OPINION READER’S FORUM
Founded in 1906
WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2020
A4
EDITOR’S DESK
Mental health shouldn’t be ignored
efore I moved to Hermis-
ton, while I was working
for The Dalles Chronicle, a
co-worker told me an anecdote about
a homeless man with an
apparent mental illness.
We both knew his
name from his near-
weekly appearances
on the records page of
Jade
our newspaper, always
McDowell
for some minor charge
NEWS EDITOR
of disorderly con-
duct or criminal mis-
chief after making a scene at a local
establishment.
He had recently shown up at the
regional jail, calmly undressed, and
stood naked by the front door until
the sheriff walked out, greeted him
by name, and said, “Put your clothes
back on, we don’t have any room for
you today.”
So he got dressed and went on his
way.
I thought of that story a few years
later, when a young man with a men-
tal illness showed up at the Herm-
iston Police Department, smashed
a window out, and then asked to be
arrested for it.
I don’t have all the answers for fi x-
ing our country’s mental health prob-
lems, but there has got to be a better
way.
The opening of Aspen Springs,
a new 16-bed psychiatric facility in
Hermiston, is a positive develop-
ment. But it took four years to open
after Lifeways fi rst broke ground
on the project, and it barely makes
a dent in replacing the 60 beds that
used to be available in Pendleton
B
HH fi le photo
Aspen Springs Psychiatric Hospital in Hermiston has added acute, inpatient psychiatric care
to Umatilla County.
before the state shut down the Blue
Mountain Recovery Center in 2014.
Unfortunately, it seems unlikely
additional help is on the way for our
mental health care system any time
soon. As COVID-19 continues to
wreak havoc on the economy, the
Oregon Legislature and local lead-
ers will have to make cuts across the
budget. The planned mental health
and addiction-focused renovation of
the Umatilla County Jail has already
been one of the fi rst casualties.
Full disclosure: My father is a
licensed clinical social worker in
Oregon, so I do have a personal bias
toward advocating for more mental
health resources in the state. But that
call has been echoed by many of our
leaders.
Hermiston Police Department
Chief Jason Edmiston has frequently
voiced his frustration that there are
not more resources for people like
those I mentioned above. At the
Aspen Springs ribbon cutting, Uma-
tilla County Commissioner John Sha-
fer said too many Umatilla County
residents were ending up in jail
when they should have been receiv-
ing treatment at a facility like Aspen
Springs instead. During a recent town
hall, state Rep. Greg Smith said men-
tal health funding has become a new
focus for him as he has gained a bet-
ter understanding of the scope of the
problem.
Acute care for people in the depths
of a psychotic episode might be the
most obvious place to start, but we
also need more resources for our
friends and neighbors who are expe-
riencing less severe mental health
problems.
Three times since I moved to
Hermiston, I have had friends
express to me that they were experi-
encing increasingly intrusive suicidal
thoughts. In each case, they have not
felt reassured by the options avail-
able to people in their situation, who
were afraid of what they might do
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
Stepping Stones will off er a leg up
Greg Smith a leading light in District 57
To the editor:
I moved to Hermiston in 1985 and have been
involved in community activities since. One of my
blessings has been to be involved with ordained min-
istry at St. John’s Episcopal Church. One of the sor-
rows came shortly after we moved here and the win-
ter was bitterly cold with lots of snow. This was before
Agape House or the Warming Station existed. When we
had some homeless person show up on our doorstep we
would only be able to fund perhaps a night in a motel.
Other places they might go turned their backs.
As I continued to see our homeless population grow
through economic downturns, my heart ached. When
we formed the Warming Station I became a volunteer.
Working more closely with these individuals made me
more aware that here were people of worth, not garbage
to be discarded or pushed away, out of sight.
I have stepped forward to volunteer to be on the
board of the Hermiston Stepping Stones nonprofi t. We
are working on a solution that mirrors successful efforts
of other progressive communities, such as Eugene and
Walla Walla. Stepping Stones aims to provide a safe,
secure sleeping location for folks (instead of down-
town, or on the Oxbow Trail). After establishing a site
with “Conestoga” huts for sleeping, Stepping Stones
plans to work with other agencies to push homeless
folks to rehab, GED, skill training, or whatever they
might need as a leg up out of homelessness. When my
great-grandparents emigrated west, the country seemed
to support a “Golden Rule” approach to life. I think
Hermiston has a good heart and can support this mis-
sion to support others as we would like to be treated.
