A2
THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 2022
IN BRIEF
Port hires consultant for
pollution remediation plan
The Port of Astoria has hired Maul Foster & Alongi,
of Vancouver, Washington, for $40,000 to draft a reme-
dial design and work plan for the cleanup of oil con-
tamination along the waterfront.
The Port Commission voted unanimously on Tuesday
to retain the environmental consultant, which has helped
the Port throughout the process of pollution remediation.
State discloses virus cases at local schools
The Oregon Health Authority has disclosed fi ve
new coronavirus cases at schools in Clatsop County.
All fi ve were from the Warrenton-Hammond
School District, according to the health authority’s
biweekly outbreak report.
Three were students from Warrenton Middle
School, while two were students from Warrenton
Grade School.
College raises tuition rate
Clatsop Community College has raised its tuition
rate by $7 per credit.
The college board voted on Tuesday to approve the
increase in an attempt to help address fi nancial challenges.
The increase will take eff ect with the winter term
in 2023.
Three sent to the hospital after
crash on New Youngs Bay Bridge
A three-vehicle crash on the New Youngs Bay
Bridge sent three people to Columbia Memorial Hos-
pital on Wednesday afternoon.
A Mercedes-Benz sedan leaving Astoria crossed
the center line and collided head-on with an oncoming
Mercedes-Benz SUV, spun, then hit a truck behind the
SUV, Astoria police said.
Two people in the SUV were hospitalized, as was the
sedan driver, who had to be extricated from the vehicle.
— The Astorian
DEATHS
June 14, 2022
In HUNT,
Brief
Bernard F.
“Tubby,” 88, of Svensen,
died in Astoria. Caldwell’s
Deaths
Luce-Layton Mortuary of
Astoria is in charge of the
arrangements.
June 1, 2022
CAMPBELL, Barbara
Ann, 85, of Astoria, died
in Warrenton. Ocean View
Funeral & Cremation Ser-
vice of Astoria is in charge
of the arrangements.
MEMORIALS
Sunday, June 19
Memorials
KNUTH, Linda G. —
Visitation from noon to
2 p.m., service at 2 p.m.,
Herman-Taylor Funeral
Home, 2201 Chestnut St.,
in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis-
consin. Scott Kaczorowski,
pastor, will offi ciate.
Wednesday, June 22
ALBERTSON, Wil-
liam C. — Celebration of
life at 3 p.m., the hall at
Salmonberry Knoll Apart-
ments, 1250 S. Wahanna
Road in Seaside.
ON THE RECORD
Assault
DUII
On
the
• Kyle
Arthur Record
Gil-
• Sarah Elizabeth Loef-
man, 35, of Westport, was
arrested on Wednesday
near the intersection of
Hungry Hollow Loop and
Mellow Loop in Westport
for second-degree assault,
menacing,
harassment,
coercion, being a felon in
possession of a restricted
weapon and failing to
report as a sex off ender.
Hit-and-run
• David Scott Knigge,
56, of Warrenton, was
arrested on Sunday near
the intersection of U.S.
Highway 101 and Glen-
wood Village Road for
a hit-and-run involving
another vehicle and driv-
ing under the infl uence of
intoxicants.
fl er, 38, of Warrenton, was
arrested on Wednesday for
driving under the infl u-
ence of intoxicants, reck-
less driving and recklessly
endangering another per-
son. She was allegedly
involved in a two-vehicle
crash on E. Harbor Drive
in Warrenton.
•
Cristian
Noe
Cruz-Ramos, 20, of Sea-
side, was arrested on Sun-
day on U.S. Highway 101
near Camp Rilea Armed
Forces Training Center for
DUII and reckless driving.
• Cindy Jo Bell, 59, of
Astoria, was arrested on
June 11 on U.S Highway
101 in the Gearhart area for
DUII and reckless driving.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
MONDAY
Jewell School District Board, 6 p.m., Jewell School Li-
brary, 83874 Oregon Highway 103.
