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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 27, 2019)
A8 OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian Wednesday, February 27, 2019 Needles: Official says exchanges cut transmission of HIV and hepatitis C Continued from Page A1 aspects of syringe exchange programs,” Maroon said. “It’s one of the most studied public health strategies.” He admits that the idea seems counterintuitive at first glance. “We’re not asking anyone to love drug users. We’re not asking anyone to love drug use,” Maroon said. “But we know it really does cut the transmission of HIV and hepatitis C. Evidence shows the investment we make now really pays itself back in averted health care costs later.” The Pendleton service started after the Oregon Washington Health Network was awarded a federal con- tract and $20,000 to launch the pilot project. OWHN is a coalition of nine partners — Lifeways, Umatilla and Walla Walla county health departments, Yellowhawk Tribal Health, St. Anthony, Good Shepherd and Prov- idence St. Mary hospitals, Blue Mountain Community College and the Morrow County Health District — with a mission to improve health outcomes. The coa- lition subcontracted Heart to Heart to run the syringe exchange. Advocates say the eco- nomics of preventing HIV Staff photo by Kathy Aney A syringe exchange, such as this one Saturday in Pendleton, allows drug users to exchange contaminated needles for sterile ones. Research suggests the practice cuts the trans- mission of HIV and hepatitis C. Staff photo by Kathy Aney Raul Morales, of Blue Mountain Heart to Heart, organizes supplies in a mobile van Saturday at a syringe exchange in Pendleton. or hepatitis C are compel- ling. According to the CDC, the estimated lifetime cost of treating one person liv- ing with HIV is more than $400,000. Hepatitis C treat- ment can run more than $60,000 for 12 weeks of treatment. Cross said first-time vis- itors to needle exchanges often feel hesitant and ashamed. “People are nervous,” said Cross, harm reduction coordinator for Blue Moun- tain Heart to Heart. “We tell them it’s a legal service to prevent blood-borne patho- gens. It’s anonymous and confidential.” Cross said the first time someone comes to a syringe exchange, they receive a pack of 10 syringes. After that, they trade dirty needles for clean. The Pasco service in a brick-and-mortar loca- tion has given out 98,000 syringes to 332 individuals since March. Maroon said 95 percent of the needles came back. That’s contrary to crit- ics who worry that such pro- grams will cause improper disposal of needles in parks and other shared spaces, exposing the public to risk. Maroon disagrees. “I don’t think data bears that out,” he said. “We’re getting the vast majority of syringes back. We are incentivizing people not to leave syringes in the street. Studies show it actually cleans up parks and public areas.” In addition, he said peo- ple participate in nee- Flood threat prompts N. California evacuations Reno Gazette-Journal via AP/Andy Barron An unidentified man uses a rolled over high profile vehicle to shield himself from the wind on the Interstate 580 south of Reno, Nev., on Monday. “A couple of weeks ago people were using kay- aks to get to their mail- box,” Chung said. “If it gets really bad, we’ll get out.” Earlier in the day, a mudslide near Monte Rio near Guerneville trapped a man and a woman before they were rescued, messy but unharmed. “Well I fell into the mud when the tree fell over the top of me. It happened so fast you don’t even know, you know?” Kear Koch told KGO-TV. The Napa River and some waterways in Men- docino County also were expected to top flood stages. The National Weather Service also issued flood warnings and flash flood watches for the San Fran- cisco Bay Area and many parts of the Sacramento area, lasting into Thursday morning. Relentless rain forced the cancellation or delay of hundreds of flights in San Francisco and the city of Santa Rosa received a record 5.66 inches of rain, making it the wettest day for the date since at least 1902. In the Sierra Nevada, the California Department of Transportation reported that a maintenance yard above 6,000 feet had received 30 inches of snow alone on Tuesday. Several mountain and foothill roads were repeat- edly closed because of whiteout conditions or to clear trucks and cars that spun out on the slippery pavement. Interstate 80, a major road that winds over the Donner Summit, was to remain closed into Wednes- day morning for about 50 miles, from Colfax to the Nevada state line, because of poor conditions and snow removal operations. The storm also briefly left more than 20,000 cus- tomers without electricity in Northern California and Nevada. The