The Marion County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday voted to extend a contract with Salem Health to provide mental health screening at the hospital.
Commissioners unanimously approved adding $100,000 to a contract with the hospital and extending it through August 2024. The new contract totals $300,000.
Salem Health pays Marion County for its Psychiatric Crisis Center to provide 24/7 mental health screening services at the hospital’s emergency department.
The crisis center at 1118 Oak St. S.E. is a 24-7 facility operated by the county’s Health and Human Services Department. The center will relocate next year back to its previous location at 1234 Commercial St. S.E., according to a recent county newsletter.
The board also unanimously approved adding about $131,000 to an agreement with the Oregon Health Authority for a tobacco prevention and education program, paid for by federal funding.
The money will go to the county’s Health Promotion and Prevention Services Department, which works with healthcare providers to spread awareness about services for quitting smoking, according to Ryan Matthews, the county’s Health and Human Services administrator. That includes the tobacco quit line, 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669).
Matthews said at the Wednesday meeting that the funds are also intended to pay for surveys and collecting data focused on youth tobacco use, as well as working with schools on educating parents and giving teachers the information they need to make appropriate referrals.
The tobacco program is one element of the county’s agreement with the state for public health services, which now totals about $4.9 million.
Commissioners unanimously voted to readopt the county’s policy for investing public funds. State law requires that local governments annually adopt such policies if they make public investments lasting longer than 18 months.
The board also approved updated county policies to provide guidance in the event that county employees are exposed to bloodborne pathogens on the job.
County policy requires that departments with a potential for such exposure develop written plans intended to minimize the risk, according to the agenda item.
The earlier policy, which was last reviewed in 1996, was lengthy and “in-the-weeds,” Marion County Risk Manager Justine Flora said at the meeting. The updated version is shorter and outlines different procedures for individual county departments to refresh their current bloodborne pathogen programs.
The pathogens described in the policy include hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency virus, HIV.
Original story below:
The Marion County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday will consider extending a contract with Salem Health to provide mental health screening at the hospital.
READ IT: AGENDA
Commissioners will consider adding $100,000 to a contract with the hospital and extending it through August 2024. Salem Health pays Marion County for its Psychiatric Crisis Center to provide 24/7 mental health screening services at the hospital’s emergency department, according to the agenda item.
The new contract would total $300,000.
To participate
The commissioners meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the Senator Hearing Room at 555 Court Street N.E. Anyone can attend or sign up to give public comment in-person at the meeting. The meeting is streamed live on YouTube.
Tobacco prevention
The board will also consider adding about $131,000 to an agreement with the Oregon Health Authority for a tobacco prevention and education program.
The tobacco program is one element of the county’s agreement with the state for public health services, which would bring the new contract total to about $4.9 million. The program is paid for by federal money.
The work would include promoting the adoption of tobacco-free policies in schools, workplaces and public places, according to the agenda item.
Also on the agenda
Commissioners will consider readopting the county’s policy for investing public funds. State law requires that local governments annually adopt such policies if they make public investments lasting longer than 18 months.
The board will also consider updating county policies to provide guidance in the event that county employees are exposed to bloodborne pathogens on the job.
Such pathogens include hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). County policy requires that departments with a potential for such exposure develop written plans intended to minimize the risk, according to the agenda item.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
