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News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
SUICIDE
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The plan mandated more
training for medical and be-
havioral health providers, more
collaboration among schools
and school-based clinics, tak-
ing a look at laws governing
confidentiality, developing re-
sponses by schools and com-
munities following a youth
suicide, using more social
media and using best practices
to identify and intervene with
youths who are depressed, sui-
cidal or at risk of self-injury.
According to the Oregon
Health Authority, county gov-
ernments acting as the local
mental health authority would
“take a leadership role in their
communities to form collabo-
rative partnerships for respond-
ing to youth suicides and re-
ducing the risk of contagion.”
Information to be collect-
ed about a confirmed suicide
could include whether a youth
was in custody of the police, if
the suicide occurred in a pub-
lic place, whether a note was
left, if there was evidence of
bullying, if social media was
involved, whether other sui-
cides by children or adults had
occurred in the past year and
if any traumatic events had re-
cently occurred.
Collection of that data
raised privacy concerns, and
the Oregon Health Authority
encouraged counties to seek le-
gal advice. Labhart drafted the
plan for Grant County.
“Privacy issues have been
fully vetted by the state,” he
said.
In 2016, the suicide rate per
100,000 youths aged 10-24 was
12.97 in Oregon, compared to
9.6 nationwide. Suicide is the
second leading cause of death
among 10- to 24-year-olds in
Oregon.
Proactive steps
Oregon Healthy Teens
Surveys from 2017 show
that statewide 16.9 percent
of eighth-graders and 18.2
percent of 11th-graders re-
ported seriously considered
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
Community Counseling Solutions Clinical Director Thad Labhart said help is available for people who seek it.
attempting suicide in the past
12 months — and 8.7 percent
of eighth-graders and 6.8 per-
cent of 11th-graders actually
attempted suicide.
In 2017 in Grant, Lake and
Harney counties, 21.2 percent
of eighth-graders and 18.9 per-
cent of 11th-graders seriously
considered suicide — and 9.4
percent of eighth-graders and
6.6 percent of 11th-graders ac-
tually attempted suicide.
For all age groups, about 70
percent of suicide victims in
Oregon already suffered from
a diagnosed mental disorder,
an alcohol or substance-abuse
problem or were in a depressed
mood at the time of death.
Nearly three-quarters of the
reported mental disorders were
categorized as depression,
while 15 percent were bipolar
and another 15 percent were
anxiety disorders. Diagnosed
mental disorders for suicide
victims were more common
among women than men,
while criminal legal problems
were more common among
men.
More than a third of suicide
victims told others of their in-
tentions, while another third
left a note. About 20 percent
had a history of suicide at-
tempts. Nearly a quarter were
believed to have consumed al-
cohol in the hours before their
deaths.
If a suicide risk is deter-
mined to be serious, a person
can be placed in custody under
a mental health hold, Labhart
said. A civil commitment hear-
ing must be held within five
business days, he said.
“We hold about four or five
hearings a year in Grant Coun-
ty,” Labhart said.
If a CCS client makes sui-
cidal statements, a safety plan
could be implemented or med-
icine prescribed, but unless the
client is under a civil commit-
ment, it must be voluntary, he
said.
“It’s a case-by-case basis,”
he said.
CCS has about 250 active
clients in Grant County. About
20 percent have alcohol- or
drug-related issues. Of the
remaining 200 or so clients,
about 15 percent say some-
thing about suicide.
“It’s not that uncommon,”
he said, noting that mental
health providers need to rec-
ognize a specific intent as op-
posed to someone saying, “I
just want to die.”
About 70 percent of Grant
County suicide victims were
not active mental health pa-
CHESTER’S
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store will not be used by cus-
tomers who will pay for their
items at Chester’s checkout
counters, Wyllie said.
This will be Chester’s
first variety department,
Wyllie said. The company
is finalizing the purchase of
the former King’s store and
has made arrangements with
Variety Distributors Inc. to
help set up the merchan-
dise on the shelves. VDI
will continue in its role as a
supplier to Chester’s, Wyllie
said.
“VDI offers 20,000 ev-
eryday available items and
another 20,000 seasonal
items,” Wyllie said.
Items similar to what
King’s offered will include
gift wrap, art and craft
supplies, toys and games,
books, seasonal decorations,
picture frames and art, office
supplies, bath and kitchen
the
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
The Chester’s Thriftway store in John Day plans to expand into the adjacent King’s Discount Store to create a variety
department.
linens and fabric and sewing
supplies.
