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Welcome to the Health Promotion & Prevention Newsletter, released by Marion County's Health Promotion & Prevention Team now bi-monthly! In this newsletter, our team shares information, tips, news, and community work being done to promote health and prevent disease in Marion County.
The Environmental Health Hazards Survey is extended to May 2! Last chance to provide your insight!
 What's in this Article: Table of Contents
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TRAININGS
- LOCAL! In Person! QPR trainings all throughout May in Salem, Stayton, and Woodburn. See Details in the Events & Awareness Section.
- On Demand: The Science of ACEs & Toxic Stress (3-part Series)
- May 7: The Power of Modeling for Resiliency
- May 9: Prevention Across the Lifespan - Substance Use Prevention Among Mid-Life Adults
- May 9: Compassion Fatigue as a Behavioral Health Professional
- May 14: Dangers of Youth Vaping (4-part series): What we know in 2024
- May 14: Stigma and Substance Use Prevention Part 1: The Impacts of Stigma
- May 16: Connecting with Nature to Mitigate Toxic Stress
- May 21: Weaving Wisdom with Innovation: Timeless indigenous strategies for contemporary substance use disorder prevention
- June 17: Enabling Mental Health Professionals to Lead in Prevention
- June 20: Landlord Behavior and Behavioral Health: Dealing with Difficult Landlords
Additional trainings and education opportunities not listed can be found at:
Know of another organization that provides great trainings and want to share with our network? Let us know at MCHDPrevention@co.marion.or.us.
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EVENTS & AWARENESS
By Kelly Martin, Mental Health Promotion & Suicide Prevention Coordinator
Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Training Events
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Using Your 5 Senses to Calm Anxiety
Everyone feels stress from time to time, but sometimes it can feel overwhelming. Focusing on our five senses - hearing, touch, smell, taste, and sight - can be a simple way to help feel grounded and reduce feelings of anxiety.
Here are a couple of ideas to try:
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Sight
Focus on a plant or flower and watch how it moves in the wind
Observe an animal while they rest or play
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Touch
Touch something rough like a sensory sticker or piece of Velcro
Splash cold water on your face or place an ice pack on your forehead
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Hearing
Listen to your favorite music
White and Brown noise can be calming
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Taste
Try a piece or gum or a mint
Focus on chewing a piece of food and think about the distinct flavors
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Smell
Walk outside and breathe deeply though your nose – what smells do you notice?
Find a scent that makes your feel peaceful - some people enjoy lavender, lemon or peppermint
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This may take a little trial and error to find things that work best for you!
If you are having persistent stress or anxiety that is hard to manage, you may want to reach out to a mental health professional for help. For immediate assistance, please call or text 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free and confidential help line that is available 24 hours a day.
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Sensory Kits for Youth
In celebration of Mental Health Awareness month, the Mid-Valley Suicide Prevention Coalition members created sensory tool kits that will be distributed to local Marion and Polk County youth to provide education on using their 5 senses to help regulate stress.
Local partners help create sensory toolkits for Marion-Polk Youth!
The Marion County Prevention Team lends a hand to the support youth mental health
The sensory kits were a joint effort among the Mid-Valley Suicide Prevention Coalition
By Sally Cook, Health Promotion & Prevention Educator
As the sun shines a little brighter, moving into the spring months, Marion County Prevention recognizes the importance of road safety, skill building, and mental health.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, it is also Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. This is a reminder that maintaining good mental health on the road is important. You can keep everyone on the road safer by practicing mindfulness however you travel. Big emotions can be a distraction on the road, so know the signs and how to best calm yourself so you can stay alert. Safe driving requires focus, coordination, good judgment, and quick reactions to the environment.
In Marion County, our weather patterns and harvest seasons mean that you need to be prepared to adapt to the unexpected. Make sure you are well-rested because being behind the wheel when drowsy can be deadly. Prepare for the road conditions you may face. Spring may be warm and sunny, but patches of ice where mountains shade, gravel from roadwork, farming and logging equipment, and wildlife migration can all impact your travel. Give yourself time to meet these challenges, should they arise. Ride distraction-free by keeping your phone out of reach, enjoy the ride, and be present. Safety is part of what makes our roads an escape from the everyday and keeps those who live in areas we ride or drive healthy.
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Slow down, ride sober, and protect vulnerable road users. It is everyone’s responsibility to be safe and you are in a unique position when you walk or ride to impact the safety of others by riding at a safe speed. Speed is a factor in more than 25% of all traffic fatalities. Patrick Hahn from Team Oregon had these words of advice when getting your motorcycle out for the first ride of the season.
