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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (May 19, 2021)
LOCAL Wallowa.com Wednesday, May 19, 2021 A3 Six certifi ed to intervene in mental crises CIT Team training held last week in Enterprise By BILL BRADSHAW Wallowa County Chieftain ENTERPRISE — Six fi rst-responders were cer- tifi ed Friday, May 14, after a weeklong training session to help law enforcement offi cers and others dealing with the mentally ill, drug or alcohol affl icted and aging communities, according to a press release. “The information, tools, and resources presented are designed to enhance fi rst responder response and reduce the overall risk of injury or death,” the release stated. Certifi ed in the Crisis Intervention Team train- ing were Offi cer Jacob Curtis, of the Enterprise Police Department; Dep- uty Austin Violette, of the Wallowa County Sher- iff ’s Offi ce; Deputy Jenni- fer Harmon, of the Wallowa County Sheriff ’s Offi ce; Deputy Anthony Scott, of the Umatilla County Sher- iff ’s Offi ce; Josiah Bates, a Wallowa Mountain Medi- cal Clinic nursing student; and Sandra Gore, a Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness therapist. The certifi cation was held at Enterprise Christian Church. Brandon Miller, a mental health clinician for the Cen- ter for Wellness who hosted some of the training, held a review of the 40 hours of instruction on specifi c top- ics, with a CIT version of the game show “Jeopardy.” Cat- egories in the game included Suicide, Mental Health First Aid, Tactical Communica- tion, Crisis, Acronyms and Psychosis. Topics covered through the week’s training included medication time, crisis cycle, “Sad, Bad, Mad,” mental illness in the elderly, seniors presenta- tion, post-traumatic stress disorder/battlemind, family presentation, psychosis and mood disorders, personal- IN BRIEF Flora School off ers virtual pioneer classes FLORA — The Flora School will take advan- tage of current technology to present classes online this year instead of in-per- son, once again, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Online classes include: 9-Patch Lap Quilt, Black- smithing from the Ground Up, Basic Bladesmithing, Weaving: The 3 Rs — Recy- cling, Reusing, Repurpos- ing! and French Burrito Pillowcase. Sewing, blacksmithing and weaving, all three were important skills used by the pioneers. The blacksmith- ing and weaving classes will be building the forge and the loom. Class fees are by dona- tion after taking the class, “therefore, a donation is not required, but is appreci- ated,” said Laura Wisdom, a Portland-area resident who is in charge of FSEC classes. Each class has a mate- rials and equipment list. Since the classes are online, Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain Brandon Miller, left, a mental health clinician for the Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness, handed out certifi cates of completion to six fi rst-responders who completed Crisis Intervention Team training Friday, May 14, 2021. From left, are Miller; Deputy Anthony Scott, of the Umatila County Sheriff ’s Offi ce; Josiah Bates, a Wallowa Mountain Medical Clinic nursing student; Sandra Gore, a Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness therapist; Offi cer Jacob Curtis, of the Enterprise Police Department; Deputy Jennifer Harmon, of the Wallowa County Sheriff ’s Offi ce; and Deputy Austin Violette, of the Wallowa County Sheriff ’s Offi ce. Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain He wasn’t Alex Trebek, but Brandon Miller, a mental health clinician for the Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness, did a credible job conducting a “Jeopardy” review of Crisis Intervention Team training Friday, May 14, 2021, at Enterprise Christian Church. Six area fi rst-responders received their CIT training certifi cations. ity disorders, treatment of psychiatric illnesses, syn- thetic substances, excited delirium, addictive dis- eases, voices presentation, legal panel, liability and use of force, developmen- it is important to register ahead of time to make sure all materials and equipment are gathered. Register and learn class times by email- ing fsec.education@gmail. com. Students will receive information on using the format used for the online classes, i.e. Zoom, Messen- ger Room, etc. and how to donate. Josephy Center to return to summer hours JOSEPH — Like many businesses in Wallowa County, the Josephy Cen- ter for Arts and Culture is resuming its summer hours beginning May 31, accord- ing to a press release. Hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Fri- day and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information on the center, visit https://jose- phy.org, call 541-432-0505 or stop by at 403 N. Main St. in Joseph. County may take part in opioid litigation ENTERPRISE — A res- olution on Wallowa Coun- tal disabilities, de-escalation techniques, National Alli- ance On Mental Illness/own voice, child and adolescent crisis, suicide prevention, suicide by cop and self-care and scenario-based training. ty’s participation in opi- oid litigation will be on the agenda Wednesday, May 