Benton County’s Health Department just dropped a new news release – and in fact, you’re going to want to know they’re saying.
First-up, for our regular readers that perhaps shared our unhappiness with the defunding of our fair burgh’s drug court – we have some good news. In January 2025, Benton County will begin to launch a new program to replace it.
According to the County, the voluntary program will connect individuals with peer mentors to wrap participants into a system of care that may include mental health and substance use supports.
Benton County’s Behavioral Health Deflection Program is designed in alignment with the Oregon Behavioral Health Deflection Grant Program, established by House Bill (HB) 4002 to award grants to counties and tribes to fund deflection programs.
According to HB 4002, a deflection program is a “collaborative program between law enforcement agencies and behavioral health entities that assists individuals who may have substance use disorder, another behavioral health disorder or co-occurring disorders, to create community-based pathways to treatment, recovery support services, housing, case management or other services.”
Benton County is planning to implement a deflection program following an officer intervention model. County residents cited for possession of a controlled substance will be eligible, unless they meet exclusion criteria. Individuals will be screened and referred to different levels of treatment. Citations will be on hold pending completion of program requirements. Benton County has been engaged in multi-agency planning since May 2024 and recently hired Leanna Linville as the deflection program coordinator.
The houseless Count – they need to be counted
One tool used for serving area houseless folks is to simply, actually, count them – and once yearly, that’s exactly what happens. But the local nonprofit that coordinates that effort needs volunteers. And yes dear reader, this is The Advocate saying that if can help them, please do.
The Point in Time (PIT) Count for Linn, Benton, and Lincoln Counties is coming up on January 29th – February 7th.
The PIT Count is a volunteer effort coordinated by Community Services Consortium (CSC) to understand how many people are experiencing homelessness in our communities. The outcome is used at the local, state, and federal levels to make decisions about funding and resources to address the housing crisis.
Volunteers are urgently needed to conduct the count and make it as accurate as possible so we can better understand and respond to our local housing crisis and ensure we have access to needed funding and resources to do so.
Sign up to volunteer. Contact CSC for questions or to learn more.
Some not-so-good numbers, but an easy fix
Oregon is expected to beat its record of 910 pertussis, or whooping cough, cases by the end of 2024. Health officials are warning about the disease’s serious risks—especially for young babies—and emphasizing the importance of vaccination.
Whooping cough spreads easily through the air when a person with whooping cough sneezes or coughs. Young infants, even healthy ones, are particularly vulnerable to serious illness or death from pertussis.
Learn more about whooping cough, including symptoms, complications and vaccine recommendations.
And now, we will editorialize: Please get yourself and any kiddos you may have vaccinated. Yes, it’s a pain in the arm and schedule – but getting sick is even more so.
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