fierce weather was driven by a river of atmo- spheric moisture stretch- ing from Hawaii. It already has barreled through other parts of the West, toppling trucks and trees, trigger- ing power outages and clos- ing roads and schools from Oregon to Montana. It is the latest in a string that has dumped record levels of snow and rain this winter in the western U.S. Regulators fine Wynn Resorts $20M over sex allegations By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Nevada gambling regulators fined casino mogul Steve Wynn’s former company a record $20 million on Tuesday for failing to investigate claims of sexual misconduct made against him before he resigned a year ago. The penalty against Wynn Resorts Ltd. ends an investigation that began after The Wall Street Jour- nal reported that sev- eral women said the com- pany founder harassed or assaulted them. Wynn Resorts will keep its gambling license under the Nevada Gam- ing Commission settlement reached last month that left the amount of a fine to be determined by the four cur- rent commissioners. The fine tops the pre- vious highest in state his- tory: $5.5 million in 2014 against the sports betting and mobile gambling sys- tem company now known as CG Technology. It runs sports betting operations at several Las Vegas casinos. Steve Wynn himself is not part of the Wynn Resorts settlement. He resigned as board chairman and company CEO in February 2018 fol- lowing reports that several women said he harassed or assaulted them. Wynn also sold his shares in the com- pany. He has denied the allegations. Wynn Resorts acknowl- edged in the settlement agreement that several for- mer board members and executives knew about but failed to investigate com- plaints including one that led Wynn to pay $7.5 mil- lion in 2005 to a former salon employee who said he raped her and that she became pregnant as a result. “Mr. Wynn ... engaged in intimate and sexual conduct with (company) employees,” the company acknowledged in settle- ment documents. Documents say the com- pany also failed to inves- tigate a cocktail server’s allegation that from 2005 to 2006 Wynn pressured her into a nonconsensual sexual relationship. Wynn paid a $975,000 private set- tlement to that woman and her parents, the settlement states. Wynn Resorts nei- ther admitted nor denied Nevada Gaming Con- trol Board allegations that Wynn sexually harassed multiple flight attendants on company aircraft. “The company’s initial response during this period was driven by Mr. Wynn’s adamant denial of all alle- gations,” said a Wynn Resorts statement provided by a company spokesman. It admitted a “short-sighted focus on initially defend- ing Mr. Wynn, rather than reassuring employees of the company’s commit- ment to a safe and respect- ful work environment.” The company points to wholesale changes in the boardroom and executive offices since the allegations were made public, includ- ing hiring a new chief exec- utive, requiring new sex- ual harassment prevention training for all employees and adding a women’s lead- ership council to promote equality in the workplace. Wynn’s name was removed from the compa- ny’s Massachusetts project now called Encore Boston Harbor. sterile syringes and offer resources, such as referrals and testing for hepatitis C and HIV. “We’re definitely help- ing a community that’s hid- den, one that feels a lot of stigma,” she said. “They can come here and be treated with respect.” It’s slow going. Only one person stopped by the park- ing lot at 322 S.W. Third St. on Saturday. That will change, Maroon said. It just takes time for word to spread. They’ll return every first and third Saturday from noon to 4. Rent: Protects tenants Continued from Page A1 By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — Thousands of peo- ple in Northern Califor- nia’s wine country were ordered to evacuate Tues- day evening shortly before a river reached flood stage as a winter storm dumped torrential rain and heavy snow that shut down major mountain highways. Authorities said evac- uations were ordered for about 4,000 people in and around Guerneville, which is about 60 miles north of San Francisco. By 6 p.m., the river north of San Francisco — which is prone to flood- ing in heavy rain — had topped 32 feet and forecast- ers predicted it would peak at about 46 feet by Wednes- day evening, which would be the highest level since 1995. Earlier Tuesday at the River Inn Grill in Guerneville, workers were preparing by putting per- ishables on high shelves in storage rooms. But manager Andre Vazquez said the one-story building could be largely submerged if the river reaches 46 feet. “If it gets to 46 feet, it’s done. There is no way to prepare for that,” Vazquez said. Guerneville often floods