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Bellingham Pediatric Dentistry Is Spreading the Word About a New Treatment

By
Steven Arbuckle
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It’s welcome news any time there’s a step forward in dental technology. Not only are healthy teeth incredibly important, but nobody complains when a trip to the dentist gets even easier. One recent dental development is the use of silver diamine fluoride. When you decode the name, you find that it’s made of silver and fluoride ions that re-mineralize enamel and slow decay, plus ammonia to keep the mixture stable and safe for use.

After being used overseas for more than 40 years, silver diamine fluoride was approved in 2009 by the United States FDA and has been adopted by groups like the World Health Organization. It’s also being used by the staff at Bellingham Pediatric Dentistry, including their newest care provider, Dr. Marc Horton.

After serving the adult population, Dr. Marc Horton decided he wanted to focus on prevention and education. Photo courtesy Bellingham Pediatric Dentistry

Dr. Horton grew up in Bellevue and attended undergraduate and resident programs in Boston. During his residency, he worked with a population that had significant dental needs—many of whom weren’t older adults. “My perspective was that if they had learned some better habits when they were younger, made some different choices or maybe had different circumstances in life, they could have prevented a lot of that,” he says. “There’s great technology in terms of repairing dental and oral diseases once they occur, but I wanted to be on the prevention and education side, to help children and their families get off on the right foot.”

He returned to the West Coast in 2019 to complete his residency in pediatric dentistry at the University of Washington. Trusted faculty members put him in touch with Bellingham Pediatric Dentistry’s Dr. Sawyer, and he’s been working with patients there since August of 2020.

The tiny brush used to apply the silver diamine fluoride solution makes quick and easy work when treating a small child. Photo courtesy Bellingham Pediatric Dentistry

Dr. Horton is well-versed on the use—and the history—of silver diamine fluoride. “It was first used as a desensitizing agent, primarily in adult patients who have root exposure associated with periodontal disease and is also used to help arrest cavities that have started to form,” he says. “It was relatively recently approved in the U.S. as a device for reducing tooth sensitivity, and we also use it on ‘caries,’ or decay.”

It’s important to know that silver diamine fluoride doesn’t replace prevention or regular maintenance but might help avoid more serious treatments. “It’s often used in pediatrics as a bridge. We may have identified some decay in a young child, and we can use this as an effective way of slowing down the progression of the decay,” says Dr. Horton. “The hope is that we can get the child to a point where they’re a little older, and they can cooperate for more traditional dental treatment, like a restoration or a fill.”

Bright, open spaces and a selection of books, toys and games help make the Bellingham Pediatric Dentistry office a happy place for children. Photo courtesy Bellingham Pediatric Dentistry

Part of Dr. Horton’s job is helping new parents learn how to care for their baby’s teeth, as well as intervene in case of trouble. “Unfortunately, we see some really young children—two, three, four—that have cavities on their back molars that are going to be in their mouths until they’re 10 or 12,” he says. “We’re trying to get another 8 to 10 years out of these teeth and help parents understand that, unless there’s a pretty significant change in diet or home care, we will need to still do some traditional treatment in the future.”

One of the best parts about silver diamine fluoride treatment is how quickly and easily it can be accomplished. “It’s non-invasive or minimally invasive. It’s a liquid we apply to the teeth using a very small brush, and we can apply it safely and effectively on a young—and maybe uncooperative—child in a manner of a minute or less,” Dr. Horton says. “Then our recommendation is a repeat application, typically at six-month intervals.

Children should see a dentist by their first birthday, partly so that parents can begin getting educated on best dental practices for small ones. Photo courtesy Bellingham Pediatric Dentistry

Parents like the fact that it’s non-invasive compared to traditional dental treatment. The downside is that, because of the silver content in the liquid, the areas where they have decay or cavities are stained a dark brown or black color. In some ways, it can be a nice visual indicator of an area where they haven’t been as diligent as they could be.

Stains on baby teeth are a temporary drawback, and it should not be used on people with a silver allergy, but otherwise silver diamine fluoride gets high marks for safety.

Four front teeth were treated with silver diamine fluoride (left) for over a year, and were then able to be saved (right), thanks to the treatment, once the child was old enough for surgery. Photo courtesy Bellingham Pediatric Dentistry

“Applying this to the baby teeth has no effect on the color of the permanent teeth. That’s a common question I get,” says Dr. Horton. ‘It’s becoming more common, and I think that if parents ask around, they’re going to find other parents in the community whose children who have had this applied. It’s becoming more widely used, and the Academy of Pediatric Dentistry supports its use as a part of a comprehensive plan for tooth decay.”

Dr. Horton also stresses the importance of parents having a comprehensive plan to start paying attention to dental health early.

“The official recommendation is [a visit] within six months of the first tooth erupting, or by the first birthday,” says Dr. Horton. “I would say we’d love to see all of them on or around their first birthday. Parents can get into a good habit and find a dental routine for their child.”

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Michelle McCarthy, Painter of Adorable Animals, Brings Art Gallery to Ferndale

By
Matt Benoit
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The new gallery, located at 2046 Main Street inside a former bank, held its grand opening on November 6. Photo courtesy Michelle McCarthy

If you’d told Michelle McCarthy in January 2020 what she’d be doing now, she probably wouldn’t have believed you.

At that time, the Whatcom County native and Lynden High School graduate was living in Seattle, managing a professional art gallery, and doing business development for the second-largest glass-blowing and sculpting studio in the United States.

But when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the indefinite closure of the places where McCarthy had established herself in the world of art, she was forced to pack up everything and move back to Whatcom County.

“It was one of those real whirlwind things, like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is really happening,’” says the 36-year-old. “I kind of had no choice in it.”

But as 2021 inches towards a close, the longtime artist has more than found her footing again, selling paintings of adorable animals to eager online customers. In addition to a new career path as an operations manager for a local financial advisor, McCarthy has also partnered with local resident Aaron Crow to open “The Gallery at 3rd and Main,” known as G3M for short.

