On Mother’s Day, my two sisters and I spent the day sorting through thousands of documents and photographs dating from the 1800s up through the last decade that our mom had collected over her lifetime. It was a good way to honor her memory and our family history, which she diligently researched and preserved so it could pass on to the next generation — and the next.
Among those time treasures were photographs of my ancestors standing in front of a home with a big barn in the background — both built by my dad’s father on the flat, fertile farmland of the Midwest. And there were photographs of my dad standing next to cattle with the lead to a show halter in his hand. As a teenager, he was known throughout the county and the local 4-H clubs as an expert showman and livestock judge, according to the many ribbons taped onto scrapbook pages along with news clippings from The Star-Herald.
The Star-Herald was the local newspaper that recorded many of my dad’s accomplishments as a youth as well as my family’s significant events throughout the years, like when my grandmother was named cook of the week and when a big fire burned down the home on the farmstead where both my dad and I grew up.
The Star-Herald was smack dab in the middle of a county filled with farmers and it knew it. So it covered the news that was important to that community. It reflected who the residents were and what mattered to them.
That’s what we do too at The Daily Herald. We focus on what is important to the residents of Snohomish County — from stories about things to do and see to the local impacts of climate change to the decisions of city and state officials that affect our families.
We also examine the hard issues that need to be looked at, talked about, and solved.
Recently, The Herald has focused attention on the shortage of workers and providers in health-related fields and how that is affecting people who need care for physical or mental health. Access to mental health care was a challenge prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, staff shortages have grown more severe while the demand for services has increased.
As your local newspaper that reflects the community we serve, we invite you to a special Herald Forum about access to mental health care from 6 to 7 p.m. on May 31 at the Snohomish Library, 311 Maple Ave, Snohomish.
This community conversation will offer different perspectives on what’s happening and why and possible solutions. You’ll hear from a panel with deep experience in mental health care, including:
■ Evelyn Reilly, PsyD, clinical neuropsychologist, Western Washington Medical Group.
■ Jim Bloss, patient advocate and member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
■ Rami A. Rafeh, Vice President, Provider Strategy & Collaboration, Premera Blue Cross.
■ Tom Sebastian, president and CEO, Compass Health.
If you’d like to attend in person, please register now at Herald-Forum-Mental-Health.eventbrite.com. Registration is free, but space is limited.
If you’re unable to attend, be on the lookout for followup information about the Herald Forum, including a recording of the panel discussion.
Brenda Mann Harrison is the journalism development director for The Daily Herald. To learn more about the impact of local news and how you can join others in supporting community journalism, go to heraldnet.com/local-news-impact, send an email to brenda.harrison@heraldnet.com or call 425-339-3452. The Daily Herald maintains editorial control over content produced through community-funded initiatives.
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