A10
Wallowa County Chieftain
REGION/STATE
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Counterfeit pills containing fentanyl
potentially linked to fatal overdoses
The Observer
UNION
COUNTY
— The La Grande Police
Department and the Cen-
ter for Human Development
issued a warning late Friday
afternoon, April 23, about
fentanyl-laced drugs.
Over the course of the past
several weeks, La Grande
police have seen an alarming
trend in calls for service that
appear to be related to over-
doses of suspected counter-
feit opioid pills, according
to the statement. In several
of these cases, police have
recovered pills that are simi-
lar in appearance to the coun-
terfeit fentanyl-laced opioid
pills that have been related
to fatal overdoses in commu-
nities all over the U.S. These
pills are sometimes called
“Blues” or “M30s.”
“We have cases that are
still under investigation and
the pills have been sent to the
Oregon State Police Foren-
sic Laboratory for analysis,”
La Grande Chief of Police
Gary Bell said. “I cannot
emphasize enough that any-
one who gets pills from any-
where other than a pharmacy
should assume that they are
counterfeit and they may
contain potentially deadly
amounts of fentanyl.”
The counterfeit pills
resemble pills manufactured
by pharmaceutical compa-
nies. However, these pills
contain fentanyl, a syn-
thetic opioid that is 50 to
100 times more potent than
morphine, and up to 50
times more potent than her-
oin. Even tiny doses, as little
as 2 milligrams — the size
of two grains of salt — is a
fatal dose for most people,
according to the warning.
“Everyone should be
talking about this issue with
their loved ones,” said Car-
rie Brogoitti, public health
administrator for the CHD.
“People need to understand
the danger of taking non-
prescribed medications and
the severe danger in taking
any medication that has not
been prescribed to you by
a health care provider and
obtained from a legitimate
pharmacy.”
“Unfortunately,
many
have turned to medications
like opioids to cope with ris-
ing mental health challenges
compounded by isolation
due to the (COVID-19) pan-
demic,” said Aaron Grigg,
mental health director at the
center. “Opioids kill. We
have tragically witnessed
many overdoses in our own
community and the fl ood of
counterfeit pills with fen-
tanyl has killed people right
here in Union County.”
One of the most import-
ant tools in preventing unin-
tentional overdose deaths
is a medication called nal-
oxone, also known under
the brand names Narcan
and Evzio, which temporar-
ily blocks the toxic eff ects
of opioids, or “reverses” an
opioid overdose. The CHD
has naloxone kits available
for free.
“The naloxone CHD
has distributed has literally
saved lives,” according to
police and the CHD. “Call
us to get naloxone, or go to
your pharmacy so you can
always have it on hand. It is
also important to be aware
that treating fentanyl over-
doses often requires addi-
tional naloxone to reverse
the eff ects of the drug. More
doses of naloxone are some-
times needed to reverse fen-
tanyl overdoses, compared to
other opioid overdoses, due
to the potency of fentanyl.”
Diversion programs such
as naloxone distribution not
only save lives from over-
doses, but lead to treatment.
The center urges anyone
who needs help with drug
addiction to call it at 541-
962-8800. Crisis resources
are available 24/7. If an
overdose is suspected, 911
should be called imme-
diately to obtain medical
assistance.
Signs and symptoms
of an overdose
You can identify an opi-
oid overdose by a combi-
nation of three symptoms
known as the “opioid triad.”
The triad consists of:
• Pinpoint pupils.
• Unconsciousness.
• Respiratory depression.
Additional signs and
symptoms of an opioid over-
dose include:
• Unresponsiveness.
• Awake, but unable to
talk.
• Body is very limp.
• Face is pale or clammy.
• Blue lips, fi ngernails
and skin.
• For lighter skinned peo-
ple, the skin tone turns bluish
purple; for darker skinned
people, the skin tone turns
grayish or ashen.
• Breathing is slow and
shallow, irregular or has
stopped.
• Pulse is slow, erratic or
not there at all.
• Choking sounds or a
snore-like gurgling noise
(sometimes
called
the
“death-rattle”).
• Vomiting.
Steps to take for opioid
overdose victims
1. Call 911 immediately,
report a drug overdose and
give the street address and
location of the victim. If
there are other people avail-
able, send someone to wait
in the street for the ambu-
lance and guide the emer-
gency medical technicians to
the victim.
2. Try to rouse the victim
by speaking loudly, pinch-
ing or rubbing your knuckles
vigorously up and down the
sternum (the bony part in the
middle of the chest).
3. Make sure the victim is
breathing. If not, administer
rescue breathing (mouth-to-
mouth) by pinching the vic-
tim’s nose shut and blowing
into the mouth. Lay the vic-
tim on their side after they
have resumed breathing on
their own.
4. Administer naloxone,
an opioid antagonist, if you
have it and know how to use
it.