Former Lynden High School graduate Michelle McCarthy is bringing regional artwork to a new art gallery in downtown Ferndale. Photo courtesy Michelle McCarthy

Occupying a former bank space at 2046 Main Street, McCarthy and Crow now provide downtown Ferndale with a professional art gallery that showcases local and regional artists of various mediums.

“I don’t think it even feels real yet,” she says, of bringing an art gallery to her home community. “This is a gorgeous space. When I saw it, I was like, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to pull it off, but it has to happen.’”

An Eye for Eyes

McCarthy has been an artist most of her life.

She grew up sketching and drawing people—particularly portrait and figure work—and when she was 10, her mom began getting her issues of Vogue magazine, which she loved for the portrait photography of artists like Annie Leibovitz.

A lifelong artist, McCarthy has found a financially and creatively fulfilling niche painting adorable animal portraits. Photo courtesy Michelle McCarthy

As she grew up, she took art classes and moved into working with chalk. Eventually, a teacher told her she was being too comfortable.

“Every good artist paints,” he told her. Regardless of how true the axiom was, it led McCarthy to meeting an artist at the Edmonds Arts and Crafts show when she was a teenager. This artist said to move into paint only once she’d learned how colors blended through chalk, gaining a basic understanding of how to create image depth before tackling a new medium.

Slowly, she transitioned into paint. At age 21, McCarthy moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington. Becoming entranced with photosynthesis after taking a biology class, she majored in molecular developmental biology—a hard science one might not consider an artist to focus on.

McCarthy said the COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in requests for pet portraiture, such as this painting of a client’s dog. Photo courtesy Michelle McCarthy

But science, McCarthy says, helps the whole world make sense, whether it’s understanding the beauty of a rainbow or how the human immune system responds to a virus.

“You just appreciate everything so much more,” she says of seeing science in the natural world. “It just made me want to paint more and be able to capture that.”

McCarthy bartended after college and painted on the side, but eventually she joined an artist’s collective that gained significant attention with pop-up shows in places like holiday markets. She moved to working in galleries, receiving contract work before a full-time jump into galleries.

As to how she wound up doing a bunch of acrylic paintings of cute animals, McCarthy points to the pandemic and how lockdowns made people want pets. During the pandemic, she began painting raccoons and foxes on pieces of wood.

As paintings sold, more inquiries came in. McCarthy started receiving commissions for portraits of people’s pets. Many clients told her they were happy to have something happy on their work desk, or a little image they could wake up to on their nightstand. Pictures of birds, otters, llamas, frogs, and numerous other creatures—often with anthropomorphic qualities—have since followed and sold.

“I always wanted to have some kind of weird expression on them,” she says. “I love that about portraits; I love that about animals. So, it became this thing of just painting adorable little creatures, and then naming them and giving them probably too-detailed backstories.”

McCarthy usually begins with a minimal sketch of an animal, ensuring it’ll properly fit on a certain canvas size. Some of the images come from actual photos, such as a painting of Rudy the Crow. The original image—of a crow pecking at the lens of a woman’s home security camera—came about after the woman kept finding marbles on her porch as a gift for leaving seeds out for the bird.

McCarthy takes several hours to several days to complete each piece and sells them through her website and social media accounts. Photo courtesy Michelle McCarthy

McCarthy pays special attention to the eyes of her animals, as the way light hits them often dictates a subject’s entire expression, she says. Paintings take from a couple hours to a couple days, depending on her busy schedule and sense of perfection.

She sells them through her website, as well as through her Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Falling into Place

As for the gallery, it came about naturally.

While looking for apartments in Ferndale, McCarthy noticed the vacant bank space and marveled at what a great location it would be for a gallery. While socializing soon after, McCarthy met Aaron Crow—another Whatcom County resident who moved back to the area after several years elsewhere. When he jokingly asked when she’d be starting up her own art gallery, she jokingly replied that it’d be when she could obtain the vacant bank space. He replied that he’d look into it—and wasn’t joking.

The new gallery, located at 2046 Main Street inside a former bank, held its grand opening on November 6. Photo courtesy Michelle McCarthy

As it turned out, the building’s owner—a Seattle resident—had just purchased the place as a long-term investment and didn’t yet have plans for tenants. The owner liked Crow’s art gallery idea, and they drew up a contract.

“Things just fell into place,” he says.

Together, Crow and McCarthy have blended their business and art savvy, respectively, to create a unique gallery (art will be showcased in two of the former bank’s vault rooms, one of which still has a vault door attached). It held its grand opening on November 6.

A combination of Seattle and local Whatcom artists already have pieces hung at the gallery, and McCarthy says she continues to make more contacts all the time. Interested artists can also apply to have their work shown at the gallery’s website.

“The reception so far has been very well,” she says. “I’m really excited.”

Rosewood Villa’s Kitchen Touches the Lives of Residents and Staff

By
Steven Arbuckle
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Alex Smollen, left, and David Arneson are happy to have found a home at Rosewood Villa, using their cook-ing abilities to enrich lives. Photo courtesy Rosewood Villa

A top priority at Rosewood Villa is making sure the assisted living facility is a proper home for its residents. That mission inspires the staff, making their work about more than meeting their job requirements. I spoke with Dining Service Director David Arneson and Dining Service Coordinator Alex Smollen to find out how the magic happens.

The pressure of a regular restaurant job is replaced with caring and concern for the people that eat at Rosewood every day. Photo courtesy Rosewood Villa

Originally from Issaquah, Smollen began cooking as a college job. When he discovered he had talent in the kitchen, he started concentrating more on cooking, and less on school. He spent a few years in restaurants in the Seattle area before deciding to move north.

