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WEDNESDAy, ApRIL 10, 2019
STUDENTS
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people can get help,” said junior
Maria Tejeda. “I don’t see (infor-
mation) anywhere until someone
does something.”
There are instantly-available
resources for anyone seeking help
for depression, suicidal thoughts,
grief or other mental health issues.
Lifeways, which provides mental
health services to Hermiston and
surrounding communities, has a
24/7 crisis line at 541-276-6207 or
866-343-4473. The National Sui-
cide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-
273-8255 and suicideprevention-
lifeline.org. The Oregon Youth
Line can be accessed at 877-968-
8491 or by texting “teen2teen” to
839863.
Not everyone knows about
those resources, however. Fisher
said she has primarily seen discus-
sions about suicide prevention and
mental health in health classes.
Students have a few health classes
throughout high school, but the
students said they’d like to see
those discussions become more
pervasive.
“I feel that in some cases, peo-
ple may be embarrassed to say
they are struggling,” Wells said.
“We need to make it ok to go talk
to someone, whether it’s a small
problem or a large one.”
Similarly, students said they
feel that the encouragement to
talk, or “safe spaces,” are mostly
evident in reaction to a crisis.
“I find it only seems to hap-
pen when somebody passes,” said
sophomore Isabelle Rivera.
English teacher Tammy Fisher,
in whose class Wells and Karyssa
Fisher wrote the opinion pieces,
said there are some opportunities
to discuss mental health in school,
but it largely depends on the class.
“In English class, sometimes
it’s a bit different,” she said. “In
lots of articles this year, we’ve
read about teen stress on the rise,
and as teachers this year, more
than ever, we seem to be getting a
clearer picture of the things teens
are experiencing.”
She said the staff also recently
completed a training called “Char-
acter Strong,” which encourages
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Lifeways provides mental health services to Hermiston and other Eastern Oregon communities.
teachers to approach their relation-
ships with students holistically,
rather than just focusing on teach-
ing for content.
In 2017, 17% of eighth grad-
ers and 18% high school juniors in
Oregon reported considering sui-
cide in the past 12 months in an
Oregon Health Authority survey.
Wells said she would like to see
a regular focus on mental health
and suicide in the schools.
“Just acknowledging these
kinds of issues would mean a lot
to people in our school, too,” said
Karyssa Fisher.
Fisher said while there are post-
ers all around the school adver-
tising suicide hotlines, many are
unlikely to ever utilize them.
“Many feel they’re really
impersonal,” she said. “A lot of
students find them really inacces-
sible in my experience.
“Which makes sense,” Tejeda
said. “For something so personal,
you wouldn’t want to call if you
can’t even see them.”
Many said they would like
to see more access to therapists
— especially for people who are
low-income.
“Money is a problem,” said
Tejeda. “A lot of people can’t
afford it. So they don’t have
a chance to go and talk to a
professional.”
Tammy Fisher said even if that’s
not the case for a family, many stu-
dents are afraid to even ask their
parents if they can afford a visit to
a therapist, or if they have insur-
ance. “I think there are a lot of bar-
riers, real or perceived,” she said.
“Maybe if there was more aware-
ness about what’s available.”
“Normalizing asking for help,”
she said. “That’s a step we’re still
really far away from as a society,
not just at HHS.”
Community resources
There are resources available in
the community and statewide for
people who are experiencing sui-
cidal thoughts. Lifeways provides
community mental health care for
Hermiston and surrounding areas.
Often community members
experiencing depression or sui-
cidal thoughts end up having con-
tact with other organizations first,
however. Those organizations
include nonprofits, schools, law
enforcement and hospitals — all
of which are being increasingly
trained to handle situations where
mental health is a factor.
Judi
Gabriel,
emergency
department assistant manager for
Good Shepherd Health Care Sys-
tem, said in an email that patients
who arrive at the emergency room
in a mental health crisis or after
an overdose are evaluated as high,
low and moderate risk to them-
selves and others and for their risk
of “elopement” from the hospital.
