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THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022
New 988 hotline is the 911 for
mental health emergencies
By LINDSEY TANNER
Associated Press
Quick help for suicidal
thoughts and other mental health
emergencies is now as easy as
9-8-8.
The United States’ fi rst nation-
wide three-digit mental health
crisis hotline went live on Satur-
day. It’s designed to be as easy
to remember and use as 911, but
instead of a dispatcher sending
police, fi refi ghters or paramed-
ics, 988 will connect callers with
trained mental health counselors.
The federal government has
provided over $280 million to
help states create systems that
will do much more, includ-
ing mobile mental health crisis
teams that can be sent to people’s
homes and emergency mental
health centers, similar to urgent
care clinics that treat physical
aches and pains.
“This is one of the most excit-
ing things that has happened” in
mental health care, said Brian
Hepburn, a psychiatrist who
heads the National Association
of State Mental Health Program
Directors.
Nhan: ‘So grateful for this community’
Continued from Page A1
Along with practicing in an
urban environment, she participates
in a program where residents spend
a month in a more rural area — and
she chose Seaside.
Nhan entered the medical fi eld
during the time of the pandemic. At
the end of her fourth year in med-
ical school, COVID changed the
profession.
“It was defi nitely really scary
being a brand new doctor jump-
ing into the medical fi eld, which
is in itself, kind of terrifying,” she
said. “But then adding on a pan-
demic where we had no idea what
was going to happen put a tailspin
on things.”
The scariest thing for families
during COVID can be the isolation
from loved ones.
“It is really painful,” she said.
“The only people that they see are
their care providers. Sometimes
you can set up an iPad or some-
thing that you can talk to your
loved ones, but they’re intubated,
they can’t talk back. It’s a whole
diff erent ballgame. It breaks my
heart to see when people are in the
ICU, not doing well, their families
calling us to see if they’re able to
visit — and us having to say ‘no,’
unfortunately.”
With limited resources, doc-
tors and hospitals face the kinds of
ethical deliberations “that maybe
weren’t too much in the forefront in
the past.”
Much of the pandemic measures,
such as increased levels of personal
protective equipment for staff , are
likely to remain . “I think that with
the pandemic kind of slowing down
a little bit, we’re relaxing a little bit
some of those guidelines,” she said.
“But we’re always thinking about
where the trajectory of the pan-
demic is and adjusting as needed.”
During the second year of resi-
dency, the program sends one resi-
dent physician to Seaside to explore
what medical practice is like in
a rural community . Nhan alter-
nates four weeks in Seaside and
four weeks in Portland. “I wasn’t
aware of this opportunity until I
interviewed for the job position
and found out that I would get the
opportunity to be back in my home-
town,” she said.
Among her patients are former
classmates, their parents and chil-
dren. “That’s just kind of the name
of the game in the small town,” she
said.
A typical day is caring for
patients in the primary care clinic,
the emergency room, or admitted to
the hospital.
“I’m so grateful to this commu-
nity for welcoming my family and
I into the community with open
arms and continuing to support us
through all these years,” Nhan said.
“Although I was born in Vietnam,
Seaside will always be my home
and I hope to be able to give back to
this community in the future.”
Dog: Petition gathers more than 25,000 signatures
Continued from Page A1
Soon after Layla was seized,
Eric Halverson, the interim police
chief at the time, designated Layla
as a level fi ve dangerous dog.
Mayer,
while
expressing
remorse for the death of the cat,
had objections to the wording of
the city code and fi led an appeal in
Municipal Court.
“It needs to be reworded … So
if a cat kills a squirrel, is that what
we’re talking about? Because cats
kill birds all the time. Is any judge
in their right mind going to eutha-
nize a cat for that? It’s the same sit-
uation here,” he said. “That’s where
it’s up to the judge, in my opinion,
to inject some logic and humanity.”
Kris Kaino, a M unicipal Court
judge , supported the level fi ve des-
ignation and ordered that Layla be
euthanized.
Mayer challenged claims made
in Municipal Court that because
Layla had shown aggression
toward a cat, she would soon be
aggressive to humans.
“Around people, (Layla is) fan-
tastic. She’s a very sweet dog,
no signs of aggression whatso-
ever toward people,” Julia John-
son, a staff member at the Clatsop
County Animal Shelter, said.
Johnson added that Layla has a
“very high prey drive” and will go
after other animals.
Kaino put a hold on his eutha-
nasia order as Mayer appealed to
Circuit Court. Mayer hired Geor-
die Duckler, an attorney in Tigard
who specializes in animal-related
legal issues, to assist with the case.
City Attorney Blair Hennings-
gaard fi led a motion to dismiss
Mayer’s appeal. Judge Cindee
Matyas denied the city’s motion
last week.
Mayer, who has owned several
pit bulls, feels like a bias against
Layla’s breed has played a role .
“Every form from the court and
every form from the city attorney,
it emphasizes a ‘pit bull dog,’” he
said. “Do you think they would do
that (for) a ‘black L ab dog’ or a
‘German shepherd dog?’ It would
just say a dog. They’re trying to
point out, specifi cally, I think, that
Layla is a pit bull.”
Earlier this month, Mayer
started an online petition to rally
support for Layla . As of Sun-
day, it has reached over 25,000
signatures.
“It’s gone kind of bonkers,”
Mayer said. “ … It feels good to
know that there are folks that really
understand how diffi cult of a situ-
ation this is.
