Blue Mountain Eagle
Measure 110
Continued from Page A1
she described as a welcoming response.
³7KDW ZHOFRPLQJ ZDV RQH UHDVRQ 0U %HOW]
decided to continue providing the array of services
KHZDVLQWURGXFHGWRZKLOHZRUNLQJDW&KRLFHV´
Byus said. <The community needs of the addicted
and houseless population who need or want to
KDYHDGL൵HUHQWRSWLRQWKDQWKHRQO\RQHWKH\KDYH
KDGIRUWKHODVWVHYHUDO\HDUV´
According to Oregon Health Authority data,
%\XV¶FRPSDQ\ZDVRQHRISURYLGHUVDZDUGHG
PLOOLRQWKURXJKWKHVWDWH¶VJUDQWSURJUDP
'DWDIURP2+$UHYHDOHGRQO\SHRSOHKDG
entered treatment by the end of 2021. While there
are limitations with the data, it provides a snapshot
of how the funding appropriated for Measure 110
has been spent. (Grantees were initially required
to spend the money in 2021, but the deadline was
extended to June 2022.)
Meanwhile, according to Lindsay, CCS has
submitted an application for $2.2 million for the
next round of funding for additional counselors,
SHHU VXSSRUW VWD൵ UHQWDO DQG KRXVLQJ YRXFKHUV
DQGFULVLVVWD൵
According to the OHA website, the Measure
110 Oversight and Accountability Council will
YRWHRQJUDQWDZDUGV:HGQHVGD\)HE
Labhart added that if Grant County gets the
PRQH\ LW PLJKW EH WKH ³JUHDW OLWPXV WHVW´ DV WR
whether lack of investment has been the issue in
addressing addiction.
Getting funding is just the start, according to
Labhart. Across the country, employers are facing
work force shortages 4 a problem CCS has faced
as well.
Labhart said while CCS has a full-time addic-
tion counselor in Grant County, a second full-time
SRVLWLRQKDVJRQHXQ¿OOHGIRUWKHSDVW\HDU
Limited access
There is no question more substance abuse
services are needed in Grant County and
COVID
Continued from Page A1
tionary nature to outbreaks: <I
was complaining that it was hyp-
ocritical we had to wear masks
EXW R൶
FHUV GLGQ¶W WKDW R൶
FHU
VDLG WR PH µH[SOHWLYH LW ZH¶OO
GHDOZLWKLWZKHQLWFRPHV¶´
The lawsuit also described
SUDFWLFHVZKHUHFRUUHFWLRQDOR൶
cers would move from a quaran-
tined unit to an uninfected unit
without a mask, likely due to
RYHUWLPH DQG VWD൶
QJ VKRUWDJHV
at the facilities.
<I think the (COVID-19) sit-
uation shakes the entire founda-
WLRQ´ &KDYH] VDLG ³:KDW ZH
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
NEWS
across the state.
Recently, the National Survey on Drug Use
and Health concluded that Oregon has the sec-
ond-highest rate of drug and alcohol addiction in
the country. Additionally, the data showed that
18.08% of people need but cannot get addiction
treatment.
Labhart said that Grant County historically has
exceeded the state averages for binge drinking and
tobacco use. For other substances, the county has
generally been around or below the average in
Oregon.
For those who need drug treatment here, how-
ever, access continues to be an issue.
Most people, for instance, have to wait two to
three weeks for an addictions assessment, Labhart
said, though it might be possible to speed that up
based on the severity of the need and other factors.
While outpatient treatment is available in
*UDQW &RXQW\ DW WKH &&6 R൶
FH LQ -RKQ 'D\
people can also seek help remotely to avoid the
stigma of being treated for addiction while living
in a small town.
The waiting list to get into an inpatient facility
UDQJHVIURPWKUHHWR¿YHZHHNVRUVRPHWLPHVORQ
ger, Labhart said. Currently, there is not an option
for inpatient treatment in Grant County.
M110 in Grant County
%HIRUH0HDVXUHZHQWLQWRH൵HFWRQ)HE
1, 2021, Labhart noted, most Oregonians seeking
drug and alcohol treatment did so under a court
order following an arrest.