19, when the Wallowa County Board of Commissioners meet. The commissioners meet at 9 a.m. at the courthouse. County Counsel Paige Sully will discuss the reso- lution with the commission- ers prior to its adoption. Also on Wednesday’s agenda are a letter from a Wallowa business to con- sider a donation, the res- ignation of Hannah Miller from the county Assessor’s Offi ce, an order on the scope of review of a land appeal and two intrafund transfers of funds totaling $43,550. Hurricane Creek half-marathon is May 29 JOSEPH — Wallowa County is urged to get out and run or walk as half-mar- athon event will take place Saturday, May 29, starting at Joseph City Park, accord- ing to a press release. The Hurricane Creek Half Marathon/5 Mile/5K starts at 8 a.m. and heads toward the Hurricane Creek Trailhead. This is for anyone from walkers to 12:00 PM 12:00 PM - - Thursday, Thursday, May May 26 27 The will be be CLOSED CLOSED The Chieftain Chieftain office office will Monday, 30 for Memorial Day Day Monday, May May 31 for Memorial EARLY ADVERTISING DEADLINE Enterprise Police Chief Kevin McQuead, who has taken the training several times, said the CIT Train- ing isn’t a one-time event, since the parameters of the training change, as do an offi cer’s understanding of it based on his experience and occasions the offi cer has had to apply the training. He said a major goal is to get a person suff ering from mental health issues the help they need and to do it in a manner that is as peace- ful as possible. Miller said it’s always preferable when mental health care is needed that a patient seeks that care voluntarily rather than hav- ing it forced upon them. Each class varies in length and is taught by instructors locally and from around the state. Ridg Medford, one of the instructors from the Oregon Center on Behavioral Health and Justice Integration, also emphasized to the trainees that they could become vic- tims to some of the issues they’re intended to address. advanced runners. The whole mission of the event is to encourage more active lifestyles and the goal is to get Wallowa County out and running. Energy Brown Bag coming on Thursday ENTERPRISE — An Energy Brown Bag on energy planning is set to take place at noon Thursday, May 20. The meeting will take a look at comprehen- sive energy planning eff orts that are coming together in Wallowa County. “Long-range planning can ensure a reliable mix of energy sources for local residents, prioritize energy effi ciency and renewable energy development, access to funding, keeping energy dollars local and creating community resilience,” a press release on the event states. To view the meeting, visit wallowaresources.org. — Chieftain staff He urged them to regularly step away from their work. “When you get home, you need to take off your vest, take off your badge and step away from it,” he said. He emphasized that too often, particularly law offi - cers, lose touch with people outside the law enforcement community — even fam- ily — and fi nd themselves alone at the end of their careers. Nationwide connection through CIT CIT programs create connections in over 2,700 communities nationwide between law enforcement, mental health providers, hospital emergency ser- vices and individuals with mental illness and their families. Through collabo- rative community partner- ships and intensive training, according to the release, CIT improves communica- tion, identifi es mental health resources for those in cri- sis and ensures offi cer and community safety. According to the National Alliance on Men- tal Illness, the lack of men- tal health crisis services across the U.S. has resulted in law enforcement offi cers serving as fi rst responders to most crises. A CIT pro- gram is an innovative, com- munity-based approach to improve the outcomes of these encounters, the release stated. CIT Training objectives include: • Providing informa- tion and resources to law enforcement personnel who fi nd themselves handling calls involving emotionally disturbed individuals. • Increasing the ability of law enforcement to success- fully manage an emotion- ally disturbed individual. • Reducing the number of inappropriate incarcera- tions involving people with mental illness. • Providing relief to an overburdened criminal jus- tice system. • Developing/implement- ing a treatment response system for persons experi- encing emotional or mental crisis. • Developing and sus- taining offi cer interest and involvement on calls involving emotionally dis- turbed individuals. • Continuing to develop relationships between men- tal health providers, law enforcement and mentally ill individuals and their families. This week’s featured book The Anthropocene Reviewed Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green 107 E. Main St. Enterprise OR 541-426-3351 bookloftoregon.com • manager@bookloft.org WINTER HOURS DINE I K N E OR TA T OU Taking Wed. & Thur. 10 Fri. & Sat. 10 am am - 7 pm - 8 pm Sun. 10 am - 7 pm Now s Reservation TAKE OUT ORDERS • CALL 541-569-2285 SPRING TIME FUN and HVAC Parts & Service Ed Staub & Sons Energy Community Service. 201 East Hwy 82 Enterprise, OR 97828 541-426-0320 Not just propane