The Marion County Board of Commissioners voted Wednesday to extend a contract with Salem Health Center to provide mental health screenings at the hospital.
Commissioners unanimously approved adding $100,000 to the 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 in hospital emergency rooms.
The crisis center at 1118 Oak St. SE is a 24-7 facility operated by the county’s Department of Health and Human Services. The center will move back to its original location, 1234 Commercial St. SE, next year, according to a recent county news release.
The committee also unanimously approved an increase of approximately $131,000 to be paid for with federal funds in a tobacco prevention and education program agreement with the Oregon Health Authority.
Ryan Matthews, the county’s health and human services administrator, said the funds will go to the county’s Department of Health Promotion and Prevention Services, which works with health care providers to promote smoking cessation services. These include the quitline 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669).
Matthews said at Wednesday’s meeting that the funds will also be used to pay for surveys and collect data on youth tobacco use, as well as work with schools to educate parents and give teachers the information they need to make appropriate referrals.
The tobacco program is part of the county’s public health services agreement with the state, which currently totals about $4.9 million.
Commissioners voted unanimously to re-adopt the county’s policy for investing public funds. State law requires local governments to adopt such policies annually if their public investments last more than 18 months.
The board also approved an updated county policy to provide guidance in the event county employees are exposed to bloodborne pathogens on the job.
According to the agenda item, county policy requires departments that may be exposed to such risks to develop written plans to minimize the risk.
Marion County Risk Manager Justine Flora told the meeting that the earlier policy, last reviewed in 1996, was lengthy and “disorganized.” The updated version is shorter and outlines the different procedures for individual county departments to update their current bloodborne pathogens plans.
Pathogens described in the policy include hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency virus, HIV.
The original story is as follows:
The Marion County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday will consider extending a contract with Salem Health Center to provide mental health screenings at the hospital.
Read: Agenda
Commissioners will consider adding $100,000 to the contract with the hospital and extending it through August 2024. According to the agenda item, Salem Health is paying Marion County for its psychiatric crisis center to provide 24/7 mental health screening services in the hospital’s emergency department.
The new contract totals $300,000.
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Commissioners will meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the Senate Hearing Room at 555 NE Court Street. Anyone can attend or sign up to make public comments in person at the meeting. The meeting was broadcast live on YouTube.
tobacco prevention
The committee 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 part of the county’s public health services agreement with the state, which will bring the total new contract to about $4.9 million. The program is paid for with federal funds.
Under the agenda item, this work will include promoting the adoption of smoke-free policies in schools, workplaces and public spaces.
Also on the agenda
Commissioners will consider reintroducing the county’s public money investment policy. State law requires local governments to adopt such policies annually if their public investments last more than 18 months.
The committee will also consider updating county policy to provide guidance in the event a county employee is exposed to blood-borne pathogens on the job.
Such pathogens include hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). According to the agenda item, county policy requires departments that may be exposed to such risks to develop written plans to minimize the risk.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabbrizian: (email protected) or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabbrizian has been covering criminal justice and housing issues for the Salem Reporter since September 2021. An Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traveled across the state. He has reported for The Oregonian, The Eugene Weekly and the Malheur Enterprise.