“My mom’s side of the family is from here and I really like being close to them, and there’s no shortage of restaurants up here,” Smollen says. “I did the circuit, worked at a couple different restaurants, and when the pandemic started, I told myself that I was going to get out of cooking.” Not only were restaurants closing, but he was also no longer feeling any satisfaction from his job.

Rosewood’s residents are able to give feedback to the kitchen, letting them know what works, and what they’d like changed. Photo courtesy Rosewood Villa

As he thought about heading back to school or trying a different industry, a co-worker suggested cooking at an assisted living facility. “I saw the ad for Rosewood about a year ago and decided I’d check it out,” he says. “And within the first week I could tell that this was something different, that I was feeling fulfilled when I got off work.”

Arneson originally moved to Whatcom County to be close to his wife’s family in Blaine. “I was living in Austin, Texas for 10 years, and things are really different in the restaurants there. It was much more ‘turn and burn,’ and pretty ruthless as far as working six or seven days a week, 70 hours a week,” he says. “It was very strenuous, and I wasn’t quite sure whether I was ready to jump back into something like that.”

Alex Smollen, left, and David Arneson are happy to have found a home at Rosewood Villa, using their cook-ing abilities to enrich lives. Photo courtesy Rosewood Villa

But once he was settled in Whatcom County, he discovered an unexpected opportunity. “[Rosewood’s Executive Director] Melinda Herrera happens to be a friend of my wife’s side of the family, and she mentioned to me that she was looking for someone to bring more of a restaurant atmosphere to her establishment,” Arneson says. “It’s been very gratifying and very fulfilling, much more satisfying than just your everyday restaurant, where you don’t really get to know the people. Here, somebody actually needs my assistance, rather than just wanting a quick meal.”

The change of venue also comes with a different set of considerations for the kitchen staff. “It’s definitely challenging,” says Smollen. “Some days people are feeling poorly, and they can’t come down to the dining room, and some days people have appointments, so we have to figure that out—if they’re going to be gone for breakfast, we make sure they have a tray waiting for them in their room.” Staff members have walkie-talkies and a checklist with every single person in the facility, which they go through to make sure every single person gets their meal.

The menu items are created from scratch, using fresh ingredients, and a lot of culinary know-how. Photo courtesy Rosewood Villa

That focus on the individual is one of the things that makes this job unique in Arneson’s career. “Because of my position, I get to serve, and I get to cook. I’m all over the place doing a little bit of everything, so I’m able to interact with the residents a lot,” he says. “Seeing their faces all the time, they start talking to you and telling you things—you find out the things you’d never imagined.”

Spending all day in someone else’s home separates Smollen’s work from his other cooking jobs.

“We’re here all day long, and the residents feel comfortable enough with us that they can tell us, ‘We liked this dish,’ or ‘We didn’t like this so much.’ We have a feedback system that we’re always using to fine-tune the menu,” he says. “In a normal restaurant, if people don’t like your menu, you just say, ‘Sorry, that’s the way we do it.’ But here, we can adjust things and try to make perfect dishes for people. We’re also constantly talking with the caregivers, with the nurses. It’s quite a team-oriented experience to make it all work.”

The kitchen staff regularly collaborate with nurses and caretakers to make sure dishes are suitably healthy. Photo courtesy Rosewood Villa

While both Arneson and Smollen appreciate the opportunity to make tasty meals in-house from fresh ingredients, it’s the atmosphere that makes their workplace more than a workplace to them.

“When someone in a bar late at night says, ‘Those nachos were really good,’ that’s really nice to hear, but it’s different in assisted living,” says Smollen. “A lot of our staff has worked at restaurants; they’ve been through all that. Then they get to Rosewood and see that there’s so much more emotion involved. Every day I go home and I feel good about myself. Doing this job is different than any other place I’ve ever worked.”

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Winterize Your Whatcom County Garden

By
Kelley White
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White Hellebores bloom in the yard of David Vos, manager and co-owner of Vander Giessen Nursery in Lynden. Photo credit: David Vos

It’s difficult to imagine nurturing life and creativity in your garden during the cold winter months. But in its own unique way, winter can afford growers ample opportunities to keep their gardening productive while setting the stage for a healthier growing season and maintaining an aesthetically pleasing landscape.

Below, a collective of local green thumbs teach us how to turn sleepy winter months into days of productivity and progress.

East of Eden Farm: Cover Crops & Weeding

The success of properly maintaining a healthy and bountiful garden starts from the ground up. Liza Janis, co-owner of East of Eden Farm in Bellingham, looks to soil improvement and maintenance as a fundamental key to winter gardening, commonly achieved through cover cropping.

The winter cover crop coming up in the fields on the East of Eden Farm in Bellingham. Photo courtesy East of Eden Farm

“Cover crops are a great way to maintain and improve soil structure, retain soil nutrients that would be leached during the rainy season, and deter weeds,” says Janis, “Be sure to sow your cover crop with enough time to allow it to germinate and establish before it gets too cold.”

Janis details a comprehensive list of cover crops and their contributions to your soil: “Cover crops are typically a mix of annual grasses like winter rye or legumes-like field peas, clover, and/or hairy vetch. They each contribute something different but generally work together to hold the soil structure with their roots, fix nitrogen, suppress weeds, and add organic matter to the soil. When turned over they die back or succumb to winterkill so as not to become a weed in the garden.”

Interestingly, weeds can germinate and spread even in wintertime—though they may appear to be less rampant. Janis points out that it’s especially fruitful for home gardeners to abolish weeds from their grounds in the cold and wet months.

Blaise helping plant garlic on his parent’s East of Eden Farm. Photo courtesy East of Eden Farm

“A good weeding of the garden before the winter is a great way to give yourself a head start in the spring,” she says. “Covering your garden with a tarp or straw after [weeding], or cover cropping, helps prevent disturbed or barren soil from leaching nutrients in the months of rain, and from growing more weeds to replace the ones just pulled.”