“They are as sad as I am that
a cat had to lose its life, but they
don’t feel that a dog should have to
lose its life as well.”
Warrenton: Roundtable discussion July 26
Continued from Page A1
The city will likely look to an
in-house interim option between
her departure and the next city
manager’s hiring, Engbretson said.
The pursuit of a new city man-
ager has been a challenge for the
city, with the search stretching out
over the past few months.
In April, the city named Ben
Burgener, who held the same role
in Stanfi eld, as its next city man-
ager, but contract negotiations
failed shortly after. Burgener was
the only fi nalist for the position, so
the city tasked Jensen Strategies —
the Portland consulting fi rm hired
to fi nd and vet applicants — with
conducting another search.
Panel and C ity C ommission
interviews will take place in the
coming weeks. The community
will be able to meet the fi nalists at
a roundtable discussion from 6 to
7:30 p.m. on July 26 at the Warren-
ton Community Center.
Library: ‘The remodeled library
would be much more accessible’
Continued from Page A1
Functionality
Jones said the bond measure is
When Arline LaMear, a for- an opportunity to, at the very least,
mer librarian, was elected mayor address decades of deferred main-
in 2014, she made a new library a tenance and increase the function-
priority. But over the years, plans ality of the space.
David Wark, of Henne-
have been scaled back or scrapped
bery Eddy Architects, noted
because of cost.
An idea to expand the library the deferred maintenance when
into the formerly vacant Waldorf describing the issues associated
Hotel was abandoned after pres- with the building. He said there is
ervationists fought the move. The also limited accessibility and anti-
hotel has since been converted quated mechanical, electrical and
plumbing systems.
into the Merwyn Apartments.
Wark said the usable space of
The city also looked at build-
ing a new library at Heritage the library is about 9,000 square
Square as part of a mixed-use res- feet. The conceptual design for
idential and commercial develop- the renovation would utilize the
ment, but in 2016 the City Coun- full 18,000-square-foot footprint
cil decided not to move forward and make the entire building com-
pliant with the Americans with
because of cost.
In 2017, a renovation of the Disabilities Act.
He said the design would
existing building received the
green light from city councilors maintain the 1960s character of
contingent on the library founda- the building while adding more
tion’s ability to raise $3.5 million windows and natural light.
The fi rst fl oor could include a
toward the $5 million cost.
The city hired Hennebery Eddy space for reading, study and col-
Architects to assess the condition lections. Space for work areas and
of the l ibrary and develop a range group study could be added, along
of conceptual designs. The foun- with a teen room and expanded
dation’s fundraising eff orts were children’s area. The mezzanine
not successful and renovation would be removed.
A staircase
eff orts stalled.
and
elevator
In January,
‘I JUST WANT
would lead to a
the City Coun-
remodeled base-
cil unanimously
TO ASSURE
ment,
which
agreed to fi nally
THE PUBLIC
would include
make a decision
an enlarged Vet-
on the library .
THAT AS WE
erans Memorial
Either the coun-
cil would pursue
GO THROUGH Flag Room for
community gath-
a bond measure
SCHEMATIC
erings, a media
for the renova-
collaboration
tion if there was
DESIGN, THAT lab,
rooms and the
public
sup-
Astoriana Room
port, or the city
THERE’S
for
historical
would move for-
GOING TO BE
and retrospective
ward with a proj-
ect using the
TREMENDOUS collections.
The concept
existing funds
OPPORTUNITY would reduce the
available.
number of books
After review-
FOR INPUT.’
on display and
ing
polling
Paul Benoit | Astoria’s
instead make the
that indicated a
interim city manager
materials search-
majority of vot-
able by a library
ers would vote in
catalog
and
favor of a bond
measure, the City Council in June retrievable for use and checkout.
But Wark noted the concept
unanimously supported placing a
bond measure on the November and details will be refi ned through
the public process.
ballot.
Jones said building out the
The city has $2.1 million on
hand from carbon credits, coro- basement and doubling the size
navirus relief funds and former of the usable space is one of the
M ayor W.C. Logan’s memorial strongest selling points of the
fund. A $500,000 grant will come project.
He said he did not want to see
from the National Endowment for
the Arts if the bond measure is a reduction in browsable stacks,
though, noting that it has been
approved.
The tax rate is estimated at 57 a concern raised by the public.
cents per $1,000 of assessed prop- Library leaders have also said
they are not planning to go that
erty value.
“For me, I’m really excited that route.
“One of the pleasures of going
we’re here now,” Mayor Bruce
Jones said during the work ses- to the library is walking through
sion. “I remember six years ago the stacks,” the mayor said. “It’s
— it was exactly six years ago in just looking at titles and fi nding
July of 2016 — that there was a something you had no idea you
proposal before City Council for were interested in and checking
building a new library on Heritage that book out and taking it home.”
City Councilor Joan Herman
Square.
“The project has really lan- said many people, including her-
guished in the six years since self, cannot browse the stacks on
then,” he said. “I’m very happy the mezzanine now if they are in
that our City Council had said it a wheelchair, have trouble balanc-
was time to make a decision and ing or are pushing a large baby
to bring it to the voters and let the stroller. She said the downstairs
voters — who told us overwhelm- stacks are also too narrow for a
ingly 10 years ago all things they wheelchair.
“The remodeled library would
wanted in a renovated library ...
tell us if they want to pay for those be much more accessible,” she
said.
things.”
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