Health assessment shows suicide disparity in Klickitat County; Carriger solar project approved

“It's not as intensive as the Juniper Canyon project, where they replaced the blades, the cells and everything,” Hunter said. “This one they're just replacing the internal stuff. That’s the motors, the shafts, and everything in themselves, but the blades are staying.”

He said there still would be a lot of traffic when that project begins in the spring, and that his office is working with the company to develop a road haul agreement to compensate the county for the excess wear and tear on the roads.

Jail update

During the morning workshop session, Jail Administrator Bill Frantz praised the work by his staff, noting two events at the jail involving suicidal ideation from two different people. 

“In both cases," he said, “the staff that were working identified the problem. In one case, a ligature was fashioned out of clothing, and it was recovered from the incarcerated person. In both cases, we were able to bring about resolution, so hats off to the staff.”

Officer John Burgess was nominated by his peers for  employee of the quarter, commended for his accuracy at work and taking the lead in jail operations on his shift. Frantz said that was demonstrated when the jail took in an unruly inmate.

“This person that came into our custody was like a raccoon in a man suit,” Frantz said. “He was just crazy, violent, and assaultive and Burgess navigated that with a lot of tact and dignity. That person is now seeking help in another hospital, with underlining mental health issues.”

Community Needs Health Assessment

Garth Reeves of the Seattle consultant firm Health Facilities Planning and Development presented the mandated Community Needs Health Assessment for 2026-2028. The 55-page report is full of statistics comparing the health of the populations in the two hospital districts with that of Washington State and with the nation as a whole. 

Some of the results are startling. The suicide rate, based on the number of suicides per 100,000 population was 15.4 nationally, 41.1 for the county as a whole, and 25.2 for people residing in the Skyline service district, but 71 for people in the KVH service district. One of the factors contributing to the difference is income. Median household income is $55,989 for the KVH district and $79,718 for Skyline.

But that’s not the most startling statistic from the report. There's a national phenomenon called the Hispanic Paradox, first detected 40 years ago. Low socioeconomic status is almost universally associated with worse population health and higher death rates everywhere in the world, but Hispanics in the United States have a 24% lower risk of mortality, as well as lower risk for nine of the 15 leading causes of death as compared to whites. 

In Klickitat County, the life expectancy for the county as a whole is 79.9 years. That’s ahead of the national average of 77.6 years. But for the Hispanic population of the county, it’s 89.1 years. Researchers suggest that diet, particularly the high intake of legumes such as beans and lentils, exercise and a culture of strong family support may all contribute to the nationwide disparity. Further studies have found that the effect is strongest in first-generation immigrants, and gradually lessens in succeeding generations.

County revenues

And in the formal afternoon session, Klickitat County Treasurer Greg Gallagher had some modest good news about county revenues so far this year.

"We got our fourth quarter landfill payment,” he said. “We budgeted $8.7 million for the landfill last year, and we are $386,000 to the positive. Sales tax seems to be coming in slightly higher, so that's good. Investment interests, we budgeted $1.4 million last year, and we are at $1.47. So the revenue categories seem to be holding their own. I think we're pretty happy with that."

Gorge Commission, Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council 

Commissioners also heard from Valerie Fowler, Klickitat County's representative on the Gorge Commission. She reported that the commission was poised to authorize sweeping changes in regulations dealing with people rebuilding homes in the National Scenic Area after a natural disaster. That vote will take place at the Gorge Commission's next meeting on Nov. 12.

While commissioners were gathered in Goldendale, the Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council met in Lacey, and approved the massive Carriger Solar Energy Facility and battery energy storage system that was bitterly opposed locally.

There was one nay vote, that from the Department of Natural Resources member of EFSEC, the aptly named Maverick Ryan. He is Tribal Liason for the DNR, and is a member of the Cowlitz Tribal Council. Though EFSEC made some modest changes to the Carriger proposal requested by the Yakama Nation after the governor referred it back to them earlier this year, the tribe continued to oppose the project unless on particularly sensitive section of turbines was eliminated.

Under the consent agenda, commissioners approved:

• Notice to contractors to advertise for the Snowden Road Overlay, CRP 386.

• A local agency supplemental agreement no. 6 with Applied Archaeological Research, Inc. for on-call archaeological services.

• Purchase of a replacement vehicle for the Department of Corrections.

• SWACH services agreement with Department of Corrections.

• Providing funds to Columbia Gorge Regional Airport for an economic development facility and joint funding agreement with The City of The Dalles for the Aviation Hangar Expansion Project.