by Guest | Dec 16, 2017 | Being Well
(NOTE: This is a timely article with the recent naming of “The Silence Breakers” of the #MeToo movement selected as TIME Magazine’s “Person of the Year.” It’s important to recognize that sexual assault and sexual harassment exists in our community and most importantly, there are resources and help available for all.)
By Emily Fanjoy, Health Programs Coordinator, Tillamook County Women’s Resource Center
#Metoo, the hashtag that started in 2006 was popularized by Alyssa Milano this October after she posted it saying, “If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘Me too’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.” In the first 24 hours after Milano posted, more than 4.7 million people used the hashtag. Since October, accounts of sexual harassment and assault perpetrated by well known and admired men from Hollywood to the White House are surfacing. Survivors are telling their stories.
As author Brene Brown suggests, “maybe stories are just data with a soul.” We’ve had the data for years, quietly occupying space in research files. For example, a 2011 study by Potter & Banyard found that 38% of employed women have experienced harassment in the workplace. A more recent ABC News-Washington Post poll found that 54% of women have experienced “unwanted and inappropriate sexual advances” by men at some point in their lives, while 30% of women were subjected to this by a male colleague, and 25% identified men with power over their careers. To break it down, 1 in 2 women, 1 in 3 women, and 1 in 4 women, respectively. This compares to the 17-20% of men, or approximately 1 in 5, who experience harassment.
Daily we are hearing, seeing, reading, watching new accounts and stories, sometimes in brief and harrowing detail, yet the statistics above suggest that the stories we’ve heard thus far are just a fraction of the souls, the living breathing people, behind all that data. The impacts that these stories have on those who listen, read, and watch also merits addressing. Vicarious trauma or the cumulative effects of bearing witness to other’s suffering, and re-traumatization for survivors are legitimate concerns.
At the Tillamook Co. Women’s Resource Center (TCWRC) our mission is to eliminate domestic and sexual violence in Tillamook County. Since its founding in 1982 TCWRC volunteers, employees, partners and community supporters have worked to both offer support services to survivors of violence and to address root causes of violence. Every day employees and volunteers in the office bear witness to stories of fear, pain, and trauma. Every day we are responsible for recognizing the impact this has on our lives outside of work; on our outlook on life; and on our ability to also experience joy and connection in life.
As social activist and Trauma Stewardship author Laura VanDernoot Lipsky points out, so many cultural traditions support the idea that “in life there is equal measure of brutality and beauty, of pain and pleasure, of annihilating moments and of sublime moments.” This moment is one of reckoning, of grappling with ugly realities, and yet that is not the whole story. There are also moments of truth and courage, transitioning from isolation and into connection.
I recognize and honor the courage it takes for every individual who has stepped forward to publicly share their experiences of abuse. I share their hope that in the future this behavior will be so utterly unacceptable that it’s occurrence is rare, and that when it does occur the consequences for the individuals responsible for causing harm are swift and decisive.
At the same time, I recognize that reading, hearing, listening to such an overwhelming number of individual accounts has a profound impact on me a witness to other’s pain. The data, the vast numbers of people impacted, also implies that as witnesses to current events, many people posses a personal understanding of what work place harassment and sexual violence feel like. For survivors of any kind of sexual violence these stories can be triggering, setting off post-traumatic stress reactions, heightening a persons’ anxiety or depressive symptoms as the stories may sound similar to their own personal experience. If this is you, you are not alone. TCWRC advocates are here to support survivors regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred.
While others of us are fortunate enough to be concerned citizens without personal experience of violence, still repeated exposure to countless stories may cause us to experience heightened levels of anxiety or increased feelings of exhaustion, hopelessness, or despair. Vicarious trauma can impact all aspects of a person’s life, including how we are able to be with our friends and family.
How do we take care of ourselves as individuals in this period of national reckoning? How do we manage the nagging thought that it’s cruel to turn away? Brown, through her research, has also found that the most compassionate people are people who have healthy boundaries. This means that as individuals, we are responsible to take care of ourselves first in order to be fully present in supporting others–the oxygen mask rule of flying is not just an in-flight instruction. First, practice awareness of your feelings and bodily sensations. Second, when you notice you’re having difficulty with the topic, practice turning off the (insert: television, radio, social media account) that’s exposing you to other people’s stories, not forever, but for the moment.
Third, redirect yourself in a positive way.
For example, if I’m driving to or from work listening to news in the car, and I notice I’m holding my breath or only taking shallow breaths, this is a sign that I need break. I turn off the news and switch to music; I roll down the window and take deep breaths. I do not keep listening to the radio, because my body is sending me signals to stop and redirect myself. Finally, if that’s not enough, I also know who I can turn to when I need additional support.
