Clallam
County has had 51 deaths from suicide between 2008 and 2010, according to a
community health assessment issued in 2012.
From
2008-10, the rate for Clallam County was 20.9 per 100,000 people, much higher than
the state rate of 13.4 per 100,000, and the national rate of 13 per 100,000 people.
The
rate in Jefferson County for the same time period was 10.2 per 100,000 people.
Though these figures seem to be disputed every time they are mentioned here, that doesn't change the fact that they are facts. Clallam County has a suicide rate that is edging close to being twice the national average, as well as the state average.
It's not hard to fathom, really. Poverty, drug abuse, poor schools, few opportunities, all mixed together into a potent and poisonous brew in an isolated community. And speaking of isolation...
Isolation
increases the risk of suicide, said Rebekah Miller, development coordinator for Peninsula Bahavioral Health.
She emphasized
the value of listening.
Which brings us back again to the sad story that has been told here many times, and was just brought up again in the past few days. You know, the one about concerned and caring Cherie Kidd coldly listening to a woman pour her heart out...And sitting silently, doing nothing. Nothing. Listening only has value, of course, if it's heartfelt, and followed up with some sort of action or response. You know, doing something. But all Cherie could offer was nothing.
So, to the list of risk factors above add another item: Spendthrift, out-of-touch politicians who fritter away the future of their community in order to stroke their own ego, and/or pad their own pocketbook.
But obviously - very obviously - Cherie and her fellow travelers don't really care. They've realized that blood money spends as good as any other kind.
Port Townsend: Just an hour away, but worlds apart from this place.
ReplyDeleteCK, Cherie Kidd listens. She just doesn't HEAR, you know?
ReplyDeleteI mean, look at all the garbage and dysfunction that is right in front of the city council, but they just don't seem capable of SEEING it. The city budget is tight? Raise "revenue" by raising utility rates! Never mind that we should be able to see that a huge proportion of customers can't afford to pay the existing rates.
There are hundreds of examples of this here. Hundreds. But to bring it back to Cherie Kidd again, let's remember her infamous quote about how ugly Port Angeles is when coming in from the water, and how she always gets "depressed" when coming in that way. Yet she has always supported keeping the turd tank on the waterfront. She has eyes, she looks, but she does not SEE.
Pretty much every member of the council suffers from this disease. Even Sissi, who still seems unable to see how little traction or respect she gets from her fellow council members. So even she, as smart as she is, has a crippling blind spot.
The blind leading the broke and the broken. Welcome to Port Angeles.
Cherie Kidd doesn't listen. She doesn't hear. Doesn't see. She just SPEAKS, and speaks and speaks and speaks.
DeleteToo bad we got the worst of the three monkeys....
Hear no evil, See no evil...we got the evil speaker.
She only likes to hear herself talk, and she, along with Brad just love to grandstand.
Boring.
So, Cherie -- where are those suicide barriers you promised to find money for -- grants, and not leaving any stone un-turned. How did that work out for you?
I'm waiting, Cherie Kidd.
What did you do besides talk?
What do you ever do besides talk?
Tell me, again, why you idiots keep electing her?
Cherie's competitor in the election just withdrew.
DeleteWe're all screwed.
Wow. Best town ever, right?
ReplyDeleteWow.
ReplyDeleteAs anyone who wants to, can see, CK has pegged it right. Look at the rates, and more importantly, the causes in this report on the issues:
http://www.doh.wa.gov/portals/1/documents/5500/iv-sui2013.pdf
So, welcome to the world of Corey "in flagrante delicto" Delicat, the Park and Recs head honcho. (Who looks as if he stepped out of GQ, not mucking around the park.)
ReplyDeleteWhere does it make sense to get rid of the after-school program for at-risk kids, in favor of outdoor calisthenics park equipment.
Everywhere I've lived that had this "power course" equipment -- it sits idle, except for one guy, maybe, on the weekend. What a waste of money for an area where you can't even job regularly because of the weather.
Way to go for making the wrong decisions, city staff. Way to go for earning the outrageous wages you snag (and benefits).
CK we have older residents than PT. Sequim, and Port Angeles have a heavily aging population, and the largest group of suiciders is the over 50 crowd.
ReplyDeleteYes, but if you read the report on Washington's suicide issue that is posted above, you will see they speak of lack of opportunity, lack of resources, etc as primary causes.
DeleteSure, age is issue. That the state figures include.
How many ways do you need to hear it, or see it?