<Upwards of 95% of people who need treat-
PHQWGRQ¶WWKLQNWKH\GR´KHVDLG
Before, possession of user amounts of drugs
was generally a misdemeanor crime punishable
E\DPD[LPXPRIRQH\HDULQMDLODQGD¿QHRIXS
WR1RZLWLVFODVVL¿HGDVDYLRODWLRQOLNH
DWUD൶
FWLFNHW
Under the new law, getting caught with small
amounts of drugs, including heroin, methamphet-
amine, LSD and ecstasy, is punishable by a $100
¿QHZKLFKFDQEHZDLYHGLIWKHR൵HQGHUDJUHHVWR
undergo a health evaluation.
were asking for only sounds
H[WUDRUGLQDU\ LI ZH ZHUHQ¶W LQ
extraordinary times, and so we
needed something grander. And
WKDWGLGQ¶WKDSSHQ$ORWRISHR
SOHJRWKXUW´
Two Rivers has been espe-
cially problematic, according
to prison attorney Tara Herivel,
who has litigated hundreds of
cases against the Department
of Corrections. Herivel said
approximately 80% of her cases
are against Two Rivers. Accord-
ing to Herivel, despite the liti-
gation and sea of lawsuits, Two
Rivers in particular is <not afraid
HQRXJKWRFKDQJH´
<The conversation I have a
lot with my clients and people I
ZRUNZLWKLVZK\"´+DULYHOVDLG
<Why is it so horrible? Why
GRQ¶WWKH\OHDUQ"7KH\¶YHEHHQ
sued so many times, and I just
GRQ¶W WKLQN WKH\¶YH EHHQ VXHG
HQRXJK,WKLQNWKH\GRQ¶WKDYH
real consequences, and they can
brush away these individual suits
like the kinds I do pretty easily.
7KH\ MXVW GRQ¶W IROORZ FRXUW
RUGHUV´
+HULYHOVDLGLQDGGLWLRQWR¿O
ing a majority of her prison cases
against Two Rivers, she has
had contempt of court motions
DJDLQVW WKH SULVRQ¶V PHGLFDO
department for failing to follow
WKHFRXUW¶VRUGHUVOHDGLQJWRWKH
release of an adult in custody 11
years ago.
3RVLWLYHFDVHVLQVWD൵PHP
bers at Eastern Oregon prisons
We are a small, no-till farm
using organic practices,
growing vegetables, nowers
and culinary herbs.
We are located one mile
up the South Fork Road in
beautiful Dayville, Oregon.
Serving breakfast every
Saturday and Sunday.
Please call or text ahead
to reserve a spot! (Think
Cowboy Dinner Tree).
Check us out on Facebook
for weekly menus.
Grant County Justice of the Peace Kathy Stin-
nett said that before the Legislature began requir-
ing the violations go through the Circuit Court sys-
tem last summer, the Justice Court saw a total of
three violations.
<None of the three defendants provided proof
of calling for the free assessment or paid the $100
¿QH´6WLQQHWWQRWHG³8QOLNHRWKHU¿QDQFLDOREOL
gations, there is no enforcement allowed on the
¿QHDQGVRDOOWKUHHRIRXUVDUHVWLOOGXHDQG
MXVWVLWWLQJLQRXUFDVHORJ´
According to Cleo McCluskey with the Grant
County Circuit Court, only two Measure 110
cases have gone through the system. In both cases,
VKHVDLGWKHFKDUJHZDVLQLWLDOO\¿OHGDVDPLVGH
meanor but was converted to a violation when the
QHZODZFDPHLQWRH൵HFW6LQFHWKHQWKHFRXUWKDV
not had any further violations.
*UDQW&RXQW\6KHUL൵7RGG0F.LQOH\VDLGKLV
R൶
FHKDGQRWLVVXHGDVLQJOHWLFNHW
³7\SLFDOO\´0F.LQOH\VDLG³WKHH൵RUWDWWKLV
SRLQW UHDOO\ LVQ¶W ZRUWK WKH SDSHUZRUN EHFDXVH
WKHUH¶V QR IROORZWKURXJK :H KDYH QR LGHD RI
DQ\WKLQJHYHURFFXUULQJIURPWKHYLRODWLRQ´
McKinley said writing the tickets is a waste of
WLPHLIWKHR൵HQGHUGRHVQRWKDYHWRIDFHWKHFRQ
sequences for not following through on the viola-
tions. He said he would rather his deputies focus
on the criminal amounts of drug possession.
