News from Multnomah County

August 2011

As the summer winds down and we begin to gear up for fall, I want to take time out to share some of the exciting things happening at Multnomah County. I am happy to announce that we opened the doors at the new Crisis Assessment and Treatment Center, a place where people in the midst of a mental health crisis can receive care. We're having another bountiful season at our CROPS farm in east county. And I'm currently looking into ways to protect our community from Bisphenol-A (BPA) - a harmful chemical found in rigid plastics like baby bottles and sippy cups. Also, I want to acknowledge Multnomah County staff, who continue to amaze me with the quality work they do everyday to enhance the lives of our residents.

Despite all the great things going on at Multnomah County, it's important that we all recognize the long road ahead of us. Take a look at my budget message, along with the rest of this newsletter to learn more about your county at work.

Sincerely,

Jeff Cogen signature

Mental Health Crisis Center Opens in Multnomah County

We all know the importance of getting health care when we need it. Treatment at the right time and in the right setting can prevent a crisis from worsening. At Multnomah County, we work continuously with state and local partners to make sure all treatment options are available for someone experiencing a mental health crisis. Those partnerships led to the June 21 opening an essential piece of the crisis system: the Crisis Assessment and Treatment Center (CATC). [Read More]

A Message on the Budget

We are at a critical time in Multnomah County and I want everyone to be aware of the challenges in front of us. When the Board of Commissioners adopted the executive budget this past spring, it put the county in the best possible position to respond to the predicted budget cuts from the state and federal government. We accomplished this through the streamlining of our organization and the re-examination of the way we do business. [Read More]

Good News on the Sellwood Bridge Replacement Project

Safely replacing the Sellwood Bridge is among the county's highest priorities and we have worked tirelessly with regional partners to create a funding structure that allows us to complete the entire project on time. To that end, the defeat of a Clackamas County ballot measure that made our funding shortfall grow from $22 million to $42 million was daunting news.

With bridge construction less than a year away, the county is doing everything it can to reduce the gap. Our goal? To

deliver the largest transportation project in the county's history on budget and on time. I'm happy to share that design changes and other factors have helped to reduce the project's cost from $330 million to $265 million.

We are pursuing a federal grant and working hard to get the job done. Absent that funding, some project elements may be postponed for a second construction phase. Stay tuned for updates at www.sellwoodbridge.org.

Multnomah County is Oregon's most populous county with about 725,000 residents. Multnomah County is governed by a Board of four elected Commissioners and one Chair. Multnomah County employees provide citizens a wide range of health and human services, public safety services and other government services.

Multnomah County values the privacy of personal information and will not sell or otherwise disclose your email address, except as provided under Chapter 192 of the Oregon Revised Statues pertaining to Records; Public Reports and Meetings.

Another Successful Season at CROPS

2011 has been an exciting year at the County CROPS farm. Thanks to the hard work of volunteers at our Troutdale property, we've been able to harvest over 1400 lbs of vegetables in the last two months alone!

With the help of Oregon Food Bank, we're seizing this opportunity to provide fresh, healthy, organic produce to Multnomah County residence in need.

To learn more about the County CROPS initiative or to get involved, click here.

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