Astoria City Council, 6 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St.
TUESDAY
Port of Astoria Commission, 4 p.m., 10 Pier 1, Suite 209
Astoria Historic Landmarks Commission, 5:30 p.m., City
Hall, 1095 Duane St.
Cannon Beach City Council, 6 p.m., special meeting, City
Hall, 163 E. Gower Ave.
Seaside Planning Commission, 6 p.m., work session, City
Hall, 989 Broadway.
Seaside School District Board, 6 p.m., 2600 Spruce Drive.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
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Casseopia Fisher, a nurse supervisor at Columbia Memorial Hospital, discusses sexual assault nurse examiner training.
Shortage: Kits are stored for up to 60 years
certifi cation that no one working in Clatsop County has at the
moment. Anyone under 15 is automatically referred to Port-
A trained nurse can conduct a s exual a ssault f orensic evi-
land, like the 10-year-old girl was when this issue was in the
spotlight back in 2014.
dence e xam within 120 hours of an assault. The exam includes
Ryan Humphrey, a detective with the sheriff ’s offi ce who
an interview about the assault, which takes the majority of the
works on cases involving sex crimes , remembers one case
three-to-fi ve hour process, and a physical to look for injuries
where the victim was hours from her 15th birthday and a
and gather evidence.
local hospital referred her to Portland.
The process also involves a wellness check , a pregnancy
The detective has driven several survivors to Portland
test, Plan B emergency contraception and medication for sex-
with his partner, who is a woman.
ually transmitted infections and HIV prevention. Each part of
“I’m always surprised when there is (a sexual assault
the exam is optional.
nurse examiner ) available. Like, ‘H ey, we need to go to the
The number of sexual assault nurse examiners has been an
hospital, they just did a (sexual assault forensic evidence) kit.’
issue on the North Coast for over a decade.
I’m like, ‘O h, that’s amazing. Great.’ That surprises me more
The state fi rst required hospitals to contract or employ the
than when I get the call saying, ‘H ey, the hospital just turned
trained nurses in 2011. In 2014, in the aftermath of a sexual
this victim away, can you take them to Portland?’ Because
assault of a 10-year-old girl who had to be driven to a Port-
that’s been the more common thing.
land hospital for an exam, T he Astorian reported that Colum-
“And I know the hospitals want to improve this, but again
bia Memorial Hospital in Astoria had three of the trained
it’s like anything else. There’s specialists in Portland that han-
nurses and Providence Seaside Hospital had fi ve. Neither
dle this stuff on a daily basis. It’s hard to maintain a special-
hospital had a nurse who was certifi ed to conduct the exams,
ist in a rural community where they’re only
which is obtained by meeting the training and
going to see their specialty one or two times
clinical practice requirements.
a month. ”
Today, there is one Portland-based certi-
THINGS TO KNOW
Evidence kits improve the chances an
fi ed sexual assault nurse examiner who works
assault case will lead to conviction. Along with
intermittently at Columbia Memorial and no
• Medical treatment is
collecting physical evidence of the assault,
certifi ed nurse at Providence Seaside .
free to survivors of sexual
trained nurses are also able to measure bruises,
A handful of local nurses in training for
assault.
take
photographs and collect DNA samples .
certifi cation juggle the cases that come in
• Treatment includes
Choosing to open a case is still a gamble
when time allows. When trained nurses are
a wellness check, a
for survivors, though. Nationally, only 9% of
not available, survivors are told they must go
pregnancy test, emer-
reported sexual assaults lead to felony convic-
to Portland .
gency contraception and
tions , according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest
Facing long waits , some survivors leave
medication for sexually
National Network .
hospitals without getting an exam.
transmitted infections
Over 1 in 3 women and nearly 1 in 4 men
“CMH off ers compassionate care to any
and HIV prevention.
experience sexual violence in their lifetime,
patient who is a survivor of sexual assault. We
• It may be an hourslong
according to the federal Centers for Disease
do our best to see patients in a timely man-
wait to receive an option-
Control and Prevention .
ner and give them a comfortable space to wait
al sexual assault forensic
These rates increase among people of
in when it is available,” the hospital said in a
exam, and one may not
color, people with disabilities and people in the
statement to The Astorian. “We are proud to
be available locally.