Rev. Chuck Barnes
Board member for Hermiston Stepping Stones,
priest at St. John’s
Hermiston
To the editor:
In November of 2000, Greg Smith was fi rst elected
to represent District 57 in the Oregon State House
of Representatives. In the years since then, Greg
has demonstrated himself to be honest, positive, and
extremely hardworking on behalf of the residents of
his constituency. He has shown time and again his
dedication to represent well a portion of the state that
is often overlooked and not heard. His keen com-
mon-sense insight into the strengths and challenges
that face his region and his continual can-do attitude
sets him apart from others.
Greg is a good listener. He demonstrates a willing-
ness to learn and grow. He has shown time and again
that he has not only the desire to lead and represent,
but the ability to do so well. Greg has taken a lead-
ership role in the region to help its cities grow and
develop. This is especially apparent in Hermiston,
as this city has shown strong growth and economic
development.
Greg is honest and caring. He has an ongoing con-
cern for people and he carries that concern with him
everywhere.
Through the years in which I have known Greg
Smith, he has demonstrated leadership skills, per-
sonal and public integrity, thoughtfulness and an
ability to connect with people of all walks of life.
These skills are exactly what we need in a represen-
tative for our district in the Oregon State House of
Representatives.
I endorse Greg Smith and strongly encourage you
to join me in that support as Greg makes his reelec-
tion bid as the Oregon State Representative of House
District 57.
Cathy Lloyd
Hermiston
U.S. PRESIDENT
DONALD TRUMP
STATE REP. GREG SMITH,
DISTRICT 57
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
whitehouse.gov/contact/
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Email: Rep.GregSmith@state.
or.us
———
STATE SEN. BILL HANSELL,
DISTRICT 29
———
U.S. SENATORS
RON WYDEN
221 Dirksen Senate Offi ce Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande offi ce: 541-962-7691
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VOLUME 114 • NUMBER 29
Chris Rush | Publisher • crush@eomediagroup.com • 541-278-2669
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———
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GOV. KATE BROWN
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———
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
GREG WALDEN
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but had not actually taken action to
harm themselves yet.
We also need to make sure that
counseling is readily accessible
and affordable for people who are
experiencing less severe anxiety,
depression, grief, addiction or other
symptoms.
Unfortunately, this problem goes
beyond a funding issue. There is also
a shortage of mental health profes-
sionals available for hiring. That’s
one of the reasons that Lifeways
took longer than expected to open
Aspen Springs, and during the facil-
ity’s grand opening, Good Shepherd
Health Care System CEO Dennis
Burke also stated that as Good Shep-
herd has looked into expanding into
behavioral health, the ability to fi ll
positions has been a barrier.
Oregon and its universities have
created recruiting and incentive pro-
grams for other professions facing
shortages in the past. We need similar
efforts in behavioral health.
During the pandemic, mental
health concerns have often taken a
back seat to pressing concerns about
physical health. As a state, and as a
community, we can’t afford to ignore
the issue.
If you are experiencing mental
health challenges, please seek sup-
port from trusted loved ones and pro-
fessional help as needed. Although
our resources in the state are not at
an ideal level yet, there is still help
available. For a crisis, you can con-
tact Lifeways’ crisis line at 541-240-
8030 at any time, or for less urgent
needs you can call their Hermiston
offi ce at 541-567-2536.
It is the policy of the Hermiston Herald to correct errors as
soon as they are discovered. Incorrect information will be
corrected on Page 2A. Errors commited on the Opinion page
will be corrected on that page. Corrections also are noted in
the online versions of our stories.
Please contact the editor at editor@hermistonherald.com or
call (541) 564-4533 with issues about this policy or to report
errors.
SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Letters Policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for the
Hermiston Herald readers to express themselves on local,
state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer
letters should be kept to 250 words.
No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person.
The Hermiston Herald reserves the right to edit letters for
length and for content.
MAYOR DAVID
DROTZMANN
180 NE Second St.
Hermiston, OR 97838
ddrotzmann@hermiston.or.us
Letters must be original and signed by the writer or writers.
Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include
a telephone number so they can be reached for questions.
Only the letter writer’s name and city of residence will be
published.
OBITUARY POLICY
The Hermiston Herald publishes paid obituaries. The
obituary can include small photos and, for veterans, a
fl ag symbol at no charge. Expanded death notices will be
published at no charge. These include information about
services. Obituaries may be edited for spelling, proper
punctuation and style.
Obituaries and notices may be submitted online at
hermistonherald.com/obituaryform, by email to obits@
hermistonherald.com, by fax to 541-276-8314, placed via the
funeral home or in person at the Hermiston Herald or East
Oregonian offi ces. For more information, call 541-966-0818 or
1-800-522-0255, x221.