Reaching deep into our communities

If you visited a food pantry, senior center or community fair last summer, you may have spotted us. Perhaps you stopped by our table to share a story about an experience that impacted your health.

Over a three-month period starting in May, members of our Community Engagement Team fanned out across our three-county service region to collect stories by asking residents to take our Regional Health Needs Assessment survey (in English or Spanish). They made a special effort to visit community action agencies and other places that are part of the social safety net.

In the late summer, we began to analyze survey responses, identifying community needs that will inform our future work and funding priorities. Story collection is the primary research tool for our Regional Health Needs Assessment, which we conduct every five years to support our Regional Health Improvement Plan. Our next Regional Health Improvement Plan will span 2025-2029.

St. Helens Mayor Rick Scholl chats with Columbia Pacific’s Martha Ruiz Olmstead about the need for more affordable housing as he completes our Regional Health Needs Assessment survey.

Since we adopted our current Regional Health Improvement Plan, we’ve worked to address our region’s housing needs, promote trauma informed care, support community-led suicide prevention efforts, strengthen social-safety-net organizations and more.

Addressing health disparities

As with previous Regional Health Needs Assessments, we made a special effort to learn about the experiences of groups that have historically faced health inequities.

For instance, we used a special survey technique to gain insights into the experiences of certain racial and ethnic minority groups. In addition, more than half of survey respondents said “yes” or “in certain circumstances” when asked whether they have a functional need or disability.

And for the first time ever, our survey asked about sexual orientation and gender identity. The many stories we collected will help us gain a better understanding of the barriers faced by members of our LGBTQ+ community.

What we learned

Not surprisingly, the shortage of affordable housing continues to be a major issue in our region. Language access, discrimination toward patients belonging to minority groups and difficulties accessing care are also top concerns, according to a preliminary analysis of survey responses.

“Everyone is thinking about housing, talking about housing and expressing how the lack of choice in housing impacts their health,” said Heather Oberst, Columbia Pacific Community Engagement Manager.

What comes next?

In February, we will host a series of community-input meetings to share the findings of our Regional Health Needs Assessment as well as data from community health needs assessments conducted by our clinical partners. Attendees will have an opportunity to vote on the priorities of our next Regional Health Improvement Plan.

Later in the year, our Regional Community Advisory Council will vote on the plan, based on the recommendations of our county-level Community Advisory Councils. The adopted plan will be submitted to the Oregon Health Authority by the end of 2024.

New in 2023

Our 2023 SUD summit was different from past summits in some important ways.

Peers – professionals who draw on their experiences with SUD to help others become and stay engaged in recovery – had a larger presence. Their contributions to the summit helped elevate the voices of those who are closest to the recovery work in our communities.

Research shows that, for adults with substance use disorder, peer support helps increase their self-esteem; reduce substance use, relapses and hospitalizations; and improve relationships with family members and overall treatment experiences.

“I use my life experience to spread hope to people who are actively using or on the fence and want to cross over,” said Sara Pulver, one of a half dozen peers who spoke at a session called “Lived Experience as Essential Care: The Benefits of Peer Support.”

“I meet people where they are, supporting them in whatever they want to achieve,” added Pulver, who works for Tillamook Family Counseling Center’s Prime+ Peer Program.

Summit attendees mingle in between sessions. A collection of local nonprofits (including behavioral health providers) had tables at the event.

The summit also elevated the voices of young people in our communities. Members of the new youth advisory council to the North Coast System of Care participated in a panel called “What we wish the adults knew.”

They weighed in on factors that influence use of vaping, alcohol or other drugs and shared insights on how young people in our communities get access to substances.

They also talked about how to raise awareness among youth about the long-term consequences of substance use and what could be helpful in terms of prevention-and-intervention resources. Many of their ideas centered on adding school-based resources, including counseling services.

(Read the next story in this report to learn more about the advisory council.)

Turning ideas into action

At the closing plenary, Amy Baker, Executive Director of Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare, delivered a call to action.

She asked the audience: What are the small steps we can take right now to make a difference in the lives of those struggling with SUD? And “what are we dreaming big about?”

“You’ve listened to speakers and ideas that have percolated. This is where we take those ideas, record them and make them happen,” Baker said.

Baker reminded attendees that feedback from past summits has given rise to life-changing programs, including Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare’s own medication assisted treatment program.

Following the summit, we began working to digest feedback, recap themes and develop plans for putting ideas into action.

Stay tuned for more information, and please mark your calendars for our next SUD Summit, Oct. 7-8, 2024.