5. Stay with the victim
until help arrives, and act
quickly to administer rescue
breathing if they stop breath-
ing. Encourage the victim
to cooperate with the ambu-
lance crew.
Oregon House passes bills to change policing
By PETER WONG
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Five bills
aimed at changing policing
practices, plus four related
measures, have cleared the
Oregon House by near-unan-
imous votes.
All the bills go to the Sen-
ate. Five other policing bills,
which are likely to aff ect
state agencies, are pend-
ing in the Legislature’s joint
budget committee.
All emerged from the
Judiciary Committee and a
subcommittee focused on
policing. It follows up the
work of a 2020 special ses-
sion called by Gov. Kate
Brown after the murder of
George Floyd in Minneapo-
lis last year. A former offi cer
was convicted last week on
charges of murder and man-
slaughter; three other offi cers
are awaiting trial. Floyd’s
death touched off nation-
wide protests for racial jus-
tice, among them more than
100 nights in Portland.
Rep. Janelle Bynum, a
Democrat from Clackamas
who leads the full commit-
tee and the subcommittee,
said lawmakers heard from
local governments and asso-
ciations of police executives
and rank-and-fi le offi cers,
not just groups advocating
sweeping change.
“I want to make it clear
this was not an opportunity
to dig in and bash,” Bynum,
who is Black, said. “It was
an opportunity to create a
community table, where
people around the state had
a chance to have some input
on who protects them and
their communities.”
Rep. Ron Noble, a
Republican from McMinn-
ville, a former police chief
of that city and a former offi -
cer in Corvallis, said all the
bills should be considered
in context — not individu-
ally. He made his comments
while speaking about House
Bill 2929, which requires
police to report misconduct
by offi cers or violations of
standards.
“This bill by itself won’t
do anything,” Noble said.
“This bill, combined with
the others that are coming
before you, will create the
ability and the safety for
police offi cers to speak out
when others act inappropri-
ately, use excessive force, or
just generally are unfi t for
the job.”
Bynum spoke about the
experience of Elijah War-
ren, who emerged from his
home in East Portland to talk
to police about the eff ects on
his family of tear gas they
used to disperse a demon-
stration on Sept. 5. While he
did so, an offi cer struck him
on the ear with a baton. The
offi cer was found later to
have been identifi ed in other
incidents of excessive force.
“Had offi cers not inter-
vened, Mr. Warren could
have been hurt much worse,”
Bynum said. “Had other offi -
cers reported the other offi -
cer’s misconduct earlier, Mr.
Warren may never have been
struck.”
Bynum said the city
of Portland, as far as she
knows, has not responded
as to whether the offi cer was
disciplined.
“What we do know from
reporting is that when offi -
cers do not intervene to stop
their colleagues’ miscon-
duct, it allows law enforce-
ment to act with impu-
nity,” she said. “Whether it
is before, during or after an
incident, that is wrong.”
House Bill 2929 passed,
58-0. It specifi es who should
receive reports of miscon-
duct or violations (supervi-
sors), when they should start
investigations (72 hours),
and when they should be
completed (three months). If
there is substantial evidence
to support them, reports
must be fi led with the state
Department of Public Safety
Standards and Training.
Other bills
Listed below are sum-
maries of the other bills and
their votes. starting with
four others in the offi cial
package:
• House Bill 2513, 58-0:
Police must have training
in child and adult cardio-
pulmonary
resuscitation,
plus training at the public
safety academy about air-
way and circulatory anat-
omy and physiology. Police
also are required to sum-
mon emergency medical
services if “tactically fea-
sible” and have access to
communications.
Rep. Dacia Grayber,
D-Portland, is a Tualatin
Valley Fire & Rescue fi re-
fi ghter who sponsored that
bill. She credited the idea to
Tigard Mayor Jason Snider,
himself a certifi ed para-
medic and general surgery
administrator for Kaiser Per-
manente Northwest.
• House Bill 2936, 54-4:
The state must investigate
the backgrounds of potential
offi cers — including fi nan-
cial and psychological infor-
mation, and ties with racism
or racist organizations —
who attend the public safety
academy in Salem. Police
agencies must set standards
for speech and expression by
offi cers on and off the job.
• House Bill 3059, 58-0:
Police authority to disperse
“unlawful assemblies” is
modifi ed, so that if there are
arrests, police must make
them based on actual crimes,
not simply for failure to
disperse. Bynum said, “This
simple clarifi cation allows
a declaration of unlawful
assembly to be used as more
of a tool to prevent a disaster
or mitigate harm to people or
damage to property.”
• House Bill 3355, 58-0:
Police assigned to work
crowd management in cit-
ies over 150,000 (Portland,
Eugene, Salem) must wear
identifi cation — either a
name or number — and out-
erwear that signifi es the offi -
cer’s jurisdiction, such as
“police” or “sheriff .” Noble
said, “I suggest that this bill,
along with what we will see
forthcoming, work together
to ensure a safe environ-
ment for those who are
protesting.”