High or moderate risk patients
are placed in a safe room with
someone to supervise them until
a county-designated mental health
provider arrives. The provider will
meet with the patient and either
find them inpatient treatment
somewhere or draw up a safety
agreement and discharge plan that
will include a “lay caregiver” such
as a family member to help them
stay safe until their follow-up
appointment.
“At discharge, the patient will
also be given a brochure that will
have the appointment date and
time,” Gabriel said, noting it has
not only crisis hotlines for sui-
cide prevention but also resources
for addictions, domestic violence,
sexual assault and other things
that can be contributing factors to
a crisis.
In addition to its crisis hotline,
Lifeways offers ongoing outpa-
tient therapy, medicine manage-
ment, skills training and peer ser-
vices, according to licensed social
worker and Umatilla executive
director Micaela Cathey.
Cathey said when people have
their basic needs met — housing,
food, etc. — it can help head off
a crisis and increase resiliency.
Friends and family can also be
alert for warning signs.
Those warning signs include a
significant change in mood. Some-
times, Cathey said, going from
depressed to happy can actually be
a sign that the person has made up
their mind. Rapid mood swings,
becoming isolated, giving away
prized possessions, erratic behav-
ior and increased drug or alcohol
use can also be signs something is
seriously wrong.
If someone has a concern that
a loved one or acquaintance is
exhibiting such signs, they should
contact a mental health profes-
sional or reach out to the person’s
support system for assistance.
For those who are experienc-
ing suicidal thoughts or depres-
sion, there is hope. Treatment for
depression is available, as are
mental health professionals and
support groups that can help peo-
ple developing coping skills. Even
among those who attempt suicide,
a majority of survivors go on to
lead long lives that do not end in
suicide.
“No matter how low someone
feels, there are resources to help,”
Cathey wrote. “You CAN over-
come these feelings of depression
and hopelessness. No matter what
one might believe, people do care
about you.”
Hansell votes no on daylight saving bill
By ANTONIO SIERRA
STAFF WRITER
State Sen. Bill Hansell said he doesn’t
care if Oregon abolishes “springing for-
ward” and “falling back” for the rest of
time. He just wants the voters of Oregon to
make the decision.
That’s the reasoning the Athena Repub-
lican put behind his vote against Senate
Bill 320, a bill that would make daylight
saving time in Oregon permanent.
Hansell made clear that he was agnos-
tic toward changing the biannual tradition
of switching clocks an hour forward in the
spring and an hour back in the fall.
“I don’t care if it’s daylight or standard,”
he said.
But when an amendment stripped lan-
guage from the bill that would have
referred the issue to a statewide election,
Hansell decided to oppose it.
In an otherwise contentious legislative
session, the bill enjoyed broad bipartisan
support.
The chief sponsors of the bill were two
Republicans and a Democrat, and when
Hansell voted against SB 320, he was
joined only by state Sens. Elizabeth Steiner
Hayward, D-Portland, Betsy Johnson,
D-Scappoose, and Alan Olsen, R-Canby.
If the bill becomes law, Oregon wouldn’t
“fall back” the first Sunday of each Novem-
ber and would stay in the daylight saving
time period year-round. Most of Malheur
County, which observes Mountain time
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instead of Pacific time like the rest of the
state, is exempted from the bill.
But the bill faces obstacles beyond the
state legislative process.
Oregon’s foray into permanent daylight
saving time wouldn’t begin until Califor-
nia and Washington pass laws that do the
same.
Both states are well on their way: Cal-
ifornia voters approved a daylight saving
measure last November and the Washing-
ton Legislature has already passed a bill
through its house of representatives that
would put the issue up for a vote in the next
general election.
If all three states agree to permanent
daylight saving time, the trio would also
have to get federal approval from Congress.
That’s not an automatic given that
Florida is still waiting for congressional
approval for a bill in 2018 that established
a permanent daylight saving time.
But the quest to eliminate standard time
— the “fall back” period from November
to March — has some powerful, if unlikely,
allies.
President Donald Trump tweeted on
March 11 that permanent daylight saving
time was “O.K with me!”
And Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Dem-
ocrat, has also voiced support for the
proposal.
Before the concept behind SB 320 goes
before the governor’s desk and possibly the
president’s, it will need to pass the Oregon
House of Representatives.
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