“The biggest issues in motorcycle safety are speed, alcohol, and curves. In that order. If you always ride sober, free of alcohol and drugs; if you always ride at the speed limit or a safe speed for the conditions; and if you know how to handle your bike in curves, and what to do if you get into a curve too fast, you’re well on your way to a lifetime of safe, enjoyable riding.”
Look for more info from Patrick in our ask the expert column in July where you can find out more about Team Oregon Motorcycle Safety!
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By Phoebe Barker and Conor Foley, Tobacco Prevention & Education Coordinators
WORLD NO (COMMERCIAL) TOBACCO DAY
May 31st is World No (Commercial) Tobacco Day. This yearly event is dedicated to informing the public about the dangers of commercial tobacco use. The World Health Organization (WHO) first created World No Tobacco Day in 1987, to educate the world about tobacco being the leading cause of preventable death and disease. Tobacco continues to be a global epidemic, killing 8 million people every year, and is the leading cause of preventable death in Oregon and around the world.
This year, Smokefree Oregon launched their newest campaign, “Imagine Oregon without Big Tobacco” just in time for World No (Commercial) Tobacco Day. The campaign’s goal is to answer the question “can you imagine Oregon free from the harms caused by Big Tobacco?” What could our lives look like without tobacco, and the harm it does to our communities. The campaign reinforces the idea that by working together, and doing what we can on our own, we can make an Oregon without the influence of Big Tobacco a reality.
The Imagine campaign includes original illustrations from Oregon artists, ads running across the state, and tools for local organizations to join in. It will be one of the largest tobacco prevention media campaigns in Oregon. And it’s the first designed entirely with OHA tobacco prevention partners. Check out the campaign at Imagine Oregon Without Big Tobacco - Smokefree Oregon.
Here are a few ways you can take action on this year’s World No (Commercial) Tobacco Day:
SHARE THE CAMPAIGN WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY
What does Oregon without Big Tobacco look like to you? Share Imagine campaign graphics and videos on social media to start conversations, inspire awareness, and rally support for positive change. Add your voice now!
PLEDGE TO SPEAK OUT
Take the pledge for an Oregon without Big Tobacco. Show your commitment to creating healthier communities free from the influence of the tobacco industry. Sign the Imagine pledge now!
LEARN WAYS TO QUIT TOBACCO
Quitting tobacco isn’t easy – but it’s worth it. Check out Smokefree Oregon’s resources to help you quit for real — all free of cost. You can find counseling, get patches and gum, or find the tools you need to quit on your own!
Prepared by Kelly Martin, Mental Health Promotion & Suicide Prevention Coordinator
VETcare Oregon is working with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to prevent Veteran suicide in Marion and Polk counties. We were proud to receive an annual award from the VA to support this mission through the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program (SSG Fox SPGP). This grant funds a three-year program that provides funding to community-based organizations with innovative ideas for preventing Veteran suicide.
VETcare PREVENTS provides evidence-based interventions, resources, and services to Veterans at risk of suicide in Marion and Polk Counties. Services include suicide awareness and prevention education for community partners and individuals, case management, peer support, mental health assessments, and crisis response/intervention for Veterans and their eligible family members.
Suicide prevention services for eligible individuals at risk of suicide and their families that qualify include:
- Outreach to identify those at risk of suicide
- Baseline mental health screening for risk (required of all grantees for participants ages 18+)
- Education on suicide risk and prevention to families and communities
- Provision of clinical services for emergency treatment
- Case management services
- Peer support services
- VA benefits assistance for eligible individuals and their families
- Assistance with obtaining and coordinating other benefits
- Assistance with emergent needs relating to health care services, daily living services, personal financial planning and counseling, transportation services, temporary income support services, fiduciary and representative payee services, legal services to assist the eligible individual with issues that may contribute to the risk of suicide, and childcare.
- Nontraditional and innovative approaches and treatment practices, as deemed appropriate by VA
Vetcare Prevents is part of the VetCare program which provides services for the whole person. This includes housing services, employment supports, behavioral and medical health treatment, peer support and case management.
Visit https://vetcareoregon.org/ to find more information and get support.
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By Tamara Burkovskaya with Language Link, prepared by Michael Keuler
Tamara Burkovskaya is a crucial community partner in Marion County and Oregon, providing cultural context, translation, and interpretation services to Russian speakers - the third most spoken language in Marion County. Tamara comes from the Kyrgyz Republic, a beautiful mountain nation that became independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. She served at the US Embassy in the Kyrgyz Republic for 16 years, and later immigrated to the United States to serve with the Oregon Public Health Division as a Community Liaison, and later as a manager with Russian Oregon Social Services.