TCWRC advocates and helpline are here to support you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition to our helpline, we offer individual counseling and support groups for survivors of violence including a new art based group for building resilience. If the courage and truth telling you’ve witnessed is motivating you to get involved, contact us to learn more about volunteer information and educational opportunities. Whatever you’re feeling in response to this maelstrom, know that you’re not the only one struggling through all of this. TCWRC is located at 1902 2nd St in Tillamook, OR, call our office at 503-842-9486 or toll free at 1-800-922-1679
by Guest | Dec 4, 2017 | Being Well
By YOW Staff
You’ve come a long way baby! This captures the progress made by Tillamook County’s Year of Wellness (YOW) campaign. Beginning as an idea of Commissioner Bill Baertlein in 2015, this grass-roots health improvement project was launched in 2016 and grew quickly from there. YOW was one local leader’s way to address rising chronic disease rates and healthcare spending. “If we can get people to take a few more steps each day and just eat a little healthier, then we will be doing something positive,” says Bill often. The idea is to put the control of community health into the hands of, well, the community.
By the end of 2016, over 75% of people surveyed had heard of YOW. More than 1,000 citizens had participated in the on-line health tracker and thousands more are looking at their daily habits in a new light. YOW also shifted how community partners viewed working together to influence population health. Healthcare leaders increasingly began to work toward community-wide solutions rather than just focusing on what could be done for a patient in the clinical setting. Social service agencies, schools, workplace wellness leaders and civic groups were recognizing the broader roles they could play in influencing “upstream” social determinants of health.
As 2017 approached, this positive energy and enthusiasm prompted the YOW Task Force to vote unanimously for its continuation. Since the beginning, YOW Committee members have volunteered hundreds of hours contributing to YOW’s success. Subject-area experts, passionate community advocates and everyday citizens have convened monthly to address topics including: health education, physical activity, nutrition, mental and behavioral health, tobacco prevention and public policy. These volunteers have helped identify which community resources can be leveraged to improve health (chronic disease prevention classes, outdoor recreation, community events, etc.) and where gaps exist which could be targets for improvement (safer sidewalks, more cooking classes, and increased social supports, to name a few.)
YOW’s progress is a remarkable thing. The health of Americans has been declining for decades. Experts tell us over and over which lifestyle changes we need to make to become healthier. Yet, somehow, health indicators have continued to move in the wrong direction. The reasons for this are complex but research is increasingly pointing to factors that we might not have previously realized impact our health, such as childhood stress and the conditions in which we live. “By working together to address these factors, and being ‘upstream-ist’ in our approach,” as Tillamook County Public Health Administrator, Marlene Putman states, “we stand to make greater gains in improving population health.”
Continuing YOW’s efforts and momentum into 2018, faced some challenges. There are simply too many health concerns and too few resources to address them all simultaneously. Conveniently, YOW was approached by researchers from the Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU). They were intrigued by what we had started and wanted to lend their expertise. The goal for both OHSU and local leaders was to see if we could create a model for other communities to follow.
With the help of Jessica Linnell, OSU Extension Professor of Practice with the School of Community and Public Health, the YOW Task Force is now working in partnership with OHSU to narrow our focus to a specific health target which can be measured.
Through a series of workshops held during the Fall of 2017, the YOW Task Force has identified a goal of reducing the incidence of Diabetes in Tillamook County. We are in the process of developing a strategic plan, as well as methods of evaluating progress in reaching this goal. According to Commissioner Baertlein, “The great thing about this goal is that so many of the health factors that contribute to Diabetes, also contribute to other important health concerns, such as heart disease, stroke and cancer. This is a win-win in my opinion.”
Watch for the weekly “Year of Wellness” column in the Headlight-Herald to learn how you can help YOW reach this important community health goal.
by Guest | Dec 3, 2017 | Being Well
By Bill Baertlein, Tillamook County Commissioner
When the Tillamook County Board of Commissioners proclaimed 2016 as the “Year of Wellness,” we were putting a spotlight on community health and the role we all play in supporting the health and wellbeing of our fellow citizens.
