Cheers: To Clark College. Vancouver’s two-year college has added a bachelor’s degree of applied science in human services. Officials say the addition will bolster the school’s behavioral health instruction, filling a need in the community. Program director Marcia Roi said: “Those suffering with mental health issues are frequently self-medicating their mental health issues. Treating each in silos simply does not work well for long-term recovery and stabilization.” Local employers say there is a need for qualified clinicians and a lack of trained employees.
The new program highlights the flexibility of two-year colleges and their ability to meet the needs of local students and local employers. The new program will be Clark College’s third bachelor’s degree offering, joining programs in dental hygiene and applied management, and will enhance the school’s role in the marketplace.
Jeers: To social media failures. Officials in Salem, Ore., last week tried to warn residents about problems with the drinking water. Good idea. The problem is that they texted out an “Emergency alert” saying “Civil emergency in this area … prepare for action.” No details were provided, which understandably led to concern among residents. About a half-hour later, officials texted an alert detailing the water emergency.
A couple governments in Washington also have recently had difficulties with public notifications. While social media and texts provide opportunities for improved communications between officials and residents, particularly when an emergency arises, inaccurate or incomplete information can cause more problems than it solves.
Cheers: To Stamp Out Hunger. The annual May food drive collected more than 73 tons this year in Clark County, warranting kudos for a generous community and for the mail carriers who collected the items. On the second Saturday of May each year, residents are asked to leave out nonperishable food to be picked up by couriers making the swift completion of their appointed rounds.
This year’s drive collected 146,564 pounds of food, about 21,000 more than the 2017 total. Matt Edmonds of the Clark County Food Bank said: “The food collected in this drive is quite timely. That’s because all the food collected through food drives during the holidays and winter months has already been distributed. This drive is a chance to restock the shelves.”
Jeers: To rape kit backlogs. King County officials this week identified the attacker in an 11-year-old rape case. That is good news, but the identification points out the state’s shameful lack of attention to rape kits over the past decade.
The alleged attacker was singled out through DNA in an evidence kit that was not tested until last year. That evidence was entered into a national database in February, and officials found that the assailant is registered as a sex offender in Illinois. According to advocacy group End the Backlog, Washington has about 6,000 untested rape kits. The state has made strides in reducing that number, but the recent case points out the benefits of increased attention to the issue.
Cheers: To coming to the rescue. This one is from Idaho, but it is worth sharing. A youth football team of players 13 and younger went into action when a car overturned in front of their van on a highway. Players pulled a man out of the car and pushed the car on its side for another player to grab a woman who was stuck inside.
The coach said his players “had to stop and become heroes.” They “got out of the car like they were supposed to do that … it’s a great bunch of kids.” The team was returning from a championship game in California, which it won. So, they’re good football players, but apparently even better people.
