The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many aspects of our lives, including how we interact with our family, friends, and communities. This last year and a half has placed a spotlight on just how important our personal relationships are to our overall wellbeing. As we head into another holiday season, it’s worth taking a moment to consider how celebrating collective traditions can also be an important piece in building a healthy, happy life. This October, the Juntos Club will be holding space for community members to celebrate Dia de los Muertos here in Tillamook:
Día de los Muertos dates back to pre-Spanish colonization, where the Mesoamerican groups would celebrate those who had passed. The arrival of the Spanish combined the Mesoamerican groups’ celebrations with the catholic holidays, All saints and All soul’s day. Families honor the dead by bringing offerings to the gravesites or by building ofrendas (alters) in their homes. The ofrendas are decorated with photos of the departed, food, drink, candles, and Xempasuchil (marigold). During this two-day period, it’s believed that the border between the living world and the spirit world dissipates allowing the souls of the dead to return to the living world to celebrate with their families.
In celebration of Dia de Los Muertos, Juntos will be hosting a family night on October 29th at OSU Extension. Families are invited to join for pan dulce, refreshments and participate in helping create an ofrenda to honor past loved ones. To celebrate and protect our friends and family with us the Tillamook Community Health Center mobile clinic will be in attendance for those interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Those who are unable to make it to the event can still celebrate their loved ones by creating ofrendas in their own homes.
The Juntos Club in Tillamook is an opportunity to socialize and discuss topics like leadership, college planning, and Latinx culture. For more events, follow their Facebook page or register for the club at https://gateway.oregonstate.edu/juntos-club-tillamook.
For more local health and wellness information, visit www.tillamookcountywellness.org or follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
2 pounds winter squash (try acorn, butternut, delicata, or others)
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Lightly grease the foil.
Rinse the squash, cut in half and scoop out seeds. Cut squash into 1-inch thick slices and lay on baking sheet.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt and pepper. Sprinkle squash with half the seasoning mixture.
Bake until sugar has melted, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and turn squash slices over. Sprinkle remaining seasoning mixture over squash and return to the oven. Bake until squash is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
Notes
Try adding other seasonings such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne or cumin.
It is estimated that 1,700 people in Tillamook County live with opioid use disorder. That person can be our neighbor, our coworker, or our family. Each of us deserve the chance to live a fulfilling life which is why the Tillamook Family Counseling Center offers a prime + peer support program free of service for any community members who may need support with substance use. AmeriCorps VISTA, Brett Buesnel, recently met with peer support specialist, Jennifer Barksdale, about her experience as a peer support specialist here in Tillamook County:
What is a peer support specialist?
As a peer support specialist, I work with the IPS model (intentional peer support). The IPS approach is about building a relationship with the individual and working to turn fear into hope.
The 4 principles of the IPS model are Connection (build partnership), World View (understand their world view and share your own), Mutuality (viewing ourselves in the context of mutually accountable relationships and communities), Moving Towards (move towards what the person wants for their life and the safest situation they are open to)
What drew you to this work?
My life has had its peaks and valleys. I had my own business in San Francisco for 15 years and was also addicted to heroin at that time. I wasn’t able to imagine before getting clean that my life could be what it is today. Addiction can be deadly and staying alive long enough to get to see recovery and the positive potential life has to offer is not guaranteed. I want to help other people live long enough to see that potential for themselves.
What is your favorite part of being a peer support specialist?
It has given perspective that has helped make me less judgmental of my own recovery. I have been through a lot of hard times, as a peer support specialist those experiences can be shared to create a real connection with people who are going through hard times themselves. I can show people how you can make it through hard times and not get high.
What is the most challenging aspect of what you do?
As addicts, people only have moments of clarity when they have the capacity to get help. Unfortunately, it can be a challenge to connect people with the help they are seeking in those sometimes small windows of time. The length of a weekend can be too long in some cases to connect people with the services they need.
What do you wish people knew about substance use disorder?
There is a common misconception that you can love someone out of addiction, or their love for a child or partner will be enough to get them into recovery. It’s a sad to say, but for many people it isn’t something that works. In order for someone to get clean, they need to want it for themselves.
How can people access this support at the Tillamook Family Counseling Center?
The work I do at TFCC is Prime Plus Peer Project. To get access to Prime Plus all they need to do is make a call, they do not have to be a client of TFCC. Prime Plus is an immediate service for support, no referrals necessary. The other path at TFCC is to come in for an assessment with a clinician.
What other community resources exist?
The OurTillamook.org website has lots of addiction support information. There are also AA/NA meetings at the Serenity Club that people can check out.
Is there anything that we didn’t cover that you would like to share?
One of the most important things about peer support is that it exists outside of a traditional clinical approach. The peer-peer connection meets folks where they are, more as a supportive friend role to listen and provide support through many of life’s challenges that can get in the way of recovery. The Intentional Peer Support model is a great way to meet folks where they are in their recovery.
If you would like to contact Jennifer for support, she can be reached at 503-812-8412. For more information about the prime + program in Tillamook County, visit https://ourtillamook.org/prime-peer-support/
AUTHOR: Brett Buesnel, AmeriCorps VISTA at Tillamook County Community Health Center
For more local health and wellness information, follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Do you have old prescriptions or unused medications? Too often these end up in the wrong hands and wrong places. Unused or expired prescription medications can lead to accidental poisonings, overdose, and abuse. According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers and 4.9 million people misused prescription stimulants. The majority of teenagers misusing prescription drugs get them from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet. Even prescription drugs thrown in the trash can be retrieved and abused or illegally sold. (And unused drugs that are flushed can contaminate the water supply!) The best way to dispose of unused medications is to utilize local take-back programs.
Tillamook County Community Health Center will be partnering with Tillamook County Solid Waste for this year’s National DEA Drug Take Back Day on October 23rd at the Tillamook County Fairgrounds. Registration is not necessary, just drop in between 10 am and 2 pm.
At the event you can:
Bring unused or expired medication (prescription or over-the-counter)
Bring sharps (injectables / needles) in closed red sharps containers for safe disposal
Receive a COVID-19 vaccine and a flu shot!
(Please do not bring liquid medications or creams – the best way to dispose of these medications is by mixing them with kitty litter and placing them in the garbage)
This is also an opportunity to dispose of diabetic needles (or other injectables). Sharp objects must be placed in closed red plastic Sharps containers and separated from medications. If you need a red Sharps container for these items, they are available for purchase at many pharmacies. During the week of the event (Oct 17-23), a small number of Sharps containers will be available for pick-up at Tillamook County Fairgrounds at the regularly scheduled vaccine clinics, Tuesday and Thursday 8:30 am – 3pm and Wednesday 1pm – 4pm. Your local healthcare provider or diabetic supplier may also be able to provide more information on where to find Sharps containers.
Safely disposing unused medications is an important way to protect those around you and prevent addiction or overdose. If you’re unable to make it to the event, there are other drug disposal locations across the county (although these locations are only for unused medications and cannot accept sharps or needles). There is a medication drop box at the following locations: Rinehart Clinic & Pharmacy, Rockaway Beach City Hall, Tillamook County Libraries, Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office, Tillamook Pharmacy, Tillamook Police Department. For more information, visit https://ourtillamook.org/drug-disposal-locations/ .
AUTHOR: Tillamook County Wellness
For more local health and wellness information, follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