As you will read in the special 2017 Progress Section, dozens of volunteers representing healthcare, private business, non-profit, and social service agencies have all worked together to increase awareness of and access to the abundant health-promoting activities, classes, programs, and events already being offered right here in Tillamook County. In recent months, our Year of Wellness Task Force (YOW) has convened for a series of strategic planning workshops facilitated by Steven Blakesley, OHSU North Coast Community Research Liaison and Jessica Linnell, OSU Extension Family & Community Health faculty. Through the strategic planning process, the task force identified the need to focus on one community health priority in order to make a significant, measurable impact, and chose to address diabetes. After selecting the health priority, the workshops involved learning how to find evidence-based approaches, adapting programs for Tillamook County, ways of tracking and measuring the work to determine if it is making a difference, and creating a framework for action.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the body cannot use insulin properly or cannot make enough of it. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to help regulate blood sugar levels, and when diabetes is not well managed or controlled, it can lead to serious health consequences, even death. There are two types of diabetes: type 1 is a genetic, auto-immune disease, and type 2 occurs when cells become insulin resistant and the pancreas loses the ability to produce enough insulin over time. Type 2 diabetes makes up 90-95% of all cases and is widely considered to be preventable. Approximately 287,000 adults in Oregon live with diabetes and 1.1 million more individuals may be prediabetic according to the 2015 Oregon Diabetes Report. That’s more than one-third of our state’s population. The report also states that the estimated cost to treat diabetes is $2.2 billion each year.
According to the most recent Oregon Health Authority data*, approximately 9% of the citizens of Tillamook County have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and many more of our residents go undiagnosed or are considered prediabetic. People who are most at risk for developing type 2 diabetes are typically older, although many children are now being diagnosed at increasing rates. Other factors include obesity, genetics, physical inactivity, and childhood trauma. Unhealthy eating patterns, smoking, drugs, and alcohol are also factors.
To reduce our risk for type 2 diabetes, we can’t do much about our age or genetics, but we can create community programs around lifestyle changes. Our local Food Bank, OSU SNAP-Ed, Food Roots, the Rinehart Clinic, Northwest Senior & Disability Services, and Adventist Health are just some of the local partners offering nutrition education and cooking classes. The YMCA, and the North Coast Recreational District (NCRD), along with a host of dance, yoga, and outdoor recreation partners are here to help folks get moving. We also have local waterways, parks, trails, and walking paths that are free and open to everyone.
All of our healthcare partners have Care Coordinators who are ready and willing to assist patients with the challenges they face in changing their lifestyle habits. The Tillamook Family Counseling Center is also on board providing mental and behavioral health support.
As you can see, we have all the right ingredients in our community to help people reduce their risk of developing diabetes and other chronic health conditions. And we have many resources available to support those who need a little help managing their health and disease risk.
In the coming months, our Year of Wellness Task Force will be working to create innovative strategies to build on these existing resources to help reduce our community’s risk and rate for this serious disease. We hope you are as excited about this as we are and that you will join us in this effort to make Tillamook County a healthier and happier place for everyone to live, work, and play
*Oregon Health Authority report http://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/DISEASESCONDITIONS/CHRONICDISEASE/DATAREPORTS/Pages/index.aspx
by Guest | Nov 18, 2017 | Being Well
Ordinance 82 was approved by voters November 7th and bans the use of tobacco products on all County-owned properties, with one exemption and according to the definition of ‘Tillamook County property’ as defined in the Ordinance. The County property definition specifically does not include county roads. Section 5 of the Ordinance provides an exemption for smoking ‘in designated campsites in developed overnight camping areas unless temporarily suspended by the Parks Manager due to high fire hazard condition’.
Tillamook County joins over 64 cities and counties in Oregon to be smoke/tobacco free. There is no smoking at any Tillamook County property, which includes at boat ramps, day-use parks or in parking lots. Smoking in campgrounds is allowed per the referenced exemption above and on County roads per the referenced County property definition.
Thank you Tillamook voters for making our County healthier – now everyone can breathe easier in our Tillamook County parks and properties.
by Guest | Nov 18, 2017 | Being Well
by DeAnna Pearl, Prevention Specialist, SOS Tillamook
Did you know . . .
On average, it takes 7 attempts to quit smoking for good? Planning with a friend or supportive family member can help. The key is to pick a date and make a plan.
On Nov. 16th, thousands of people quit tobacco use during the annual Great American Smoke Out. Don’t smoke or chew? Encourage someone you know to pick a date to quit or to kick off their plan to quit. By quitting – even for 1 day – you will be one step closer to achieving better health.
As a former tobacco cessation specialist, many people successfully quit smoking or chewing “cold turkey.” Others work with their doctor or mental health provider to identify the best way to help them quit. Regardless of outside support, understanding one’s personal values and reasons to quit are key to long-term success. Here are some other strategies from kidshealth.org that have been shown to help people become tobacco-free.
