The Changing Face of Lewis County

*This article was published November 2006 for Business to Business, a monthly newspaper for Lewis County


A jam-packed audience of educators, church ministers and health and human service providers assembled Nov. 8 at the Centralia Church of God, hungry to hear updated information on a local demographics study called “The Changing Face of Lewis County.”

The leader of the study, Dr. Christiane Hale, spoke to the spirited audience, revealing and probing data on a wealth of issues such as local economics, poverty, substance abuse and single-mother households.

According to a press release, Hale is compiling data to help county officials develop a comprehensive plan for the community’s future.

The study began in March 2006 when the Lewis County Health Department forged an alliance with the Kitsap County Health District in response to some startling data.

The Lewis County Health Department discovered that the death rate of people aged 25-44 in the county was 36 percent higher compared to the rest of Washington State.

Hale, senior epidemiologist of Kitsap County Health District and affiliate professor at the University of Washington, investigated this data and delved down to the deeper origins of the problem.

The reason why people in this age group are dying is because they’re killing themselves, Hale said prior to the speech.

During the speech, Hale examined the causes of these deaths.

According to the Lewis County Health Department, 17 percent of deaths were suicides. 16 percent were non-vehicular unintended injuries, about half revolving around drugs. Cumulatively, heart disease and cancer claimed 28 percent, which Hale speculates might be linked to excessive alcohol and cigarette consumption.

But why are so many working-age people falling into pits of hopelessness and self-destruction? And how do these deaths symbolize a decline in Lewis County development?

The speech shifted into a public forum as audience members tackled these issues by asking questions and making impassioned comments.

The conversation seemed to spin round two topics in particular—the lag in local economics and the breakdown of the family.

“A pattern is here,” Hale said about the pages of data disclosed to the audience, “and it’s one that resembles social disorganization.”

Many in Lewis County struggle economically

Statistics show that Lewis County is falling behind economically in comparison to the rest of Washington State.

Prior to the speech, copies of a survey-generated report detailing Lewis County strengths and challenges were distributed to audience members. The Community Partnership Group published the report, titled “Creating Lasting Changes in Our Community Conditions,” in June 2005.

The report pinpointed the five major challenges of Lewis County. Most of these challenges are directly related to economics.

Through surveying households, community leaders, service providers and focus groups, the report concluded the five top concerns are:

· A lack of local jobs
· Unemployment or underemployment
· Alcohol or other drug abuse
· Shortage of affordable housing
· Poverty

Many people are simply not finding family-wage jobs in the area.

“Unemployment rates in Lewis County have surpassed the state average for approximately 25 years,” the report highlighted. The only steady signs of job growth are in the service sectors where wages are low.

Poverty has taken a toll on many Lewis County residents. According to the Lewis County Health Department, the rate of people of all ages living under the federal poverty level is 16.8 percent, as compared to the Washington State average of 11.9 percent.

Children in Lewis County are faring even worse. In Lewis County, 22 percent of children under the age of 18 are living below the poverty level.
Many of these disadvantaged children come from single mother households, Hale said in her speech.

Throughout the event, several audience members made references to the decline of the logging industry and its long-term effects on the community.
One man in the audience said, “When the logging industry fell, the whole family went dead.”

A Breakdown in the Family Unit

Rachelle Miller of the Human Response Network came to the event to brainstorm how her organization can stimulate change in the community.

The Human Response Network is a non-profit agency that assists victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

In recent months, Miller has seen many women in domestic distress. Often, family troubles stem from financial hardship, she said.

Miller draws a direct correlation to the loss of family-wage jobs to domestic violence and substance abuse.

When wages decline, the economic pressure weighs down on families and creates tension in the home, often exploding into violence, Miller said. And in these situations, people tend to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol.
Much of the event’s discussion revolved around the rise of single mother households in the county.

Approximately 40 percent of all Lewis County infants are born to unwed mothers. Hale and the Lewis County Health Department drew this figure by analyzing birth certificates.

“Women in Lewis County are deciding to form families whether or not a man is in the equation,” Hale said.

Much of the discussion pinpointed to the fathers as the underlying issue.

The men available as partners do not represent ones that would be an advantage to the women, Hale said.

For one, boys are lagging behind in their studies. The 2005 on-time high school graduation rate for males hovers at 63 percent, which is dramatically lower than the rate for females, at 81 percent, according to the Lewis County Health Department.

Secondly, Hale said the problems of Lewis County men stem from an intergenerational pattern. Many of these men grew up in single-mother households themselves.

Studies show that developmentally, the impact of not having a father figure in the home is devastating for little boys, but not so much for little girls, Hale said.

Audience members routinely made comments on the importance of the family and overall community health.

During the speech, Terry Wood, from the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints said, “strengthening families is the answer.”

Action towards positive change

The United Way of Lewis County, the Centralia Providence Hospital and the Ministerial Association all helped sponsor the Nov. 8 event.

Currently, the United Way of Lewis County is fundraising money so local non-profit agencies can tackle these tough issues.

In an introductory speech, Debbie Campbell, the executive director of United Way, talked about the importance of community involvement.

“Working together really does make this community stronger,” Campbell said. “The first step is to develop new partnerships and strategies to make this community stronger.”