County readies a 5-year community health plan

UMATILLA COUNTY โ€“ Umatilla County Public Health has grown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Community Health Supervisor Morgan Linder said that will enable her team to be more responsive to health needs for residents.

โ€œWe have quite a bit more capacity to do some of that outreach and education than we did a couple of years ago,โ€ she said. โ€œUnfortunately, also because of the pandemic, some of that has gone on the back burner.โ€

Linder and her team are currently working on turning up the heat on a number of projects, all falling under the umbrella of a five-year community health improvement plan, which will soon be initiated. In addition to the plan, the community health team is also working to forge a working relationship with Community Counseling Services, the countyโ€™s new substance abuse and behavioral health agency.

โ€œWe donโ€™t ever want people to feel like they canโ€™t talk to us about something or that weโ€™re trying to tell them what to do,โ€ Linder said. โ€œWe just want people to have the resources and information to make their own decisions.โ€