These simple steps make lasting impacts on the outcome of your landscape come springtime.

Van Wingerden Greenhouses: Roses & Grasses

It’s vital to preserve established foliage with manageable and effective care. Maintaining greenery in preparation for winter is essential to keep your yields high and your blooms abundant. Greenhouse Grower Mike Delancey of Van Wingerden Greenhouses in Blaine often gets specific inquiries about roses.

An example of a correctly pruned Weeping Larch, opening the plant to better airflow as well as preventing breakage and rot. Photo credit: Mike Delancey

Delancey makes it clear the most important care you can give to roses before winter is applying a simple method to pruning.

“The biggest problem with roses is that they break in the wind,” Delancey says. “My method is to cut straight across the plant at about 24 inches—don’t worry about the buds—just cut to prevent them whipping in the wind. Basically, you just want to get the height reduced to prevent breakage.”

Many customers also ask Delancey about their grasses. Cutting back grasses and shrubs cleans up the physical appeal of the plant as well as its health.

“Some grasses are evergreen and some die back in the winter,” says Delancey, “You’ll know when to cut them back—they’ll turn brown and fall over. Simply cut the dead areas out.”

Pruning greatly reduces damage to your shrubs and grasses throughout the wintertime, allowing new life to grow back stronger in spring.

Vander Giessen Nursery: Winter Blooms

Aside from preparation and maintenance on your landscape, wintertime lends itself to the proliferation of new ideas in keeping your garden interesting and your green creativity flowing.

Vander Giessen Nursery Co-Owner and Manager David Vos focuses on the favorable aspects of winter downtime for your garden.

Winter foliage “Coral Bells” Huechera display their brightly colored leaves in wintertime. Photo credit: David Vos

“Winter is such a great time to plan and dream,” Vos says. “If you keep a garden journal throughout the season, winter is an excellent time to review what you grew, when you fed and pruned, and what issues you struggled with, be they insects or disease, pruning techniques, or some other issue.”

Vos also highlights the benefit of choosing plants that offer beauty and bounty to your garden, especially in wintertime. “Hellebores are incredibly beautiful and available in such a wide variety of colors,” says Vos, “They bloom in winter and early spring and have lush evergreen leaves.”

Vos shares more choices for winter growth and blooms: “Other plants that provide winter interest include heuchera, sometimes referred to as “coral bells” with their colored leaves; Pieris with its drooping clusters of flower buds; and leucothoe with colorful evergreen leaves. Sarcococca is another great evergreen shrub that blooms in winter with delicate-looking fragrant white flowers.”

White Hellebores bloom in the yard of David Vos, manager and co-owner of Vander Giessen Nursery in Lynden. Photo credit: David Vos

The vibrant life in these winter botanicals is a beauty of its own, sure to breed interest and allure into your landscape.

Utilizing transitional, cold months in your garden is a necessary and fruitful endeavor for the health of your land and foliage. More importantly, it brings balance to your garden and helps cultivate four seasons worth of color and abundance.

Whatcom County Health Department Shares Latest Vaccine Supply Information for 5- to 11-Year-Olds

By
LocalTalk Contributor
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Submitted by the Whatcom County Health Department

COVID-19 vaccines have been available for 5- to 11-year-olds for just a week, and we know that there are many families who are looking for appointments for their children. Here’s what we know about the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine supply.

The vaccine supply is limited

The pediatric version of the Pfizer vaccine is a different dosage than the version for adults and teens, and the two types are not interchangeable. From a logistics point of view, it is a separate vaccine, and production of the vaccine is just getting started. Similar to when the adult COVID-19 vaccines were first introduced at the end of 2020, the pediatric vaccines will be allocated to each state on a weekly basis. There will also be some doses coming directly to Washington pharmacies through the federal pharmacy partnership. 

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) divides up the state’s allocation by county. Each week, vaccine providers in the state send in orders for doses. DOH has informed us that they have received orders for more than twice the number of doses that they will actually get next week. 

The number of vaccine providers is also limited

In Whatcom County, we have a relatively small number of vaccine providers who are giving the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine. Not all vaccine providers vaccinate this age group. In addition, very few pediatricians and family doctors in Whatcom County are offering this vaccine. 

Some people might wonder about the possibility of a mass vaccination clinic for children. A mass clinic similar to the Community Vaccination Center that was held at the Bellingham Technical College is not an option at this time. We have discussed it with the community partners who staffed the CVC, and our partners do not have the capacity to stand up a similar mass clinic.

Where to get your child vaccinated

  • Vaccine appointments will be hard to find at first. Demand for this vaccine will continue to be very high. Every family who wants the vaccine for their child will be able to get it eventually. In the meantime, please keep in mind that there are thousands of Whatcom County families looking for this vaccine. Given the tight supply and the physical capacity of our local providers to administer doses, it will take several weeks or even months to meet this demand.
  • Check our list of vaccine providers. As we learn of new vaccine providers serving the 5-11 age group, we will add them to our COVID vaccine page. If you prefer, you can download the list (PDF). We cannot guarantee appointment availability at any of these providers.
  • Check our list of vaccine clinics. In addition to locations such as pharmacies that have regular hours, we also keep a list of pop-up clinics on our COVID vaccine page. This list specifies which ages are served at each clinic. Again, we cannot guarantee appointment availability at any of these clinics.
  • Watch our vaccine page for new clinic announcements. This week, there will be a very limited number of vaccine appointments at three clinics run by our vaccination partners. 
    • The registration links will be posted on our COVID vaccine page, whatcomcounty.us/covidvaccine, on Wednesday, Nov. 10, at 5 p.m. 
    • These will not be public PrepMod links so they can’t be found through PrepMod searches, unlike our Nov. 5 clinic. 
    • Please note: these clinics are run by our mobile vaccination partners, who specialize in outreach in rural areas, not mass vaccination. These are not mass vaccination sites, and very few slots will be available. 
    • Appointments are required.