during heavy rain and peo- ple seemed nonchalant Tuesday about the threat, said Joseph Chung, whose parents own the Koala’s Fine Food restaurant. dle exchanges are five times more likely to enter treatment. Not everyone supports such a public health strategy. Recently, Frank- lin County commission- ers evicted Blue Mountain Heart to Heart from its coun- ty-owned space in Pasco. Commissioners fielded complaints from citizens who worried about enabling drug use and frightening people who work and shop in neighboring buildings, according to a report in the Tri-City Herald. Cross said she isn’t there to judge, only to distribute residential units to home- owners, decreasing the rental supply. Rep. Mark Meek, D-Gladstone, a landlord and a real estate agent, presented the bill on the House floor Tuesday, saying its aim is to protect tenants. “In some cases, some tenants did not receive rent increases; in other cases, tenants received on the level of 20 percent and 40 per- cent rent increases,” Meek said. “While I know that we can’t protect everybody and not everybody needs pro- tecting, the folks we are try- ing to protect are the people who would be displaced and would be homeless.” Kotek attempted to pass tenant protections in 2017. The 2017 legislation would have lifted a statewide ban on rent control and required landlords to pay tenants relocation fees equal to three months’ rent when asking them to move out. The legislation passed in the House but couldn’t get through the Senate. — — — Paris Achen: pachen@ portlandtribune.com or 503-506-0067. Achen is a reporter for the Portland Tribune working for the Oregon Capital Bureau, a collaboration of EO Media Group, Pamplin Media Group and Salem Reporter. Drug Bust: Kids affected Continued from Page A1 and two in Pendleton,” she said. “Some had one child, but most had more than one.” Shelter hearings, which are court proceedings that happen when a child is removed from their home, must be held within 24 hours of a child being removed. Because there was such a large influx of children com- ing into the system, Shock- man said many people were rushing to make sure chil- dren had places to go. “Caseworkers were scrambling to find homes and places to put them, the legal teams were process- ing paperwork, Judge Tem- ple was having hearings,” she said. Shockman said many of the children’s relatives stepped in and DHS was able to do emergency certifi- cations so the children could stay with them. Once a child is in foster care, there must be a dis- covery hearing within 30 days, and within 60 days they must have a jurisdic- tional hearing. At that time, the court also orders dispo- sition, or determines where a child will be placed, as well as services for par- ent and child and visitation with family. Within the next six months, the court will have a permanency hearing to determine what the next step should be for the child. Though they’ve been removed from their homes, Shockman said the goal is almost always to reunite children with their parents. “It’s so variable,” she said, noting that sometimes, a parent can’t have contact with their child. But even if they’re incarcerated, she said, they make an effort to let the child visit. “We really bend over backward to reunite kids with their parents,” she said. “It’s in the best interest of the kids. But the kids’ time- line is so short — we can’t always wait for parents to get their act together.” She added that reunifi- cation is not a fast process. They need to be sure parents are serious before reuniting them with their children. Charlie Clupny, a long- time CASA, said reunifica- tion is not always possible. “I’m on a case where the kids were on a reunifica- tion track — then they were on a reunification/adoption track, and now they’re on an adoption track,” he said. Clupny said in that case, the parent did not commit a violent crime. She had been doing well and on track to get her children back, but then had a death in her fam- ily that affected her so badly, it set her back. The parent was not actively abusing her children, but was neglecting them. “Which most of the cases are,” Rome said. “Unfortu- nately with drugs, people use and sell for lots of dif- ferent reasons,” Rome said. “It’s great that the police departments were proac- tive in getting them off the street. But the ripple effect of people that get caught in the system, like this mom — they were doing so well but then they relapse again.” The children in foster care as a result of Opera- tion Wildfire have not yet been paired up with CASAs, as there are not enough to serve every child right now. “It’s a struggle to recruit men and minorities,” he said. But he said the pro- gram has grown, and now has about 40 volunteers serving nearly 90 kids.