SCHOLARSHIP
OPPORTUNITY
THANK YOU SPONSORS!
The 1st annual Recycled Art Contest & Spring Clean-up
(APRIL 23rd) at the Recycle Center was a big success.
We hope you had fun, and please thank our sponsors!
SPONSORS
Copper Creek Mercantile, Olaf Pottery, Wallowa Valley Cleaning Products,
Wallowa Grain Growers, Wallowa Resale Shop, The Range Rider, R & R Restaurant,
The Flannel Lantern, Wild Carrot Herbals, Terminal Gravity Brewing, The Gold Room,
Bee Crow Bee, B Bright Vintage, Joseph Hardware, The Sheep Shed,
Outlaw Motor Sports, KWVR Radio, the Wallowa County Chieftain and Central Copy
The Wallowa County Fair Board Scholarship(s)
will provide scholarship assistance to Wallowa County 4-H/FFA
members. Applications are available from the Fair office for
graduating high school students who will be attending college,
vocational or trade school during the 2021 – 2022 school year.
Ellen Morris Bishop/For the Wallowa County Chieftain
Search and rescue team members and trainees learn
techniques for carrying a Stokes litter and “rescuing”
SAR volunteer Kim Braatz on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at
the Mount Emily Recreation Area near La Grande. The
exercise was part of the fi eld day training and required for
certifi cation for the nearly 25 new members.
Counties certify new
Search and Rescue
team members
Union, Umatilla
and Wallowa
welcome two
dozen volunteers
By ELLEN MORRIS
BISHOP
For the Wallowa County
Chieftain
LA GRANDE — The
search and rescue teams
from Union, Umatilla and
Wallowa counties gained
almost 25 newly certifi ed
members this week follow-
ing two weekends of train-
ing and practice held in La
Grande and at the Mount
Emily Recreation Area.
Wallowa County Sher-
iff ’s Search and Rescue
gained 11 new team mem-
bers and the Union County
and Umatilla County Sher-
iff s collectively added
more than a dozen to their
certifi ed teams. All SAR
members are volunteers.
The training, led by
Union County SAR Coor-
dinator Nick Vora, included
instruction and practice in
basic survival, map read-
ing and navigating, knot
tying,
communications,
tracking and understand-
ing the behavior of people
IN BRIEF
Oregon OKs
resumption of
J & J vaccine
SALEM — Health care
providers in Oregon may
continue to administer the
Johnson & Johnson vac-
cine, as long as they can
ensure that patients or their
caregivers are informed
about the benefi ts and risks
in their primary language.
The Oregon Health
Authority issued that guid-
ance over the weekend
after a safety review. The
Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention and the
Food and Drug Adminis-
who were lost. The fi eld
exercises included demon-
strations of search tech-
niques and team coordina-
tion during rescues.
Experienced volunteers
from Union, Umatilla and
Wallowa counties’ SAR
units provided instruc-
tion and coaching for the
training.
“The instructors all are
a wealth of knowledge and
this is an amazing team. I
am proud to be a part of it,”
said new Wallowa County
SAR team member Jenni-
fer Harmon.
The
newly-certifi ed
SAR members bring a
variety of skills to the
already-robust organiza-
tions, including nursing
and radio communications,
as well as expert skiing and
back-country experience.
“It’s a great organiza-
tion of dedicated volun-
teers,” Wallowa County
SAR Training Coordina-
tor Jim Akenson said. “The
new members will make it
even better.”
The new cohort brings
the total number of Wal-
lowa County SAR volun-
teers to about 50, he said.
“That’s pretty extraor-
dinary for a small commu-
nity,” Akenson said.
tration lifted the pause on
delivering the vaccine on
Friday, April 23, saying
the risk of blood clots is
extremely small.
The Western States
Scientifi c Safety Review
Workgroup found that the
Johnson & Johnson vac-
cine is “generally safe
and eff ective and that the
resumption of its use is
warranted once culturally
and linguistically appro-
priate patient and provider
educational materials in
plain language that support
informed decision-making
are available.”
There are over 100,000
doses of Johnson & John-
son COVID-19 vaccine
stored at vaccination sites
in Oregon.
— Chieftain staff
The most valuable and
respected source of local news,
advertising and information for
our communities.
www.eomediagroup.com
Wallowa County
FREE
Chess Club
No meeting until further notice
but look forward to seeing you soon!
Amounts will range from $250 to $1000.
Applications are available and can be picked up at the
Wallowa County Fair office or e-mailed to you from
wallowacountyfair@gmail.com.
Candidates must submit the following by May 15, 2021
1. Completed and signed application.
2. High school transcript or statement of GPA from Registrar.
3. Three letters of reference with one being advisor or leader.
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JOSEPHY CENTER FOR
THE ARTS AND CULTURE
403 Main Street Joseph, Oregon
4/21 Solution
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