Bellingham’s Upfront Theatre: Keeping the Laughter Alive

By
Matt Benoit
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The Upfront Theatre re-opened in Sept. 2021 in the Studio Theatre of the Sylvia Center for the Arts in downtown Bellingham. Photo credit: Lucy Schwendiman

For nearly 16 years, Ryan Stiles’ Upfront Theatre sat at the end of Bay Street in downtown Bellingham, serving as the community’s only true comedy club.

Countless scores of people witnessed thousands of shows, mostly of the improvised variety, and hundreds of performers scribbled their signatures on the Upfront’s green room walls.

But when the COVID-19 pandemic upended normal life in the spring of 2020 and forced the theater’s closure, it quickly became clear the Upfront could not continue in its for-profit form. Stiles dissolved his business interest in the theatre, and performers quickly being plotting how to keep the Upfront and its tight-knit group of improvisers going in some way.

A year and a half later, the Upfront Theatre is back, having re-opened in September 2021 as a resident theater of Prospect Street’s Sylvia Center for the Arts. Now re-formed as a non-profit venture, the Upfront is bringing back the laughs five times a week, with improv comedy shows every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.

November’s Friday and Saturday shows will feature the “Genre Legends” format, where improvisers use three different genres to create three different stories per show. Photo courtesy Upfront Theatre

“We were really excited to get back at it,” says Samantha Jolly, one of the Upfront’s board members and a longtime performer. “I think a lot of us definitely felt the loss during COVID, of the connection every week that we used to get at rehearsals and at shows.”

Picking Up the Pieces

Jolly, who has been performing improv since high school, was pleasantly surprised to discover the Upfront upon moving to Bellingham from Michigan several years ago. She auditioned and became a regular cast member, eventually also teaching some of the Upfront’s popular improv classes.

For many members of the Bellingham community, the Upfront was their place to be playful as adults, engaging in silly, ridiculous, and creative ways that many leave behind in childhood. Studies have shown, in fact, that adult playfulness can have positive mental health benefits, mitigating the effects of stress.

Upfront Theatre improvisers perform at a recent show. After being forced to close in 2020, the improv comedy club has made a comeback as a non-profit theatre in a new downtown location. Photo credit: Lucy Schwendiman

Losing the regular benefit of Upfront shows, then, was a serious blow to the mental and social well-being of Jolly and other performers.

“It’s pretty rare that you have this ‘just add water’ group of friends who you know you can see every Thursday, Friday or Saturday night without having to make plans,” she says. “I missed my friends a lot. To me, even more than the opportunity to perform, that’s what the Upfront is—it’s my community, it’s my people.”

And now that community is back. Although Jolly says it was hard to leave behind the Upfront’s old performance space, the new Studio Theatre at Sylvia Center is working out just fine.

The Upfront Theatre features improv comedy every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night in downtown Bellingham. Photo courtesy Upfront Theatre

The previous location’s cabaret-style seating for 100 has been traded for stadium-style seating for about 50 in a blackbox theater setting, meaning the audience looks down upon the performers as opposed to up, as they did with the old theater’s raised stage.

“It feels like a more intimate space, in some ways,” Jolly says.

The new space has also provided a strong sense of ownership among performers, she adds, as they share artistic duties more than before.

Having a dedicated improv comedy venue in Bellingham has helped many adults get back in touch with their creative sides. Photo credit: Lucy Schwendiman

The Upfront shares Sylvia with the iDiOM Theatre, which performs next door in the venue’s 125-seat Lucas Hicks Theater. While there’s always been overlap between the two theater’s performers, Jolly says the literal close proximity of the two entities has made the community feel bigger and more familiar.

“I feel really fortunate and inspired by the fact that, when so many performing arts spaces were shutting down, we found a way to be mutually supportive to one another,” she says. “It feels like a special collaboration, and they’ve been extremely welcoming and supportive of us coming back.”

Looking Forward

The Upfront’s board of directors currently features three performers and three community members, and Jolly says they’re actively recruiting several more community members. In addition, volunteer opportunities at the theater are currently plentiful, and include ushering and running tech at shows (volunteers get to see shows free-of-charge).

Since July, the theater’s fundraising efforts have raised $14,400 helping cover rent and regular business costs like IT services. Though currently lacking the paid staff positions of their previous iteration, Jolly says further fundraising efforts and ticket sales will help make that a reality.

The Upfront Theatre re-opened in Sept. 2021 in the Studio Theatre of the Sylvia Center for the Arts in downtown Bellingham. Photo credit: Lucy Schwendiman

Although audiences have initially been small due to still-growing awareness of the theater’s return and continuing spread of COVID-19, the Upfront held several sold-out performances of “Hellingham,” its popular Halloween-centric murder mystery format, in October.

Throughout November, the Upfront will be performing its “Genre Legends” format on Fridays and Saturdays, where cast members will create three improvised stories, each in a different genre. “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly,” the theater’s longest-running improv show, continues to occur Thursday nights at 7:30 p.m.

All shows require audience members to wear masks and provide either proof of vaccination or a negative, non at-home COVID-19 test within 48 hours of a show.

While popular Upfront improv classes aren’t returning until early next year, the theater has brought back their monthly drop-in classes. Open to everyone, these hour-long sessions enable community members to try out the fun and freedom of improvisation.

For more information, visit the Upfront website.

COVID Vaccine for Kids Ages 5-11: Unity Care NW Experts Weigh In

By
Hilary Parker
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A young patient gets an after-immunization prize at the Unity Care NW clinic. Photo courtesy Unity Care NW

As the United States neared the green light for the Pfizer pediatric COVID-19 vaccine, many families were eager to start the vaccination series and others were more hesitant—and families across the board may have questions regarding the vaccine. The medical staff at Unity Care NW would like to help parents and guardians work through these questions to help make the right choice for their children.