<Something needs to change because what
came out of it was not what was being sold to the
SXEOLF´0F.LQOH\VDLG
The Drug Policy Alliance, the main group
behind Measure 110, wrote in a Feb. 1 press release
that the treatment infrastructure to support the
GHFULPLQDOL]DWLRQODZLV³JHWWLQJR൵WKHJURXQG´
/DEKDUW VDLG WKH FHQWUDO SKRQH QXPEHU R൵HQGHUV
call for drug assessments to have the $100 tickets
ZDLYHGRQO\R൵HUVWUHDWPHQWLIWKH\DVNIRULW
+H VDLG WKHUH LV D ³JLJDQWLF GLVFRQQHFW´
between people getting assessments and people
getting help.
³:HFDQKDYHDOOWKHWUHDWPHQWLQWKHZRUOG´
Labhart said, <but we still have to get folks in the
GRRU´
4 including EOCI, Two Rivers,
Snake River Correctional Insti-
tution and Powder River 4 pre-
ceded every spike of COVID-19
among the adult population in
January.
The correctional facilities
handle medical cases through
their own health care settings,
according to Bernt.
In Ontario, Dr. Garth Gul-
OLFN WKH FKLHI PHGLFDO R൶
FHU
for the Snake River Correctional
,QVWLWXWLRQ WHVWL¿HG WKDW D IHYHU
was not a symptom of COVID-
19, that COVID-19 testing was
³KDUPIXO´DQGVDLGWKDWLW³FDQEH
WKHHQHP\´DFFRUGLQJWRUHSRUW
ing from the Malheur Enterprise.
The reporting also indicated that
Dr. Warren Roberts, Correc-
WLRQV¶ WRS PHGLFDO DGYLVHU KDG
been ordered to stop perform-
ing surgeries and had a history of
malpractice.
<Cases are handled internally
to the extent possible through
our Health Services units and
LQ¿UPDULHV´ %HUQW VDLG ³,I DQ
LQGLYLGXDO¶V V\PSWRPV VXUSDVV
our ability to care for them, they
are transferred to a hospital for
FDUH´
A spokesperson for Two Riv-
ers declined to comment on the
COVID-19 outbreak at the facil-
ity, citing a need to go through
the Oregon Department of Cor-
UHFWLRQVIRUDXQL¿HGUHVSRQVH
EOCI saw a milder outbreak
than it had at the start of the pan-
demic, according to supervising
executive assistant Ron Miles.
<In addition to masking,
ZH¶YH GRQH RXU EHVW DELOLW\ WR
maintain social distance or main-
tain 6 feet of distance between
everybody, but the challenge
with that is putting 1,700 peo-
SOHLQWRDDFUHORFDWLRQ´KH
said. <So social distancing is not
JRLQJWREHHDV\WKDW¶VMXVWDIDFW
RISULVRQOLIH´
EOCI saw one case among its
Malheur
Continued from Page A1
IURPVRPHZKRIHHOWKDW,URQ7ULDQJOHKDVSUR¿WHG
at the expense of smaller rivals.
One way to remedy the perception of win-
QHUVDQGORVHUVZRXOGEHWRR൵HU
smaller, independent contractors
what the Forest Service refers to
as blanket purchase agreements,
which can cover the same sorts
of services as the stewardship
FRQWUDFWEXWZLWKPRUHÀH[LELO
ity in the terms of the agreement.
Trulock
For one thing, Trulock said, the
DJHQF\FRXOGR൵HUVKRUWHUFRQ
tract periods and bring in more
contractors.
Mark Webb, executive direc-
tor of Blue Mountain For-
est Partners, pointed out that
there is a tremendous amount
of risk associated with a long-
Rude
term stewardship contract. He
pointed out that with a steward-
ship contract, most task orders run on a two-year
timeframe.
<So not only do they have to get all of the
FRPPHUFLDOKDUYHVWLQJGRQH´:HEEDGGHG³EXW
WKH\¶YHJRWWRJHWDOOWKHVHUYLFHZRUNDVVRFLDWHG
ZLWKLWWRR´
Tim Rude, the owner of John Day-based Rude
Logging, was one of the contractors on the origi-
nal stewardship proposal to work with Iron Trian-
gle. At the Feb. 10 meeting, he asked who would
ultimately decide what company gets the long-
term contract.
