OPINION READER’S FORUM
Founded in 1906
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021
A4
OUR VIEW
Drop-in peer centers add valuable services to battle addiction
The local area learned of some
good news last week when three
drop-in peer centers opened, add-
ing another layer of services that
will make a diff erence in the future.
The Oregon Washington Health
Network drop-in centers in Herm-
iston, Pendleton and Milton-Free-
water are designed to off er sup-
port and guidance from peers who
can help people seek addiction
assistance.
Amy Ashton-Williams, the net-
work’s executive director, said the
grand opening of the Hermiston
drop-in center was monumental
and we couldn’t agree more.
The drop-in centers are a grass-
roots way to help tackle addic-
tion. The services are free, which
is another big plus. The centers can
off er a low-key type of assistance
to help those in need, and in a per-
fect world there would be far more
such center than currently exists.
Addiction is one of those com-
munity challenges that needs more
attention from us all. If we have not
been touched by addiction chal-
lenges — either personally or with
a loved one — it can be hard to
relate to the impact such problems
can generate. Addiction touches
not just the individual but those
around them and, often, impacts
public safety. Police spent a huge
amount of time dealing with addic-
tion – in one form or another — so
the advent of a resource such as the
peer drop-in centers is good news
for everyone.
Addiction is a subject that can
be easily dismissed by those who
have not been touched by it. It
shouldn’t be dismissed. Drug and
alcohol addiction costs millions
in taxpayer dollars every year. If
a viable method can be found —
such as the drop-in centers — to
help it should be embraced by all.
Ashton-Williams said in a
story in this newspaper that her
PETERSON’S POINTS
organization already had helped
about 50 people in the past few
months. The new offi ces mean
even more people will be able to
access addiction services.
The centers are an investment
in the future in a real sense. They
will provide a key piece of infra-
structure to help our area com-
bat addiction — in all its forms
— and hopefully, ultimately help
make a real diff erence in our col-
lective future.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Look to local examples to
learn anti-bullying behavior
A
s October is Anti-bully-
ing Month, we should honor
those people for whom kind-
ness is natural. We should 1. learn
from their example, and 2. try to root
out our own personality defects. We
should keep from
being bullies.
I write this as a
person is trying to
be better, because I
need to be better.
My own form
of bullying comes
from a bad sense of Erick
humor. Too often, I Peterson
say the fi rst thing that comes to mind
without further thought. It is mean,
judgmental and hurtful. I do harm,
and after realize the need for apol-
ogy. I say sorry, but the damage has
been done.
1. Certain groups around town
have shown a clear example of
anti-bullying.
The most recent Hermiston
School Board meeting showed ter-
rifi c civility. As we see national news
of clashes between school boards
and members of the public, note the
hostility, lack of reason and uncon-
trolled rage. Then contrast that with
what occurred at the last school
board meeting.
The atmosphere of the meeting
was light and relaxed, friendly even.
When board members laughed, it
was not from cruel jokes, but from
pleasantness. Likewise, when guests
spoke, they also brought good vibes
to the room.
Even when people disagreed
with the board, and spoke for the
need of change, everyone remained
respectful.
Now, I am not saying all meet-
ings need to be conducted with all
participants singing “Kumbaya,” but
it is nice to see grown people inter-
acting in a spirit of unity and mutual
thoughtfulness.
The Hermiston School Board
meeting was not the only occasion
where people act well, far above
the most egregious examples in our
larger society. Probably, they should
all be named, but I will only mention
one more for something learned at its
meeting.
In the past week, a new friend
invited me to a Hermiston Kiwanis
Club meeting. It was also a pleasant
aff air. This meeting featured Byron
Smith, Hermiston city manager, who
delivered a presentation on develop-
ments in town. The club welcomed
Smith and Mark Morgan, assistant
city manager, who was also present.
In this friendly environment, club
members were able to hear about
actions that aff ected their lives.
They also got to ask questions and
deliver feedback. It was downright
productive.
I bring the Hermiston Kiwanis
meeting up not just for another
example of civility in our commu-
nity, but for something else I noticed
in their meeting. It was this thing that
gives us a method for maintaining
decent, un-bullying behavior.
2. The way to not be bullies, as
described by a Kiwanis sign, is sur-
prisingly simple. The sign, which
was on display at the front of the
meeting room for all to see, was a
recommendation to be thoughtful
before speaking.
It listed suggestions, derived from
the advice of Socrates. Before one
speaks, one should ask oneself three
questions. First, is one’s statement
true? Second, is one’s statement
good? Third, is one’s statement use-
ful? If the answer to all these ques-
tions is affi rmative, only then does a
person speak.
This triple fi lter test is the answer
to bullying behavior. It is an enlight-
ened way of thinking, which is
already employed by our best people.
So, thank you, Hermiston School
Board meeting participants, Hermis-
ton Kiwanis Club meeting attendees
and all those other people who are
acting well as they build better com-
munities. Throughout this month,
when we discuss answers to bullying
behavior, we should all learn from
your examples.
———
Erick Peterson is the editor
and senior reporter of the
Hermiston Herald.
Tuberculosis taught us vaccinations protect
students and teachers
It would have been unthinkable in 1957, when I started
teaching in Hermiston, for any person involved with school
children to refuse showing they were free of tuberculo-
sis. The certifi cation necessary could be achieved through a
Tuberculin Skin Test or a chest X-ray.