Lisa Nelson,Pharmacy Director, and Rachel Herman, Medical Operations Manager, both of Unity Care NW, say there are a few things all parents and guardians should be aware of as they consider the COVID vaccine for their children.

“From my perspective, there’s a lot of concerns about whether the vaccine is safe, and I think it’s important to know that we have data to support that the vaccine is safe,” Nelson says. “Children aren’t at as much risk as adults, but the risk for children for a negative outcome from actually getting COVID is far more significant than any small risk [from the vaccine].

Families should ask the questions they need to feel confident about getting their child vaccinated, say the health care professionals at Unity Care NW. Photo courtesy Unity Care NW

Data from the trials of the Pfizer vaccine does show the vaccine is safe and effective for children ages 5 to 11. The studies show it is more than 90% effective for this age group, which is in line with results for adults and older children.

“It’s reassuring to know that even with this more infectious strain (Delta), and being the circulating variant during the trial, that we still had such high efficacy at preventing symptomatic illness in this age group,” says Nelson.

The dosage of the vaccine has been reduced to one third of that given to older recipients. In lowering the amount of vaccine given, the efficacy has not waned, she says, but it appears that the side effects are less prevalent. However, children could still get common side effects such as a headache, slight fever, or sore arm.

As families consider getting their children vaccinated, one thing Nelson notes is that children currently make up a larger percentage of COVID cases in Whatcom County than previously. As the Delta variant continues to make its rounds, county health department data shows the highest rate of confirmed cases in the age group of 5 to 11—exactly the group that became eligible for the Pfizer vaccine upon its approval.

“We’re seeing cases coming down in age groups that have access to the vaccine, but we have a population of 5 to 11-year-olds who don’t have access to the vaccine right now and they are carrying the largest burden of cases in our community,” Nelson says.

Happy, healthy kids are the goal of the health care providers at Unity Care NW. Photo courtesy Unity Care NW

Nelson and Herman recognize that not everyone will be eager to have their children vaccinated immediately. A Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that about one-third of the population is expected to get the vaccine right away, while one-third is taking a wait-and-see attitude and the final third will probably decline the vaccine.

“Certainly, parents should reach out to their pediatrician or primary care provide if they have specific questions related to individual conditions their children have,” says Herman.

When will the vaccine be available?

Unity Care NW will be ready to begin giving children within their network vaccinations beginning Wednesday, November 10th.

Not all providers will have the same availability, however, as it depends on each provider’s vaccine supplier. Nelson says the Federal Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) is Unity Care NW’s direct supplier and they were able to place orders for the vaccine at the end of October. Some other providers order through the state’s Department of Health, which has different ordering timelines and allocation amounts compared to HRSA’s ordering system. Ultimately, by ordering from a different agency, the community benefits as we’re able to bring more vaccine into our county.

A young patient gets an after-immunization prize at the Unity Care NW clinic. Photo courtesy Unity Care NW

For those who are not part of the Unity Care NW network, check with your pediatrician’s office or visit vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov to find out where the vaccine for ages 5-11 is currently available.

Herman says she believes clinic managers have learned from the early days of vaccine distribution last winter what works and what doesn’t for timely distribution. That means there should be less likelihood of demand outpacing supply.

“What I have seen at the federal level,” Herman says, “is an attempt to get vaccine product in health centers before the recommendation goes live, so we can get ourselves operationally prepped and ready for when the recommendation does come out so that we can turn the switch on and start seeing kids.”

One difference parents may see as the vaccine roles out for children is that the mass vaccination clinics that were deployed to get older children and adults vaccinated probably won’t be as common for this younger group.

“What we do know is that 5-11 age group isn’t really conducive to running them through one of those really large-scale vaccine models,” says Herman.

Instead, she says, most vaccinations will probably be given as would any other childhood immunizations, within the providers office.

Herman said Unity Care NW is reaching out to the Bellingham School District to see if they can help provide vaccines to elementary-school-aged children within the district. While nothing is confirmed yet, Herman said she expects a mobile vaccination clinic or something similar might be worked out.

“One thing we do really well as a community health center is identify those populations that don’t have easy access to healthcare and really try to think about where we can make the biggest impact,” she says. Other programs may include offering Uber vouchers to provide families transportation to get vaccinated.

Give kids the “why”

Once parents have made the decision to vaccinate their children, then comes what’s often the hardest part—helping them through the scary part of actually getting the shot.

Nelson offers some advice, not as a pharmacist but as a parent, on how to help kids address their hesitancy to get a shot.

“I never wanted to blindside my child, taking him to the doctor’s office and not letting him know that he was getting a vaccine,” she says.

She always discusses with her son why he is getting a shot: to keep him healthy as well as those around him.

“For some children, understanding the goal is to help us get back to normal—being able to do all the fun things kids like to do” is enough to convince them getting a shot is worth it, she adds.

Most importantly, she hopes parents get the answers they need to feel confident in their decision.

“I hope that we can build trust with parents that the vaccine is safe,” says Nelson. “We’re all here to answer questions and help parents feel comfortable when they make their individual vaccine decisions for their children.”

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Bellingham’s Cat Valley Invites Listeners To Witness Band’s Musical Evolution

By
Steven Arbuckle
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From left to right, Hegge, Flinn, Sehman and Stanovich have built a platform to reach out to listeners who share something in common. Photo courtesy Cat Valley

Cat Valley have been making music together for five years, placing them on a short list of long-running musical acts in the Bellingham music scene—and now they’re gearing up to release their second EP. Founding members Whitney Flinn and Abby Hegge share songwriting, singing, and guitar playing duties in the band, and their excitement for the project is palpable as soon as they start talking about how they came together.

“Whitney had just moved to town and wanted to meet more musicians, so she had a show at her house for her birthday,” Hegge says. “She was playing harp and she made me cry, and then I played my sad guitar music and made her cry. And then we were like: ‘We should jam!’”