In her roles, she learned how Oregon communities with low English proficiency experience health inequities and face other barriers due to lack of communication. Tamara has contributed to addressing information gaps for the Slavic community and Russian speakers through interviews on the Slavic Family radio, articles in the Afisha magazine, and various collaborations. Topics covered included infectious disease and vaccination, smoking cessation, healthy lifestyles, COVID-19 prevention, and support to victims of domestic violence.
Now in Woodburn, Tamara started her own small business Language Link LLC (a COBID-certified ESB/WBE) and serves as the Council chair for the Translation Advisory Council to the Secretary of State. She continues to follow her passion of translating and interpreting, and spending time with her two grandkids. Marion County Health Promotion & Prevention welcomes her to the Ask the Expert Section to share her experience and expertise!
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1. Why is translation and interpretation so important for residents in Marion County and Oregon?
The Russian-speaking community is the largest refugee community of Oregon, and the Russian language is the third frequently spoken language, after English and Spanish. Not all people in the community are proficient in English, because they have to work hard to provide for their families and simply do not have time to work on their language skills. It’s very important to make crucial information available in Russian -- as well as other languages frequently spoken in Oregon -- so that people know about things that really matter – public health, public safety, environmental hazards and threats, and elections.
2. What could people and organizations do to make materials, communication, and interaction with the Slavic community living in Marion County and Oregon more culturally appropriate?
From my experience of running a small (actually, tiny!) business, I know that for many organizations it’s easier to work with a translation agency that has translators/interpreters with different languages. But large translation agencies do not always provide accurate and culturally-sensitive translations. That is why it’s very helpful to have a ‘second set of eyes’ on translations. As an example, this is exactly what the Translation Advisory Council to the Secretary of State is doing: we review election-related translations done by a contractor to ensure that they are not just accurate but also culturally relevant for the intended audiences.
3. May is Mental Health Month. From your experience and point of view, what are some unique challenges around improving mental health for the Slavic community, and how could service agencies (non-profits, government agencies, etc) support the Slavic community?
Mental health is a very sensitive topic in the community. Some people prefer not to seek help out of fear to be stigmatized even if mental health problems negatively impact their personal and social life, and career. Providing more information both in Russian and English, including information about available resources, can help people overcome the fear and prejudice and seek professional help.
There are very few Russian-speaking mental health counselors, but this can change if counties/state start offering scholarships to people who are interested in being trained to provide mental health counselling and therapy in Russian.
4. Warm summer days are fast approaching. From your experience and point of view, how have heat waves and wildfire smoke impacted the Slavic community, and how could service agencies support making the community healthier and safer?
Providing timely and credible information is the key: telling people where to turn to for information about the situation as it develops, debunking myths and misinformation, and directing families, especially those with children and seniors, to available resources. To reach more people, it would be best to use variety of channels for providing information – social media, print media, radio. In my community a lot of information is spread through the word of mouth. Multi-generational household are quite common. So, credible formation learned by a few people will be shared within families, churches, and other community groups.
5. Is there anything you are looking forward to this summer?
This summer, I’m planning a trip to North and South Carolinas to visit my nephew and his family and my friends. I hope it is not very hot and humid while I’m there, but if it is, I will appreciate mild summers of Oregon, with occasional 100-degree days, even more.
6. Is there anything else you would like to share?
Thank you for everything Marion County and the state of Oregon are doing to support marginalized communities! Keep it up!
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Thank you Tamara for sharing your experience and expertise! If you would like to get in touch with Tamara, please email us at burkovskaia@gmail.com
By Macie Reynolds, Youth Engagement Coordinator
In its 15th year, ILEAD 2024 brought together 125 teens across Marion, Polk and Linn Counties at the Boys and Girls Club- Knudsen Branch. In a 1-day free summit, high school teens came together to laugh, learn, inspire change, have a dance off, play rock paper scissors, and eat some donuts. This year’s slogan was, "Embrace the Change!"
"(The theme means) we no longer feel intimated by the future. Let’s boldly walk into what comes next by taking control of our choices now, by building on knowledge and skills, and by coming together as teens to create a better world for ourselves and others.” – Kaiden (Youth Committee Member)
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This year’s workshops included sessions from OSU, Goodwill, Oregon Native Education American Foundation, Western Oregon University Public Health Club, Enlightened Theatre, Salem Playhouse, Salem Health, South Salem Deca Students, and Counselor Jose Gonzalez. These presenters offered resources on credit and debt, financial aid 101, fentanyl awareness, college internship 101, how to snack smarter, personal budgeting, how to start a business, and more. Takeaways from these workshops included:
“Vast majority of knowledgeable presenters, setting my goals was inspiring and was actually really helpful, enjoyed the internship 101 because they allowed us to ask questions” – ILEAD Teen Participants.