I fi rst encountered this regulation in December 1954
when I accepted a job driving a school bus. While in col-
lege, before I could drive, I had to have a chauff eur’s
license and a current certifi cate showing the date of my
last chest X-ray. They would not let me do a TST because
I had close contact with a person who was infectious with
TB when I was 15. Later, the care was necessary when our
class went to observe teachers in the classroom and when I
did my student teaching. While teaching, I had to renew my
certifi cation every three or four years. These mandates were
accepted without question because we knew it involved the
health of our children.
The Supreme Court in 1905 ruled that in matters of
health the state has the authority to make laws to protect its
citizens. This has been affi rmed several times since. Small-
pox vaccination was the original case, but I think we may
have overdone it when we were still giving the vaccination
until the 1970s. The last death in the U.S. from smallpox
was in 1949.
The CDC reported the death rate for tuberculosis in
1958 was 36.7 per 100,000. By the time I retired in 1990,
the rate was below 6 per 100,000. “Statista” listed the death
rate in Oregon for COVID-19 Oct. 14, 2021, are to be 97
per 100,000 with Oregon ranking number 46. Mississippi
was number 1 on the same date and had a death rate of 333
per 100,000. The extent of that state’s management of the
disease is the governor suggesting people get vaccinated. I
guess their tolerance for death is a lot higher than Oregon’s.
For those who are so uncaring about the health of their
students that they would quit teaching because they refused
to get vaccinated, I have little sympathy. When I was teach-
ing, the health and well-being of every child was my num-
ber one priority. Now that I am older, I am also concerned
that a child might bring the virus home and their grandpar-
ents might be one of the 97.
Carlisle Harrison
Hermiston
COLUMN
Reading is helpful for catching kids up in school
C
hildren across the coun-
try and around our com-
munities are returning or
have returned to classrooms. How-
ever, parents, teachers and students
have expressed signifi cant concern.
How do we make up for the past
year and a half with so much loss
of instruction? First, some students
were not able to connect with the
online learning, parents were over-
whelmed and trying to help them
with their school work, and then
some students just disappeared not
showing up at school when schools
resumed, creating frustration for
parents, teachers and students.
Teachers have experienced chal-
lenges over the years with multi-
ple levels of students in the class-
room. They have become more
overwhelmed with students at more
signifi cant learning gaps upon
returning to school. There are those
students who were able to con-
nect with and participate in online
learning, as well as those with par-
ents who could adjust their
schedules to participate in
homeschooling. Still, some
parents didn’t have those
opportunities, and their chil-
dren faced new challenges.
We can’t go back. We
have to keep things mov-
Scott
ing forward. Our children
Smith
are resilient, and they will
bounce back quickly. But, we all
have to be aware and provide addi-
tional support if we see a child
struggling.
As parents and community
members, one of the best things we
can do to assist our schools is to
engage our children. Language is
key to the child’s development and
understanding of their surround-
ings. Take the time to have a child
tell you what they are doing and
why not just when they have done
something wrong, builds pathways
in their brains to increase their
comprehension of what is happen-
ing around them.
Reading with or to chil-
dren remains one of the
best learning opportunities
an adult can do with chil-
dren. When you read with a
child or to a child, there are
several key activities you
can engage the child with
to increase their under-
standing. Questions along
with asking their opinion will
increase their knowledge. If you
can relate the activities in what
you are reading to real-life expe-
riences, it will help the child build
the comprehension skills they may
have missed during the last couple
of years.
Consider a nonfi ction book in
your child’s area of interest. We all
enjoy a good story, but a nonfi c-
tion book might help make up for
some lost classroom time. Again
the learning happens during the
discussion about the information.
Still, no matter how hard we
try, the time has been lost because
of the pandemic, and we have to
keep moving forward. Getting
our children engaged can be dif-
fi cult sometimes. You’re ready or
have time to work with them, and
they start crying and arguing mak-
ing a whole diff erent challenge. If
you should experience your child
pushing back, know you are expe-
riencing a learning opportunity.
Our children want to have some
form of control in this out-of-con-
trol time. So knowing how to deal
with this will make everyone’s
day happier.
You might start with a question,
such as, “Would you like to read
a book?” Whatever activity you
have in mind. We would hope to
hear “Sure,” but it doesn’t always
happen. Then, if you start to get
push back, this is your child show-
ing they want to challenge con-
trol. So give them a statement like,
“We need to complete this story or
do our reading today so we can do
it now or when you’re ready, but
CORRECTIONS
Printed on
recycled
newsprint
VOLUME 114 • NUMBER 41
Andrew Cutler | Publisher • acutler@eomediagroup.com • 541-278-2673
Erick Peterson | Editor/Senior Reporter • epeterson@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4536
Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • community@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4532
Andy Nicolais | Page Designer • anicolais@eomediagroup.com
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Letters Policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for the
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No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person.
we need to start in 15 minutes to
complete it in time for ... Which
would you prefer?” Doing this
shows your child they can control
something in what seems to be an
out-of-control time in their world.
In most cases, children will come
and read because the number
one thing they want is time with
you. Our children want our time,
whether it be positive or negative.
We as adults have to make it pos-
itive, and this trick is quick and
straightforward.
Looking forward is our way
to help our children move past
these last couple of years. Spend-
ing time and interacting with them
will also help overcome the time
missed in the classroom. Let the
learning begin.
———
Scott Smith is a 40-plus year
Umatilla County educator and
serves on the Decoding Dyslexia
Oregon board as its parent/
teacher liaison.
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