7UXORFNVDLGWKH)RUHVW6HUYLFH¶VQDWLRQDOSUR
FXUHPHQW R൶
FH ZRXOG PDNH WKDW GHFLVLRQ7UX
lock told the Eagle in a phone interview that his
role would concern what goes into the package as
IDUDV¿QDQFHVDQGFRPPHUFLDOWLPEHUYROXPH
The plan, Trulock said, is to open the bidding
process in November.
same day the facility transferred
adults in custody from Deer
Ridge, it began seeing a spike in
cases, with 85 cases on Dec. 21,
2020.
As of Feb. 8, 10 employ-
ees at Two Rivers had not yet
stated either their vaccination or
exemption status. Powder River
had just two, and EOCI had six.
2XWRIWKH'2&HPSOR\
ees reported to have been under
the vaccination compliance
executive order in 2021, nearly
KDG ¿OHG DQG UHFHLYHG D
medical or religious exemption,
according to DOC data from
October 2021.
The number of in-custody
deaths across the state also
appears to be increasing, with
four reported deaths within a
¿YHGD\SHULRGEHWZHHQ-DQ
DQG -DQ 6LQFH WKH VWDUW RI
the pandemic, 45 adults in cus-
tody have died after testing pos-
itive for COVID-19, according
to DOC data, while 17 of those
deaths are from adults in custody
at Two Rivers, the highest out
of all prisons in Oregon, despite
being the third-largest prison
in Oregon. EOCI, which has a
VLPLODUSRSXODWLRQVL]HRIDGXOWV
in custody, saw four deaths
throughout the pandemic, while
PRCF saw none.
The Department of Correc-
tions keeps a spreadsheet of
positive tests for COVID-19
on its website, but that data-
base has not been updated since
1RY 2൶
FLDOV ZLWK WKH
'2& VDLG VWD൶
QJ LVVXHV DQG
the tediousness of entering the
data by hand had made the task
too resource-intensive. Daily
COVID-19 statistics and cur-
rent active cases can be found
on the Department of Correc-
tions website through their
COVID-19 tracker at www.
oregon.gov/doc/covid19/Pages/
covid19-tracking.aspx.
VWD൵RQ'HFDFFRUGLQJ
to the DOC data. Six days later,
WKH IDFLOLW\ VDZ LWV ¿UVW FDVHV
among its adults in custody pop-
ulation, before it peaked at 47
positive cases among the adults
in custody and nine cases among
WKHVWD൵RQ-DQ,Q2FWREHU
(2&,KDGPRUHWKDQ
active cases.
$VRI)HE(2&,KDG]HUR
active COVID-19 cases, accord-
ing to the DOC COVID-19
website.
Powder River, in Baker City,
saw a small outbreak of 21 cases
by Jan. 29, which fell to eight
cases on Feb. 8. Herivel said that
Powder River was one of the
best prisons in Eastern Oregon
when it came to COVID safety.
On the other hand, Two Riv-
ers had nearly 15% of its adult
population test positive for the
&29,'YLUXVRQ-DQ
0LOHVVDLG(2&,R൵HUVYDF
cines to the adult in custody
SRSXODWLRQ DV ZHOO DV R൵HU
ing vaccine booster clinics
from time to time for prison-
ers to keep up to date with the
COVID-19 vaccines.
Previous reporting by
the East Oregonian through
numerous interviews with law-
yers representing clients at
Two Rivers, as well as inmates
themselves, had shown a lax
regard for COVID-19 safety
at Two Rivers. Inmates cited
improper mask wearing by
VWD൵ PHPEHUV DQG PL[LQJ RI
COVID-19-positive inmates
with the general population for
work.
According to previous report-
ing by Oregon Public Broadcast-
ing, Two Rivers saw a spike in
infections during December
DIWHU WZR VWD൵ PHPEHUV
tested positive, and the facility
transferred 10 positive individ-
uals from Deer Ridge Correc-
tional Institution, Madras. The
Burns
2022 CSA Shares
Available.
Call or Text to reserve!
541-602-0303
Harney County
Fairgrounds
Sunday
Feb 27
8:30 - 4:30
and
spring Bazaar
and craft sale
Trinkets
Treasures
Collectibles
One-of-a-kinds
Jewelry
Primitives
Vintage
S277496-1
Reclaimed
Furniture
Toys and Games
Lots of local
hand-crafted
items
ADMISSION
DGXOWROGHU
6HQLRUV
ZLWKGRQDWLRQRIFDQV
RIIRRGIRUORFDOIRRGEDQN
$JHVDQG\RXQJHUIUHH
Vendors sign-ups: 541-903-5849
www.centraloregonfleamarket.com
S278457-1
A16