»INSIDE
149TH YEAR, NO. 53
WEEKEND EDITION // SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2021
$1.50
Pre-K
classroom
to shutter
Lack of staff led
to city’s decision
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Astorian
Photos by Lydia Ely/The Astorian
Allison Whisenhunt is the director of behavioral health at Columbia Memorial Hospital.
Columbia Memorial social workers
look inward to help manage stress
The last few months
of the pandemic
have been among the
hardest on caregivers
See Classroom, Page A3
By ABBEY McDONALD
The Astorian
Planning
commissioner
removed
T
he coronavirus pandemic has
increased depression, anxiety
and burnout among health care
workers, but some at Columbia Memo-
rial Hospital are fi nding solace know-
ing Allison Whisenhunt and her team
of social workers are there to listen.
Whisenhunt is the director of
behavioral health at the Astoria h os-
pital. She leads 10 social workers who
help patients, family and staff navi-
gate social services and health care
resources.
The last few months of the pan-
demic have been some of the hardest
on caregivers . A surge over the sum-
mer, driven by the delta variant, led
to record numbers of new virus cases,
hospitalizations and deaths in Clatsop
County.
“Most of these patients are saying
to us, ‘I wish I would have gotten the
vaccine.’ And for staff who are put-
ting themselves at risk by having expo-
sure, and just the volume of patients
that we’ve had, i t’s really stressful and
I think hard for people not to have at
least some resentment when people say
that,” Whisenhunt said. “Watching peo-
One of Clatsop County’s larger child
care facilities will permanently close its
pre kindergarten classroom due to a lack
of staff .
Sprouts Learning Center, formerly Lil’
Sprouts Academy, announced the closure
in a letter to parents Thursday. The day
care, run by the Astoria Parks and Rec-
reation Department at the Astoria Rec-
reation Center, relies on part-time work-
ers and has struggled to retain and recruit
employees.
The “Daff odils” classroom, which
serves the day care’s oldest children, will
close on Nov. 10. The closure impacts
nine children and hits at a time when
child care options are scarce on the North
Coast and long waitlists are common.
The other four rooms at Sprouts will
continue to operate normally for now,
serving children as young as 6 weeks old
up to 4 years old.
“It’s a devastating choice for all of us,”
said Jonah Dart-McL ean, the city’s parks
director. Many of the children in the pre-
k indergarten classroom have been famil-
iar faces at the day care center since they
were small, he said.
Vote came after Stricklin
criticized direction
The hospital printed workbooks for employees to use to monitor their own mental
health as part of a campaign to combat workplace stress.
ple get very, very sick and oftentimes
have to be shipped to Portland, watch-
ing some folks die from this when
many people believe it could have been
prevented, has been really, really hard.”
Whisenhunt listens to the staff ’s
frustrations and fears, which have been
heightened during the pandemic. Often,
she said, personal issues with rent and
fi nances add to an already stressful job .
She and her team teach self-care
methods and advocate for taking time
off work when needed. They also help
staff fi nd housing, fi nancial and coun-
seling assistance . When it comes to
mental health care and staff retention,
there’s often multiple stressors at work
and home to consider.
‘It’s fascinating and kind of
terrifying what’s going on in
health care’
Earlier this month, 92% of nurses
at Oregon Health & Science Univer-
sity Hospital reported mental exhaus-
tion and 86% reported fatigue, burnout
and moral distress, according to data
from the Oregon Nurses Association,
a union that also represents nurses at
Columbia Memorial.
See Social workers, Page A3
‘WATCHING PEOPLE GET VERY, VERY SICK AND OFTENTIMES
HAVE TO BE SHIPPED TO PORTLAND, WATCHING SOME FOLKS DIE
FROM THIS WHEN MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE IT COULD HAVE BEEN
PREVENTED, HAS BEEN REALLY, REALLY HARD.’
By ERICK BENGEL
The Astorian
The Clatsop County Board of Com-
missioners on Wednesday took the
unusual step of removing Robert Stricklin
from the county Planning Commission.
Stricklin’s termination came about
over a statement of roles and responsibil-
ities that planning commissioners were
required to sign
and return.
A draft state-
MORE
ment was intro-
INSIDE
duced at a joint
meeting of the
Cannon Beach
board and Plan-
public works
ning Commission
director fi ned
in July. Feedback
over ethics
from the Planning
violation • A2
Commission was
later incorporated
into the document.
The rest of the planning commission-
ers signed the statement, but Stricklin
submitted his copy with revisions. Given
the chance to turn in a clean copy, he
declined.
Allison Whisenhunt | director of behavioral health at Columbia Memorial Hospital
See Commissioner, Page A3
South Bend gallery ‘a bridge to friendship’
The co-op features
a dozen artists
By PATRICK WEBB
Chinook Observer
SOUTH BEND, Wash. —
When former Seattleite Paula
Murakami discussed with her hus-
band, Dai, about moving back to
the West Coast after years living in
Japan, she had two stipulations.
Their home had to be a town
with an art gallery — ideally with
a view of water.
South Bend proved their dream
retirement destination.
And the Riverside Gallery
proved the perfect place for dis-
playing her art and making new
friends.
“We have no ‘owner,’” said
Murakami, the art cooperative’s
president. “No one does all the
things that are associated with a
single owner. Our goal is to make
rent and earn money and have a
community. Everything we do is
a bridge to friendship. It’s the No.
1 thing, to make friends — no one
gets rich with a co-op!”
Their gallery is on Robert Bush
Drive East , amid a cluster of retail
outlets that includes Elixir Coff ee
and Boondocks Marketplace .
The location overlooks the Wil-
lapa River and is a stopping point
for travelers. “Our business is pre-
dominantly (U.S. Highway) 101
traffi c, but we are eager to get
more local people to come in,”
said Murakami, whose own work
consists of circular weaving wall
hangings and sewn art dolls.
A dozen artists are represented.
They take turns as “sitters,” taking
gallery visitors on a tour of their
own and their colleagues’ creations
while handling each day’s sales.
Patrick Webb/Chinook Observer
See Gallery, Page A2
The 12 members who run the Riverside Gallery art cooperative in South Bend
are collaborating with neighboring businesses to attract locals and visitors.