Was downtown twice yesterday. Once around mid day. Another around 4 pm. The town was deserted. Nice day. Holiday. And once again, the place was empty. Not just downtown. 8th street was empty. Parking lots empty.
Except Walmart.
A LOT of people clearly don't like Port Angeles. They are spending there time anywhere but here. When are folks going to wake up and see the obvious?
And, this translates, I think, directly to the suicide rates.
I was in Port Townsend yesterday afternoon and the down town area was doing a brisk business. Clearly, their post-summer season is going well.
DeleteI can only imagine that down town PA was deserted, as usual.
There are also two functioning movie theaters in downtown Port Townsend - a city with less than half our population.
DeleteWhat part of 8th st? There's a huge run that's specialty businesses... Dentists, doctors, office equipment, engineering firms, financial advisers. The Blackbird is always busy when I pass it, Sabai Thai has a parking lot in back and that usually seems to be full except at off hours, Grandview is usually full... 8th usually seems busier (and nicer) than downtown...
DeleteAlso, Peninsula Behavioral is almost always busy! Go Port Angeles!
DeleteAnon 2:03 On Monday, both times I drove through town, both downtown, and the "other downtown" 8th street were deserted.
DeleteYes, it was a holiday.But there was so little traffic ANYWHERE in Port Angeles. Sure, peeps in PA that couldn't afford to go anywhere probably stayed home .And those that could afford to leave town, probably did.
The point is, even with the nation's population out enjoying the last holiday weekend of the summer, NOBODY chose Port Angeles as their destination.
I made a point of driving by the new waterfront park. Again, holiday, summer, warm out. Nobody.
I understand there are a number of stores that are owned by old Port Angeles families, and they really don't have to make much money to stay open. The buildings are bought and paid for, etc. They can afford to be all "rah-rah". Any person walking down the street is good enough reason for them to say everything is wonderful.
City staff? They make big money, so they can afford to stroll along the multi-million dollar artificial beaches, and say everything is wonderful. "Other people's money", and all that.
But I've been self employed long enough to know that empty sidewalks are not good for business.
I guess my point is that I wouldn't use 8th st as a gauge for the town. For the most part it isn't retail shops like downtown. It's mostly "by appointment" businesses... doctors offices, dentists, churches, administrative branches. A lot of those wouldn't be open on Labor Day anyway, and even if they were it's typically fairly quiet.
DeleteI will agree, however, that traffic through town is far lower than it should be. I haven't personally seen downtown be completely empty but except for lunchtime I usually see only a handful of people. There are usually cars downtown, and on 101, but these pass right on through to their destination. Definitely not good.
A couple of us went over to Victoria today. On the 8 am ferry, there were more people on the decks than I usually see walking around Port Angeles! No kidding! We were talking about it, because it was so amazing.
ReplyDeleteAnd that was on a work day/week day morning.
What is wrong with this town?
As Anon. 8:48 reminded us, Cherie Kidd as mayor was quoted in the PDN as saying she gets depressed when she returns to Port Angeles after visiting Victoria. That was a couple years ago, when the town wasn't as quiet as it is now.
Hello!?!? Anybody actually listening? Or are we just going to defend what we're doing?
check out the big PR b.s. that our new PDN chief honcho had written about him...by the place he came from:
ReplyDeletehttp://wane.com/2015/08/06/ceo-leaving-publishing-company/
Best line ever: "Ward, who was named KPC’s CEO in January, has accepted a position with a publishing firm in the Seattle, Washington-area, Housholder told employees."
He's moving on UP to the big time -- as the article says "“When we hired Terry, we recognized that he was moving up in his career...... “"
Someone was sold a pile of hoo-haaa.
Hey Terry, don't believe the press releases.
Thanks for keeping this current, CK. Next stop, composites scam center?
ReplyDeleteHaggens has filed for bankruptcy and will be closing down a vast number of stores with the PA store most likely among them. That's another 20 or 30 people joining the 9% unemployment rate of Clallam County.
ReplyDelete" Another GREAT day to do business in Port Angeles", as Andrew May says at every PABA meeting.
DeleteI'm sure PABA President and Country Air GM, Josh Rancourt, was pumping his fists in exultation after learning of Haggen's bankruptcy filing.
DeleteI think Josh is prez of the PADA, not the PABA. But, really, what IS the difference?
DeleteIt looks like the PA store is not on the list to be closed.
DeleteIsn't Josh related to Haguewood or something like that?
ReplyDeleteIncestuous much, PA?