With such obvious chemistry, the duo wasted no time getting their act together. “I remember we wrote our first song out on the porch. We wrote a song that had a lot of cursing in it, and her neighbor got really upset and said, ‘I have a six-year-old daughter here,’” says Hegge. “And we just thought, ‘This song is for your daughter,’ because it was about men cat-calling women on the street.”

They intended from the start to perform as a duo, and after a few shows booked a tour. Then they realized they’d need some sort of merchandise to fund the trip. “So we got a friend to record us in Fairhaven College’s studio one day, and we folded CD covers out of paper grocery bags with a picture of my cat glued onto them, and wrote the song titles on it in Sharpie,” Hegge says.

With the addition of each new player, the founding members have seen their vision shift and grow. Photo credit: Tommy Calderon Photography

With some real grass-roots experience under their belts, they decided to add a new dimension to their performances by adding drums. “We had a drummer for a while who was playing on a toy drum kit that had been in my basement,” says Finn. “Then we met Melanie, and that was when we started feeling a lot more confident and taking ourselves a little more seriously.”

The addition of Melanie Sehman to the band was the first in a series of steps that helped the original Cat Valley team reach a new level of craft.

“We were doing one of the lunchtime performances at Bellingham Girls Rock Camp. We mentioned that it was our last show with the old drummer, and then Melanie came up to us in the parking lot and said, ‘I’m a drummer, do you want to jam?’” says Hegge. “She’s the head of the music department at Whatcom Community College, she has a classical percussion background and she’s really into jazz. My understanding is that she had mostly been playing orchestral percussion through college, then her husband got her a drum kit not that long before she met us. She was already a phenomenal drummer, and we were really blown away.”

A sense of fun is an important part of the Cat Valley recipe, alongside thoughtful lyrics and killer riffs. Photo credit: Tommy Calderon Photography

The next move was adding a bass player to help round out their sound. “Autumn from Glitchlette was our bassist for a little over a year, and she also played a really big part in cementing our current sound,” says Flinn. “Now Autumn’s doing her own thing, and we have Kristen Stanovich in the band. Kristen brings a different energy with her as well, so it’s really interesting to see how our sound has evolved, through having different musicians involved.”

But the two singer-songwriters don’t rely on others to be the force moving them forward. “We’re always pushing ourselves as writers, we’re always trying to write more complex parts as a challenge to ourselves. You can hear it if you listen to our first, self-titled EP, and then you listen to Feral. We literally recorded both of those EP’s in the same room, with Erik Takuichi Wallace from Shibusa Sound, so it’s easy to hear how much better Feral sounds,” says Flinn.

Originally a couple of friends sharing their fun onstage, Cat Valley has grown into a rock band to be reckoned with. Photo credit: Tommy Calderon Photography

With a habit of drawing inspiration from a variety of sources and a willingness to incorporate new sounds and ideas, it’s not easy to pin a simple description to the band’s sound. “I would say it’s kind of a mix of angry songs about our experiences as women, and some softer songs about our experiences as queer people,” says Hegge.

Flinn echoes the diversity of sounds within the band, which reflect the diversity of the artists that influence them. “There’s some kick-ass anthemic stuff, and also some chill, driving-in-your-car stuff. As songwriters, Abby and I come from a similar background, but I feel like, as Cat Valley, we really explore a lot of different styles,” she says.

At the root of the Cat Valley experience is the desire to connect with listeners, and that comes through both in the humor and the sincerity that they display. “We’re hoping that other people that have had similar experiences to us will…” Hegge pauses, searching for the right word. “…come party with us!” Flinn finishes, with a laugh.

“Yeah, come party with us,” Hegge agrees, “but we’re also hoping they connect with this album and can relate to it. We’re hoping it’ll be especially relatable to people who feel like they’ve been left out of the narrative.”

From left to right, Hegge, Flinn, Sehman and Stanovich have built a platform to reach out to listeners who share something in common. Photo credit: Tommy Calderon Photography

Asking a band to describe its sound can lead to a certain amount of frustration, but there is no hesitation here. “I think if you like indie rock, if you like garage rock, if you like surf rock, you’ll probably like our band,” says Finn. “And I think we fit in sonically with a lot of our influences, the bands that we love, like Girlpool, Sleater-Kinney, La Luz, Screaming Females, and the Breeders.”

You’ll have the chance to find out when Cat Valley host an album release show at the Shakedown on November 18th, or by purchasing their material on their Bandcamp site.

Featured photo by Tommy Calderon Photography

Stay Cozy and Comfy This Fall While Saving on Energy Efficient Options for Your Home

By
LocalTalk Contributor
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PSE Puget Sound Energy

Submitted by Puget Sound Energy

As families ‘fall back’ for the end of daylight saving time on Nov. 7 and start spending more time indoors, Puget Sound Energy recommends assessing the energy efficiency of your home. 

PSE provides resources for small changes and upgrades to make your home more comfortable.

Winter is a good time to:

  • Check your home for air leaks
  • Seal gaps in doors, closets, floors and ceilings
  • Tune-up your heating system to work more efficiently
  • Change furnace filters and clean air vent covers

Larger home upgrades with big-bill-savings, could include:

  • Upgrade to a high-efficiency heating systems
  • Weatherize your home with attic, floor and wall insulation
  • Replace inefficient single pane windows
  • Install a smart thermostat and regulate your home right from your smart phone

PSE offers several programs to help you get your home ready for winter weather. Income-qualified customers can outfit their homes with energy efficient upgrades for free or with increased rebates through PSE’s Weatherization Assistance and Efficiency Boost programs. 

Visit pse.com/rebates to learn how you can keep your home comfy and cozy while using less energy and saving more on your monthly bill.

