PENDLETON â Umatilla County officials are looking toward a possible new network of mental health professionals to assist, or possibly replace, law enforcement in responding to calls for people suffering from a mental health or addiction crisis.
The idea, officials say, would be similar to the âCAHOOTSâ system in Eugene, where a two-person team of medics and mental health professionals respond to calls involving mental illness, homelessness and addiction, with an emphasis on de-escalation.
But Umatilla County, with its sprawling locale, is far different from Lane County and Eugene, and now, county officials are trying to reimagine how the system could work within the county.
PENDLETON â Mental health issues and protections for family farms were some of the starter topics during a virtual town hall Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden held Sunday, May 2, for residents of Umatilla, Union and Wallowa counties.
The Democrat broached the topic during the first question of the day, asked by Umatilla School District Superintendent Heidi Sipe, about federal support for students as the country rethinks ânearly every aspect of educationâ following the pandemic.
Wyden addressed standardized testing, saying this year it seems best for teachers to address learning loss in the classroom rather than taking time out for standardized testing. He said schools will need additional funding to help students catch up after lost learning opportunities, and pointed out the American Rescue Plan includes funding for schools to do just that through summer learning opportunities and other strategies. He said he is also concerned about studentsâ mental health and wanted to se