ILEAD has created a foundation for students to:
- Be exposed to different techniques and practices to further develop and identify leadership styles.
- Gain an increased passion for educational success and civil responsibility.
- Build upon their personal protective factors (i.e. skills, strengths, resources, supports, and coping strategies) to increase resiliency and reduce the likelihood of risky behavior.
- Leave empowered & equipped to become school/community leaders, positive influencers and possibly increase attachment to school.
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By Phoebe Barker, CDC Fellow
In celebration of May being Mental Health Awareness month, we want to highlight ways to reduce stress. One helpful methodis animal companionship.
Research indicates that pets provide their owners with social support that can help decrease negative emotions. Not only do our pets provide us with companionship and help us get more physical activity but when our animals gaze at us, cortisol levels are reduced, and we produce higher levels of oxytocin. Oxytocin is a chemical released in the brain that has been found to decrease stress, blood pressure, anxiety levels, depression symptoms, increase social interaction, self-confidence, memory, and learning. The more interactions we have with our pets, the stronger the connection and positive response from our brains. So not only do our pets provide us with friendship and company, but they are proven to be beneficial to our health.
In honor of pets being health heroes, the Prevention Team at Marion County Health and Human Services is highlighting their amazing pets.
This month we are sharing Cupcake the cat, (Our CDC Fellow Phoebe Barker’s pet). Stay tuned for the rest of the teams amazing pets throughout 2024!
By Diana Dickey, Alcohol & Drug Prevention & Education Program Coordinator
In September 2023, we shared about three South Salem High School students with a mission to educate the community about the dangers of fentanyl. The students did outreach to the community and schools and their main event was a panel presentation and conversation, held at South Salem High School on November 16. Capital Community Media covered the event and created a program that is worth watching. To learn more about fentanyl and also see the amazing work being done by students in our community, check out this video:
By Sally Cook & Michael Keuler, Health Promotion & Prevention Coordinators
Marion County is known for beautiful environments for recreation, relaxation, and making memories. As the weather gets drier and the temperature increases, it is important to know the risks for high heat and safe ways to enjoy our cold-water rivers, lakes, and streams.
Warm sunny days open possibilities to enjoy the outdoors. However, when temperatures pass 80°F, take extra precautions to stay safe and avoid heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Basic Heat Safety
- Know the signs of heat exhaustion and stroke: English | Spanish
- Learn how to beat the heat and prevent heat illness: English | Spanish
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Download the NIOSH Heat Index App. The heat index measures humidity and temperature in the shade, telling us how hot it feels. This app provides health risk for outdoor physical activity.
- Never leave pets or children in a hot car on hot days.
- Find more at Heat.MCHealthy.Net
Water is a big part of cooling off in Marion County, but it has risks. Oregon is a cold-water state, meaning you can risk hypothermia even on a hot day. No river ever runs the same way twice; flow, current, and environmental factors change quickly. Even known swimming holes can change and carry undercurrents that can overpower experienced swimmers.
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Basic Water Safety
- Wear a lifejacket, especially children!
- Never swim alone, have a designated water watcher.
- Drowning can take place without warning. Stay alert!
- Know the signs of drowning and what to do.
- Look for vertical swimming without being able to surface.
- When you see someone struggling underwater, throw a rope or lifesaver, don’t jump in to swim. Even trained rescuers can be overpowered by a drowning person.
- Many drownings take place when adults are near the area.
- Drinking alcohol or other substances impacts your ability to protect yourself and others when in the water. Be sober and prepared when you recreate on the water.
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By Michael Keuler, Environmental Health Resiliency Coordinator
Marion County Health & Human Services has released three Environmental Hazard and Health Surveillance Reports on the topics of Heat-Related Illness, Cold-Related Illness, and Air Quality-Related Respiratory Illnesses. The reports analyze data comparing emergency department and urgent care visits from the Oregon ESSENCE Surveillance System to environmental factors that can cause poor health outcomes.
Visit the Resources section on our new Resilience to Environmental Health Hazards webpage for more information.
Marion County Health Promotion & Prevention will be highlighting various programs and health topics to keep you connected to the most important Health Promotion Topics in the next newsletter. This newsletter will be released in the first week of July 2024. If there is a subject you would like covered, please let us know through the email below.
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