In the future, possibly with
VDI’s assistance, the new
corner’s
SH T
HOT
EEK
OF THE W
SAMANTHA
WORKMAN
School: Prairie City
Grade: 9
Parent: Sam Workman
Sport: Basketball
Position: Guard
What I like best about my sport: “It’s a fun
sport, and it’s fun to play with
the team.”
Coach’s Comment:
“She is a good all-around kid,
and she strives to make herself a
better player and a person.”
-Coach Bo Workman
PROUD SPONSOR OF GRANT COUNTY ATHLETES
100 E. Main • Stoplight in John Day
541-792-0425
45455
department could offer ba-
sic clothing items like jeans,
T-shirts, sweatshirts and
socks, along with basic shoe
offerings and garden items,
Wyllie said.
The expansion will also
allow Chester’s to expand
its current offerings in dog
food, paper towels and bath
tissue, grab-and-go food and
drinks for travelers, bulk
tients, although they may have
been in the past, Labhart said.
That’s why family members,
friends or co-workers who
hear something should contact
CCS during business hours or
call 911 if it’s an emergency or
late at night.
“We receive referrals week-
ly,” Labhart said. “I guarantee
you, we’ve saved lives.”
But some people, he noted,
just don’t want anything to do
with mental health providers.
“It’s that ‘mind your own
business’ mentality,” he said.
The next installment, “Sui-
cide by the numbers,” will be
published next week.
food and produce space for
melons and fruits of the sea-
son.
“The vision of this proj-
ect is to positively impact
the community by providing
more of the items we need
without having to travel out
of town or wait for it to ar-
rive in the mail,” Wyllie
said. “This will also bolster
the community’s recent job
losses by providing six to
eight new jobs for our resi-
dents.”
Wyllie said the expan-
sion will create a new
manager position at $17 to
$22 per hour, two supervi-
sor positions at $13 to $15
per hour and several other
positions.
There’s a lot of work to
do — remodeling includes
matching the decor in Ches-
ter’s and hanging new LED
lighting — but the plan
is to have the variety de-
partment open for custom-
ers by early June, Wyllie
said.
GUNS
EAGLE
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“We found out there’s a
problem with our laws, so
I do expect if we are going
to allow our businesses to
say we do not want to sell
you guns unless you’re 21,
we’re probably going to
have to help out in the next
session,” Courtney said.
“… If that’s the case, I see
that as an opportunity, not
one party but together, to
do something.”
McLane said he also
thought Republicans and
Democrats could reach
consensus on how to autho-
rize stores to raise the min-
imum age.
But Rep. Chuck Thom-
sen, R-Hood River, said he
would prefer to see such
legislation orchestrated at
the national level.
“That way you don’t
have different states around
the country with different
laws all over the place. I
would rather see them do
some stuff at the federal
level that we could mirror,”
he said.
Walmart, the world’s
largest retailer, and Dick’s
Kathryn Brown, publisher the
East Oregonian and Hermiston
Herald, will become the Eagle’s
interim publisher. Brown, an
owner of EO Media Group, has
served on the board since 1997.
Sean Hart, who joined the Ea-
gle as editor in 2015, will serve
as the Eagle’s general manager
and editor. Hart began working
in journalism in 2007 and has
worked for four Eastern Oregon
newspapers.
“I look forward to building
on the strong foundation left by
Marissa to continue to tell the
stories of our community,” Hart
said. “Marissa put together a
great team, and we will continue
to deliver the credible news our
community needs to make in-
formed decisions. We will miss
her, but we wish her all the best.”
During her tenure, Williams
oversaw the Eagle’s Pulitzer
Prize nomination for coverage of
the Aryan Nation and its failed
attempt to establish a headquar-
ters in Grant County and the cre-
ation of the Eagle’s social media
presence, which now has more
than 8,500 followers.
Today is Williams’ last day
with EO Media Group.
EO Media Group
Retailers that restrict long gun sales to customers
21 or older could be violating Oregon’s anti-
discrimination laws. Legislative leaders say they will
consider legislation that would either shield retailers
that choose to restrict gun sales, or raise the age for
all gun purchases to 21.
Sporting Goods announced
they will raise the minimum
age to buy firearms and am-
munition, in the wake of the
mass shooting at Marjory
Stoneman Douglas High
School in Parkland, Flori-
da, Feb. 14. Other national
department and sporting
goods stores made similar
decisions.
Willamette Week first
reported that the age lim-
itations could violate the
state’s anti-discrimination
laws, citing an opinion
from a retired Lane County
judge.