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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2010)
Page 8 The INDEPENDENT, December 2, 2010 Columbia 9-1-1 announces new administrator Rick Whitehead will take over the helm at Columbia 9- 1-1 effective January 1. Pho- to courtesy of 9-1-1. The Board of Directors of the Columbia 9-1-1 Communica- tions District announced last week that Richard (Rick) Whitehead of Austin, Texas, has accepted the position of Administrator of the 9-1-1 Dis- trict, contingent upon success- ful completion of a background investigation. The Administrator is the chief executive officer, respon- sible for all functions and serv- ices of the District, and an- swers to the elected Board of Directors. The Board governs with the involvement of a statu- tory Advisory Committee which consists of all fire/emergency medical chiefs, the county sheriff, all police chiefs, the county emergency manager and any other public or private entity providing public safety in the jurisdiction. The Board also appoints five citizens to its an- nual Budget Committee. “We are pleased with the very high caliber of candidates who responded to our an- nouncement and participated in our screening processes. We are especially grateful to the many stakeholders who assist- ed the Board in our selection. With their help we met our goal of securing an individual that we believe is highly qualified to lead our critical services into the future, with the professional skill and prudent approach our communities rightly expect and demand,” said Dee Wooley, Board President. Administrator-Select White- head holds a bachelor of ap- plied arts & sciences degree from Midwestern State Univer- sity with major course work in criminal justice and public ad- ministration. He is a graduate of the FBI Academy, session No. 197, and the Leadership and Command College of Texas. He holds a Certified Public Manager designation from the Hobby Center for Pub- lic Services in Texas. His 30- plus year career has spanned all aspects of military, municipal and county law enforcement, including directing Emergency (9-1-1) Communications, Homi- cide, SWAT and Special Oper- ations. He is an experienced and well respected public safe- ty trainer. He has been respon- sible for various project imple- mentations such as accredita- tion and regional radio and mo- bile data, as well as working in collaboration with child protec- tion, family violence task force and school resource officer units. Most recently Whitehead has served on the operations board of a combined trans- portation emergency communi- cations center which fostered regional interoperability and new technology installations. Whitehead and his wife, Deb, have three grown children – two sons who are both fire- fighters and a daughter who is a journalist. Whitehead plans to report to work in early Decem- ber and work with the District’s current Administrator at least through December 31st to as- sure a smooth transition. Sally Jones, hired in 1990 as Administrator when the 9-1-1 District was first formed by vot- ers, plans to retire on Decem- ber 31st. Jones, who began her emergency communications career in 1973 following a two year stint as nurse, said, “I have been so fortunate to ex- perience myriad improvements in 9-1-1 services during my ca- reer – the most obvious of which is technologies that help us identify the location of emer- gencies, speed up response activations and support interop- erable communications among field units. Also exciting to me, are the great advances in Elder abuse may be on the rise State officials are concerned that elder abuse may be a growing problem in Oregon, as it is nationally. National studies estimate that 3-5 million sen- iors age 65 and older nation- wide have experienced abuse, but only one in five abuse cas- es is reported. With the holi- days upon us and families visit- ing with one another, DHS would like to remind people of the signs of elder abuse. “No type of abuse should be tolerated, but elder abuse is an under-reported crime because people do not know how to rec- ognize the signs, and they don’t know how to report it when they do see it,” says James D. Toews, the Depart- ment of Human Services (DHS) assistant director for seniors and people with disabil- ities. “We have to raise aware- ness of elder abuse and ways to report it before we can hope to prevent it.” Approximately 13 percent of Oregon’s population is now 65 years or older. DHS reviewed 20,000 calls regarding allegations of abuse of elderly or physically disabled Oregonians in 2009. Of those calls 12,447 warranted DHS in- vestigation in either the com- munity or in facilities. State Farm ® Providing Insurance and Financial Services Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710 Bunny Girt, Agent 503-901-1705 emergency medical pre-ambu- lance arrival support, increases in volunteer involvement, fire prevention and disaster pre- paredness programs and other partnerships we have with citi- zens and local businesses that enhance our ability to prevent injury and save lives. I will miss all that, but, I will miss the many extraordinary people I have worked with most of all. I am thankful for the Board’s careful selection of the next Adminis- trator; Mr. Whitehead will serve our District mission very well and will continue our commit- ment to excellence in public service”. 1229 N. Adair PO Box 543 Cornelius, OR 97113-0543 Bus 503-357-3131 Fax 503-357-9667 bunny.girt.b71g@statefarm.com A new brochure from the DHS Seniors and People with Disabilities Division outlines adult abuse reporting. It can be found and downloaded at: http://dhsforms.hr.state.or.us/F orms/Served/DE9373.pdf . The signs of elder abuse in- clude physical injuries, emo- tional or behavioral changes, a decline in self-care, and changes in financial status. A complete list of the signs of abuse is available on the DHS website: http://www.oregon.gov /DHS/spwpd/abuse/def_signs. shtml. Oregon law defines elder abuse as physical injury not caused by accident, neglect leading to harm, abandonment, intentional infliction of physical pain or injury, unwanted sexual contact or the inability to con- sent to sexual contact, and tak- ing or threatening to take mon- ey or property. Anyone witnessing or sus- pecting abuse of seniors or people with physical disabilities is asked to call the toll-free abuse hotline: 1-800-232-3020. DHS and Area Agencies on Ag- ing provide protective services and investigate reports of sus- pected abuse. They determine if abuse has occurred and work with law enforcement when a potential crime may have oc- curred. “Our staff does an excellent job of identifying these situa- tions and providing assistance, but they need help from the public,” says Toews. “As Ore- gon’s population ages, this type of abuse is bound to in- crease unless we all become more aware of the signs of abuse and more willing to re- port or prevent it.” County to give flu shots in Mist Columbia Health District- Public Health Authority will be providing a walk-in flu shot clin- ic at the Mist-Birkenfeld Fire Station, 12525 Hwy 202, on December 10. Oregon Health Plan (OHP) will be billed in lieu of the $10 charge for those in- sured by OHP. The clinic will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Flu vaccine is an effective way to protect you and your family from the flu virus. For those who have private insur- ance or Medicare, contact your provider or pharmacist. CHD Public Health will be offering several other walk-in flu clinics open to the county, at the Public Health clinic located at 2370 Gable Rd. in St. He- lens, behind Safeway, across the street from St. Helens High School. For those additional dates, please view the website at www.chdpublichealth.com. Columbia County Mental Health 800-294-5211 ----------------- Suicide Hotline 1-800- 784-2433 or 1-800-273-TALK(8255) ----------------- Domestic Abuse Hotline 503-397-6161 or 866-397-6161 ----------------- Military Helpline 888-HLP-4-VET (888-457-4838)