PSE is committed to working together to create a clean energy future for all while setting an aspirational goal to be a Beyond Net Zero Carbon company by 2045. PSE will target reducing its own carbon emissions to net zero and go beyond by helping other sectors to enable carbon reduction across the state of Washington.

Getting Your Child Vaccinated for COVID-19

By
LocalTalk Contributor
-

Submitted by the Whatcom County Health Department

Kids ages 5-11 are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccination! It’s natural and normal to ask questions about the big decisions you make on behalf of your children. Getting your child vaccinated against COVID-19 is no exception. That’s why we’ve put together some answers to questions you might have about getting your child vaccinated for COVID-19. 

Is it safe for my child to get vaccinated against COVID-19?

Medical experts agree that getting 5-11 year olds vaccinated against COVID-19 is a safe and healthy choice to protect your child. Researchers, pediatricians, epidemiologists, and other experts conducted extensive testing and a review of the evidence for safety and effectiveness recommending the use of this vaccine for children. Scientists studied how the vaccine worked in over 4,500 children who ranged in age from six months old to 11 years old. They looked at how well the vaccine worked, and they looked for any adverse reactions or side effects.

The independent FDA and CDC committees reviewed and discussed the data from the clinical trials. After looking at that evidence, those groups of experts determined the Pfizer vaccine to be safe—and effective—for kids aged 5-11.

Is the vaccine for kids the same as the one for adults?

The vaccine that is available for use in kids who are 5 – 11 years old—the Pfizer vaccine—is the same vaccine as the one used for adults, but the dosage used for younger kids is smaller. The vaccine dose for kids ages 5-11 is one-third the dose for older children and adults. This is partly because their immune systems are so strong and responsive so they don’t need as large a dose as older kids and adults. Researchers in the clinical trials chose a smaller dose for children that would be effective and safe for their bodies. 

Are there any side effects for kids?

With any vaccine, there’s always a risk of side effects. Since side effects from vaccines usually happen a short time after getting vaccinated, scientists are able to look for side effects during clinical trials.

Your child might experience some mild side effects in the days right after they get their shot. They might have a sore arm, feel tired, or have some swelling or inflammation near where they got their shot. These side effects are normal and are a sign that the vaccine is doing its job to train their immune system.

There have been cases of heart inflammation—myocarditis or pericarditis—after being vaccinated for COVID-19 with an mRNA vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer). However, myocarditis and pericarditis after COVID-19 vaccination is quite rare. Most cases have been in teen and young adult males, usually several days after vaccination. Myocarditis can also be a complication of having COVID-19, and the risk of heart inflammation is much greater after COVID-19 infection than after vaccination. Public health and medical experts agree that the benefit of getting vaccinated is greater than the risk of heart inflammation. 

If you have questions about getting your child vaccinated against COVID-19, talk to your child’s health care provider, just like you would for your other health concerns.

But I thought kids weren’t at as great a risk from COVID-19 as adults? Why should they get vaccinated?

Although it’s true that COVID-19 is less severe for most children than for adults, that doesn’t mean kids are safe from COVID-19. COVID-19 is an unpredictable virus. We know that older adults and people with chronic health conditions are more vulnerable, but healthy, younger adults—and children—have also become seriously ill. We also know the vaccine works, with very little risk.

The risk of  severe COVID-19 infection in kids isn’t zero. It’s true that children tend to have milder symptoms, but severe cases that require hospitalization do happen. Unfortunately, more kids have been hospitalized since the Delta variant caused case rates to skyrocket again.

Recent real-world studies are starting to show that the COVID-19 vaccine works well to prevent older kids from being hospitalized for COVID-19. A recent CDC study found that full vaccination reduced adolescent’s risk of hospitalization from COVID-19 by 93%

The risks associated with COVID-19 infection don’t end at the hospital. We’re learning more and more about long-haul COVID-19 in kids. Researchers are still studying this, but it’s clear that some children, even children who have relatively mild COVID symptoms, can have long-haul symptoms, like trouble breathing, brain fog, or tiredness. Experiencing those symptoms even for a few weeks or months is hard on a child’s body and can keep them out of school and limit their ability to do the things they love every day—like visiting grandparents or playing with friends.

Vaccines of all kinds help kids get a healthy start in life. They protect kids from many diseases that our parents and grandparents suffered from, like measles, polio, and whooping cough. But now kids don’t have to suffer from those illnesses, and they also don’t need to suffer from COVID-19.

Where can my child get vaccinated?

You can find a provider that can vaccinate 5-11 year olds at VaccineLocator.doh.wa.gov. Make sure you get an appointment, and call ahead or check the provider’s website to confirm availability for 5-11 year old doses.

Since many vaccine providers aren’t able to vaccinate young children, and because the dosing is different, there aren’t as many providers available to vaccinate 5-11 year olds as there are for everyone else. In the early weeks of the roll out for 5-11 year olds, there also may be a limited supply, so we ask everyone to be patient and plan ahead for their child’s vaccination. 

Despite these challenges, there are a few options for pediatric COVID-19 vaccination this week:

  • We will be offering pediatric COVID-19 vaccines alongside the pop-up clinic in the Old Lynden Middle School Cafeteria at 516 Main Street in Lynden on Friday, November 5, between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. The link to register for this clinic will be ready to share tomorrow, November 4, at around noon. We’ll post the link on our Facebook page, local vaccine clinic list and on our new pediatric COVID-19 vaccine page. 
    • We’re holding more pediatric vaccination clinics in the coming weeks and will announce the locations, dates and times on our social media channels and vaccine page.
  • Nooksack Valley Drug will also have vaccines this week and is able to vaccinate 5- to 11-year-old kids. You can make an appointment at NooksackValleyDrug.com. 
  • PeaceHealth is another regular Pfizer carrier that’s able to vaccinate 5-11 year olds, and you don’t need to be an established patient at PeaceHealth to make an appointment. To make an appointment at PeaceHealth this week, call 1-833-375-0285.
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