Set a quit date. Pick a day that you’ll stop smoking or using tobacco. Put it on your calendar and tell friends and family (if they know) that you’ll quit on that day. Think of the day as a dividing line between the smoking you and the new, improved nonsmoker you’ll become.
Throw away your cigarettes and/or chew — all of it. People can’t stop using tobacco with cigarettes or chew cans around to tempt them. So get rid of everything, including ashtrays, lighters, and, yes, even that pack you stashed away for emergencies.
Wash all your clothes. Get rid of the smell of cigarettes as much as you can by washing all your clothes and having your coats or sweaters dry-cleaned. If you smoked in your car, clean that out, too.
Think about your triggers. You’re probably aware of the times when you tend to use tobacco, such as after meals, when you’re at your best friend’s house, while drinking coffee, or as you’re driving. Any situation where it feels automatic to have a cigarette/chew is a trigger. Once you’ve figured out your triggers, try these tips
- Break the link. If you smoke when you drive, get a ride to school, walk, or take the bus for a few weeks so you can break the connection. If you normally smoke or chew after meals, do something else after you eat, like go for a walk or talk to a friend.
- Change the place. If you and your friends usually eat takeout in the car so you can smoke, sit in the restaurant instead.
- Substitute something else for tobacco. It can be hard to get used to not holding something or not having a cigarette in your mouth. If you have this problem, stock up on carrot sticks, sugar-free gum, mints, toothpicks, or lollipops.
by Guest | Nov 5, 2017 | Being Well
By Clark Miller, LCSW
National indicators seem to show significant reductions in tobacco use (cigarette smoking) over past years. What does that mean? It’s not clear why smoking has decreased. Could it be due to increased costs, prevention efforts, switching to e-cigarettes, attention in young people switched to texting and personal devices?
The trend looks like a good thing. If we leave it at that, however, we run the risk of not using this information to shape effective health policies. A lot of time and money is invested in educating people about the health consequences of substance use, and the health of Americans rests on public education and sound policy. That’s important right now: against concerns of major public health groups like the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is betting on new harm reduction methods that would actually encourage development and marketing of e-cigarette use. That’s despite preliminary evidence that the rise of e-cigarettes may be drawing more young people to smoking.
Is there really a downward trend for problem tobacco/nicotine use? If we remember that nicotine is the addictive component in tobacco, and look at trends in the delivery of nicotine and its health effects, those apparent gains could be in question.
– The use of e-cigarettes to deliver nicotine “safely” is booming, including for youth .
– What are the health risks for e-cigarette use? We need more research but it is clear that it is not an entirely healthy alternative.
What is known about e-cigarettes and nicotine?
– Nicotine, however delivered, increases risk of onset of type 2 diabetes, increases the risk of onset of serious complications of diabetes, like kidney disease and nerve damage, and of worsening of those complications.
– Addictive behavior involving nicotine increases risk (AKA the gateway effect) of problem use of other substances (like alcohol and opioids).
– Compulsive use of nicotine among youth predicts dependence into adulthood
So, it’s not so simple, and there’s more. The tobacco giant Phillip Morris is pushing hard for approval for a new delivery system that will put tobacco back into the e-cigarette. Tobacco will be heated in a way that provides nicotine and the taste of tobacco, but not, reportedly, the toxic chemicals released by combusting tobacco. This would be a new, potent way to get and keep Americans addicted to tobacco.
For individuals who want to stop use of tobacco and nicotine, what are the effective treatments? Nicotine replacement (like patches) as well as some medications can help quitters get through the physical cravings lasting through initial weeks of stopping. Most relapse occurs months to years after stopping, typically in reaction to a major stressful event, and treatment itself, for long-term success, uses talk therapies to target the beliefs, emotional needs, social risk factors, lack of coping skills, and psychological associations underlying risk of using again, as well as strength of motivation for change.
Most people quit without use of replacement or medication aids, sometimes with the help and support of friends and family, or internet resources. The primary factor predicting success is intrinsic motivation which comes from a combination of a growing awareness of personal values and reasons for stopping, and is supported by a type of individual counseling called Motivational Interviewing.
The most effective treatment is not treatment, but prevention, an important topic that highlights the strong, established correlations among: adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and how they affect neurodevelopment in children. ACEs create increased vulnerability to anxiety and other forms of inner distress, which make self-regulation and impulse control difficult and which increases risk of substance use and other behavioral health problems. Prevention efforts are key to reducing the multitude of behavioral and physical health problems associated with ACE.
