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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (March 5, 2020)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL from A1 DAMIEN SHERWOOD/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL Local youths listen to audience comments about mental health during Monday night’s YAC town hall. Students had a chance to ask local professionals about issues affecting themselves and their peers. related area, though also emphasized the utility of simply lending a shoul- der or an ear to a friend. “Sometimes we just need to know that we’re not alone and that the feelings or whatever we’re struggling with isn’t just us being cra- zy — it’s us responding normally to stressors in our lives,” said audience member Ali Canino, a therapist at South Lane Mental Health. Students in the au- dience raised the issue of mandatory reporters as a possible barrier to talking to an adult. Hampton recom- mended asking an adult directly if they are a NOMINATE NOW! IT’S TIME TO NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE COTTAGE GROVE BUSINESSES mandatory reporter to determine whether or not to share certain in- formation. “And I don’t want to diminish that barrier or concern at all because it’s very real,” said Her- ington, “but I think that there is a reason those laws are in place — and that’s to protect the youth from situations of abuse and neglect. So while there might be some temporarily tough times, if we don’t inter- vene in a situation that’s abusive, it persists over a longer period of time.” The stigma particu- lar to teens surrounding mental health issues was also cited by the audi- ence as a formidable bar- rier to seeking help. Brubaker encouraged students to look out for one another. He ac- knowledged the possible effectiveness of asking a peer to reach out for help, “however research shows it’s much more likely for someone to access services of many kinds if people reach in,” he said. “We need to be pretty persistent. And I would say that’s an ex- pression of care. … It’s not just the person who is suffering’s job exclu- sively to get help. It’s our job also.” In identifying mental health issues they saw as most salient, youths TODAY THROUGH MARCH 31ST F O Only the TOP FIVE in each category BEST will move on to the voting phase 9 201 VOTED Y address the array of is- sues that may arise. “Many times that’s the role of public health,” said Brubaker, “is to think about all the dif- ferent situations, cir- cumstances, conditions and environments that we have in our commu- nities and how that sets the stage for how mental health problems and cri- ses develop in our com- munity.” Youths also asked what role peers themselves could play in reaching out to those experienc- ing mental anguish. Panelists recommend- ed talking to a trusted adult or those with train- ing or experience in the SO NT Family Resource Center Coordinator for South Lane School District (SLSD) Ana-Maria Dud- ley; Cottage Grove Police Department Detective and Crisis Intervention Specialist Jason Cross; Executive Director for South Lane Mental Health Damien Sands; Program Supervisor for the Looking Glass Rural Program Aman- da Hampton; McKin- ney-Vento Liaison for SLSD Jade Chamness; and Cottage Grove High School Principal Kevin Herington. The discussion began by attempting to define the perimeters mental health. “I think mental health, especially when I think of youth mental health, we’re talking about how that person is experienc- ing life as a whole,” ex- plained Sands. “So they might experience things that we call a diagno- sis … but I think when I look at youth mental health as an issue over- all, it’s about that per- son’s well-being in the community.” Other panelists shared Sands’ sentiment that the topic deserved a broad scope of context and un- derstanding in order to listed eating disorders, pressure from social me- dia, anxiety, depression, misconceptions about mental health and a lack of self-care knowledge as the most notable issues among their peers. Students and school district staff also raised the prospect of improv- ing access to resource information within the district and Sands point- ed to an overarching need for systemic im- provement. “Our current chil- dren’s system … is not in a good place. It doesn’t work the way it should be working right now,” he said. “I think locally we do a good job, but at the state level for those kids that are really, really struggling … there’s not a lot of resources.” As the event finished, panelists noted that the town hall itself was a therapeutic instrument in addressing local youth mental health issues. “There’s hope in this world, right? This is amazing to see the kids speak from the heart,” said Dudley. “It just blew me away to see this on their young shoulders, that they have decided to also put this on their plate.” UT U YAC | MARCH 5, 2020 | 7A H L A N E CO APRIL 1ST - APRIL 15th Go online today cottagegrovesentinel.secondstreetapp.com/Best-Of-South-Lane-County/ to nominate! This year we have a two-part process to determine your choices for Best of South Lane County 2019! NOMINATION PHASE VOTING PHASE MARCH 1 - MARCH 31, 2020 APRIL 1 TO APRIL 15, 2020 Nominate your top choices in dozens of categories. We’ll tally the five with the most votes in each category. Readers vote for the top three from the five that received the most nominations in each category. FOOD & DINING Appetizer/Small Plate _______________________________ Asian Cuisine _____________________________________ BBQ _____________________________________________ Best Restaurant ____________________________________ Breakfast _________________________________________ Brunch ___________________________________________ Burger ___________________________________________ Burrito ___________________________________________ Dessert __________________________________________ Family Restaurant __________________________________ Fast Food Mexican __________________________________________ Pizza ____________________________________________ Restaurant Atmosphere _____________________________ Restaurant Service _________________________________ Salsa ____________________________________________ Sandwiches _______________________________________ Seafood __________________________________________ Steak ____________________________________________ Taco _____________________________________________ Vegetarian/Vegan __________________________________ DRINKS Bar ______________________________________________ Bloody Mary ______________________________________ Cocktail __________________________________________ Coffee ___________________________________________ Craft Brew ________________________________________ Happy Hour ______________________________________ Margarita ________________________________________ Wine Selection ____________________________________ HOME SERVICES Carpet Cleaner ____________________________________ Contractor ________________________________________ Electrician ________________________________________ Estate Liquidator __________________________________ Handyman _______________________________________ Internet Service Provider ____________________________ Landscape Service _________________________________ Pest Control ______________________________________ Plumber _________________________________________ Self Storage _______________________________________ PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Accountant _______________________________________ Attorney _________________________________________ Bank/Credit Union _________________________________ Bookkeeper _______________________________________ Bank Teller ________________________________________ Computer Help/Repair ______________________________ Financial Planner __________________________________ Insurance ________________________________________ Mortgage Lending _________________________________ Photography ______________________________________ Publisher/Publishing Company _______________________ Real Estate Office __________________________________ Real Estate Agent __________________________________ Tailoring/Alterations ________________________________ WELLNESS & BEAUTY Acupuncturist _____________________________________ Barber Shop ______________________________________ Day Spa __________________________________________ Dental Office ______________________________________ Dentist __________________________________________ Denturist _________________________________________ Hair Salon ________________________________________ Health Club _______________________________________ Hearing Aide Provider ______________________________ Manicure/Pedicure _________________________________ Massage Therapist _________________________________ Medical Facility ____________________________________ Medical Professional ________________________________ Optometrist ______________________________________ Pharmacy ________________________________________ Stylist ____________________________________________ SHOP LOCAL Art Supply Store ___________________________________ Antiques _________________________________________ Appliances _______________________________________ Books____________________________________________ Clothes __________________________________________ Convenience Store _________________________________ Gift Store _________________________________________ Grocery Store _____________________________________ Furniture _________________________________________ Home Improvement Store ___________________________ Garden Nursery ___________________________________ Florist ___________________________________________ Jewelry __________________________________________ Pet Supplies ______________________________________ Thrift Store _______________________________________ Kids Clothing _____________________________________ AUTOMOTIVE Auto Body & Paint__________________________________ Auto Mechanic ____________________________________ Auto Parts Store ___________________________________ Auto Repair _______________________________________ Car Dealership ____________________________________ Car Detailer/Wash __________________________________ Oil Change _______________________________________ Tire _____________________________________________ Used Car Dealership ________________________________ ENTERTAINMENT Art Gallery ________________________________________ Golf Course _______________________________________ Museum _________________________________________ Musician _________________________________________ Public Art Display __________________________________ Live Music Venue __________________________________ Performing Arts Group ______________________________ Performance Venue ________________________________ Indoor Entertainment ______________________________ COMMUNITY Early Child Learning ________________________________ Bed & Breakfast ____________________________________ Hotel/Hostel ______________________________________ Place to Volunteer__________________________________ Retirement Community _____________________________ Service Club ______________________________________ Support Group ____________________________________ Theatre __________________________________________ GO ONLINE AND VOTE TODAY OR YOU CAN FILL THIS FORM OUT WITH YOUR PICKS AND SUBMIT IN PERSON TO 110 N. 6TH STREET, PO BOX 30, COTTAGE GROVE, OR 97424 ONLY ONE BALLOT PER PERSON WILL BE COUNTED. BALLOT SUBMITTED BY:____________________________________________PHONE:_____________________________ Winners will be announced in a special Best of South Lane County 2019 section of the Cottage Grove Sentinel that will publish on APRIL 23, 2020.