. “We’re resigning to the fact that this is necessary.” A $50,000 donation from Friends of Columbia Com- munity Health will pay for the first six months of the program. The needles will be counted to help determine whether it’s possible to con- tinue the exchanges, which will be the first to open on the North Coast, McNickle said. There are 17 others in Washington state and nine in Oregon, according to the North American Syringe Exchange Network. How- ever, the program closest to the peninsula is run on Friday afternoons in Kelso, almost a two-hour drive from down- town Long Beach. A lifesaving antidote Peninsula Pharmacies co-owner Tom Sutherland said he can sell syringes with- out a prescription but he usu- ally doesn’t. He isn’t comfort- able supplying them for illegal drug use. Sutherland said his six stores will take used needles and syringes and dispose of them safely. But he leaves it up to each pharmacist to decide whether to sell them to people who don’t have a con- dition that requires medication injections, such as diabetes. The pharmacist since 1985 is working on another way to reduce harm caused by addic- tion. He’s rolling out a pro- gram to expand local access to naloxone, a drug that can reverse an opioid overdose if it is given quickly. The most dire conse- quences of addiction can be prevented by making the life- saving antidote available when and where it’s needed, Sutherland said. “Our goal is to get it into the hands of the family mem- bers and caregivers,” who are dealing with drug users, he said. Demand drives drug prices The Federal Drug Admin- istration has approved three forms of naloxone, an inject- able liquid, a nasal spray and an EpiPen-like device that can be used to deliver a dose by people who don’t have medi- cal training. Pharmacists in Washing- ton state can now dispense naloxone to anyone who wants to have it on hand. Sutherland is working to help educate people about the three forms of drug that are avail- able and show them how to use the one that best suits their needs. “They’re all on the expen- sive side. That’s kind of typi- cal when you have something that’s needed,” Sutherland said. “The good news is I am seeing more insurance com- panies willing to pay for the medicine.” The retail price is about $170 for Narcan, nalox- one that comes in kits of two pre-filled doses that can be sprayed into the drug user’s nostril to stop an overdose fatality. Living with a ‘death sentence’ Pacific County Sheriff Scott Johnson got a grant that will allow deputies to start car- rying the pricey antidote soon. He expects the money from the National Sheriffs’ Institute to cover the cost of the Narcan kits for about two years. With the lack of local treat- ment options for substance abuse and mental illnesses, law enforcement officers are often left to handle prob- lems caused by those who are struggling with addiction. “It’s almost like a long- term death sentence,” Johnson said. “Just like we see with mental health, they don’t get the help they need.” The county has responded to 53 calls to 911 for possible overdoses since January 2016, coordinator Tim Martindale Jr. said. That count does not include those that were deter- mined by emergency respond- ers after arriving on scene to help with a call for some- one who was having trou- ble breathing, or was found unconscious or dead. Although medical-aid crews usually show up before law enforcement, John- son said, training deputies to quickly spot signs of an over- dose and stop it with the anti- dote could make a difference. “If we can save even one life, it’s worth it,” he said. Astoria-based nonprofit was the inspiration By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press HIGASHISHIRAKAWA, Japan — Tatsuya Yasue bur- ied his face into the flag and smelled it. Then he held the 93-year-old hands that brought this treasure home, and kissed them. Marvin Strombo, who had taken the calligraphy-cov- ered Japanese flag from a dead soldier on a World War II island battlefield 73 years ago, returned it Tuesday to the family of Sadao Yasue. They had never received any of his remains or belongings — until that moment. The soldier’s sister, Sayoko Furuta, 93, sitting in her wheel- chair, covered her face with both hands and wept silently as Tatsuya placed the flag on her lap. Strombo reached out and gently rubbed her shoulder. “I was so happy that I returned the flag,” Strombo said. “I can see how much the flag meant to her. That almost made me cry … It meant everything in the world to her.” The flag’s white back- ground is filled with signatures of 180 friends and neighbors in this tea-growing mountain village of Higashishirakawa, wishing for Yasue’s safe return. The signatures helped Strombo find the flag’s right- ful owners. “Good luck forever at the battlefield,” a message on it reads. Looking at the names and their handwriting, Tat- suya Yasue clearly recalls their faces and friendship with his older brother. The smell of the flag imme- diately brought back child- hood memories. “It smelled like my good old big brother, and it smelled like our moth- er’s home cooking we ate together,” Tatsuya Yasue said. “The flag will be our treasure.” The return of the flag brings closure, the 89-year- old farmer told The Associ- ated Press at his 400-year-old house. “It’s like the war has finally ended and my brother can come out of limbo.” Strombo said he originally wanted the flag as a souvenir from the war, but he felt guilty taking it, so he never sold it and vowed to one day return it. He had the flag hung in a glass-fronted gun cabinet in his home in Montana for years, a topic of conversation for visitors. A U.S. Marine, he was in the battles of Saipan, Tarawa and Tinian, which chipped away at Japan’s con- trol of islands in the Pacific and paved the way for U.S. victory. In 2012, he was connected to the Obon Society, an Asto- ria-based nonprofit that helps U.S. veterans and their descen- dants return Japanese flags to the families of fallen soldiers. The group’s research traced it to the village of 2,300 people in central Japan by analyzing family names. Tuesday’s handover meant a closure for Strombo too. “It means so much to me and the family to get the flag back and move on,” he said. Corvallis groups ask county to opt out of timber lawsuit Associated Press CORVALLIS — Sev- eral Corvallis groups are ask- ing the Benton County Board of Commissioners to aban- don a $1.4 billion timber law- suit against the state of Ore- gon filed on behalf of several counties. Linn County and oth- ers claim state forest man- agement policies cost them money because they blocked possible logging revenues, the Gazette-Times reported. Ben- ton County could be awarded about $30 million if the law- suit is successful. Fifteen local environmen- tal, outdoor, community and progressive organizations signed a letter that was read to the board at its Tuesday meet- ing. The letter argued that if the counties won the lawsuit, it could hurt state forests, con- tribute to global warming and affect the state’s budget for schools, social services and county funding. “If you sue an owner of a forest for undercutting and you win, it’s pretty clear what the consequences will be,” said Dave Toler, a Corvallis resident and former Josephine County commissioner, at the meeting. The board decided in a 2-1 vote in January to stay as a defendant in the lawsuit. County Commissioner Anne Schuster, who voted in favor of staying in the lawsuit, said if the counties won, the out- come of the lawsuit would not increase logging in the state. The letter by the groups referenced Clatsop Commu- nity College, which was with- drawn from the lawsuit after the opting-out period had already passed. The commu- nity college was allowed to do so because it was not able to hold a meeting with a quorum of its board members before the deadline, said Vance Croney, the county’s coun- sel. Croney does not think the court would allow Benton to leave the lawsuit. Clatsop County commis- sioners voted in January to opt out of the lawsuit. W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 with Baked Beans, Corn on the Cob, Salad and Cornbread VENDOR FAIR Friday Aug. 18 th Saturday, August 19 • 10 to 3 4 pm until gone COME & SHOP $ 00 th 8. 6PM “Karaoke Dave” ASTORIA AMERICAN LEGION Clatsop Post 12 1132 Exchange Street 325-5771 AM PM Local Direct Sale Businesses in One Convient Location August 18th & 19th Fri 7:30am - 5:30pm / Sat 7:30am - 5:00pm In The Loft at SUZANNE ELISE 101 Forest Dr., Seaside, OR Call 503-738-0307 if you have any questions Deep discounts on thousands of items under the tents! 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