LGBTQ community, who are at greater risk of
have several SANE-trained caregivers who
sexual assault.
provide patients with a safe space to talk about
• Medical professionals
“Reporting these crimes to law enforce-
their experience and discreetly obtain the nec-
recommend seeking help
ment is not something someone should ever
essary information and evidence to move for-
following any choking
be forced to do because I’m aware of what
ward with their case. ”
or strangulation, which
that entails. And it’s unfortunate that it’s not
Hospitals without a trained nurse available
can worsen in the hours
a quick, clean and easy process,” Humphrey
to collect evidence kits can still treat injuries
following an incident.
said. “I can understand why somebody would
caused by an assault, test for sexually trans-
• The Harbor’s 24/7 sup-
not
want that.”
mitted infections and take steps to prevent
port line for advocacy is
When hospitals refer survivors to Port-
pregnancy and HIV.
503-325-5735.
land, they may ride in an ambulance, with law
The exam and associated treatment are free
enforcement , or drive themselves.
of charge for survivors within seven days of
Humphrey said he volunteers to drive sur-
an assault. Providers are reimbursed by the
vivors because he doesn’t want transportation to be a barrier.
state sexual assault victims emergency medical response
“We want to investigate these cases. We live in this com-
fund . The c rime v ictims’ c ompensation p rogram can also
munity. I don’t want rapists wandering the streets of Asto-
cover associated expenses and treatment , not including HIV
ria where I live,” he said. “If somebody sees a barrier, make
prophylaxis.
me aware of that barrier and I’m going to help tear it down.”
Providers don’t always know to tell survivors about avail-
able services beyond the forensic exam, said Savannah Pow-
‘Gold standard’
ell, the sexual assault nurse examiners coordinator for the
Jackson County, which includes Medford and Ashland,
Oregon Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force.
faced a similar shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners
Powell recently published her master’s capstone project
two decades ago. The county has since become a state model
on the medical response to sexual assault on the North Coast
for eff ective medical response.
in conjunction with Providence Health & Services.
It began in 2000 , when Susan Moen, who had worked
“If there’s not a (sexual assault nurse examiner) available
at a Los Angeles rape crisis center, and the late Judy Ferris
they may or may not get the medication that they need,” she
said. “This is because an emergency room physician has to
See Shortage, Page A3
know a lot of things, and they may not understand the risks
and may not have the time to really sit down and listen to
every detail of what happened in the assault and the risk that
patient has for these diseases or for pregnancy.”
OPEN HOUSE: Saturday, June 18th 11-2
Continued from Page A1
‘I’m always surprised’
Typically, a forensic exam after a sexual assault is the fi rst
step toward fi ling criminal charges .
For survivors who choose to have an exam, DNA evi-
dence will be collected and sealed anonymously until the sur-
vivor decides to pursue a case. Kits are stored for up to 60
years.
Providers are required to report to law enforcement if the
survivor is under 18 or over 65.
Exams on children under 15 require additional training
VOLUNTEER
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monday, july 4, 2022
3 P.M. in Warrenton
Parade on Main
10 P.M. in Astoria
Fireworks over the river
Details on these events and
more at oldoregon.com
& at the Astoria-Warrenton
Area Chamber of Commerce.
See Petfinder.com
Sponsored by
Bayshore
Animal Hospital
CLATSOP COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER
1315 SE 19th St., Warrenton • 861- PETS
www.dogsncats.org
Noon to 4pm, Tues-Sat
Thank you to our sponsors
for making the holiday a blast!