Washington County COVID-19 Response and Recovery Community Newsletter |
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May is Mental Health Awareness Month |
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How would you check in with a friend? |
We know this is a hard conversation to start, but it is incredibly important to people in who may be struggling with their mental health. There’s no one way to have this conversation—the most important part is that you try. We asked this question to more than 30 community members in Washington County. Watch this video to find out what they said. See our suicide prevention webpage to find resources to help: www.co.washington.or.us/hope Please share our video and resource page.
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Know your community "risk" level |
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As of May 23, Washington and 14 other Oregon counties are in the medium community level, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This means more people are getting and spreading COVID-19. And more people are being hospitalized with the virus.
In short, your risk of getting COVID is increasing.
During a May 18 press conference, state epidemiologist Dean Sidelinger said people who live in medium risk counties should consider wearing masks indoors.
If you are immunocompromised, elderly or at risk for serious disease make a plan now with your health care provider so you will know how to find treatment quickly if you do get sick.
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COVID-19 booster dose now available for children ages 5 through 11 |
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If children are not immunocompromised, they can receive it five months after their second dose; if they are immunocompromised, they can receive it three months after their third dose.
"Boosters are especially likely to benefit children who are at high risk for severe disease", said Paul Cieslak, medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations at OHA.
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New one-stop COVID clinic in Washington County |
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Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center has opened a COVID clinic where you can be tested, treated and receive vaccinations and boosters. The new clinic is located at 232 7th Avenue in Hillsboro, only a block from their other medical clinic. No insurance or ID is required and you do not have to be a Virginia Garcia patient.
Testing is drive-through, PCR and rapid tests available. Treatment is available for those at high risk of severe disease, you will be screened if you test positive. You can make an appointment by calling 503-214-1668 or visiting virginiagarcia.org/vaccine
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Are you or a loved one unable to get to a vaccine clinic because of a disability or other physical or mental health barrier?
Washington County is accepting requests for in-home vaccinations for people experiencing barriers.
You can make a request for you or your loved one by calling 503-846-8123,emailing covidvaccine@co.washington.or.us. or by filling out this form.
Please share the flyer for this service available in multiple languages ( Arabic, Chinese - Traditional, Chinese - Simplified, English, Farsi, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Somali, Tagalog, Vietnamese). |
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COVID-19 Testing Sites & Information |
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Washington County is currently planning for the second ARPA phase. The Board of County Commissioners will finalize the planning process in summer 2022 and anticipates reviewing potential investment options throughout fall and winter 2022.
This process includes centering community through a multijurisdictional engagement process as well as evaluating the learnings and outcomes from ARPA response and recovery programs to date. Washington County has been recognized nationally for our evidence-based approach to ARPA planning and will continue to take a thoughtful, strategic approach to community-wide recovery. |
Stay up to date on the American Rescue Plan
For questions regarding ARPA funding opportunities, please email Washington County’s ARPA Senior Program Coordinator, Dorian Russell, at: Dorian_Russell@co.washington.or.us
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2022-23 County
Proposed Budget
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Washington County's proposed $1.6 billion total budget is available online for public review and comment.
Budget Committee Meetings are currently being held. For upcoming dates and to view past meetings visit this link.
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June Town Hall on Needs of Older Adults |
Join your Washington County Board of Commissioners on Thursday, June 23 for a virtual Town Hall. Learn about services geared toward older adults from subject matter experts in Washington County Disability, Aging and Veteran Services.
Join live on Zoom to ask questions. Watch the presentation on YouTube. For Spanish visit TVCTV or tune to channel 28 on your TV. |
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Preparing for extreme heat |
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It may be raining now, but with summer just around the corner we’re starting to think about warm, sunny days. Unfortunately, that can mean temperatures over 90 or 100 degrees! Here are some tips to help you start preparing your home for the extreme heat.
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Plan your cool spaces. Think about where and how you will create a cool space in your home. Will you cool just the bedroom or living room? Will you cool the entire house? Do you have what you need to cool the room? Do you need to pick up curtains or fans?
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Clean your fans. Ceiling and boxed or free-standing fans can accumulate dust and push it out into the room, decreasing the air quality of your space. When it’s hot you don’t want to deal with difficult breathing conditions as well as extreme temperatures.
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Make sure your ceiling fans are spinning in the right direction. Set your ceiling fans to rotate counter-clockwise in summer to push air straight down helping to create a cooling effect and clockwise in winter to pull cool air up.
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Buy an air conditioner, box fan, and/or air filters. Stock up now on supplies to keep you cool and to keep your air clean. During the heat events last year, these items were sold out everywhere. Check thrift stores and discount stores to find gently used items at a reduced price.
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Switch to energy saving lightbulbs. Incandescent lightbulbs create heat when on, so they could be making your home hotter. Using LED lightbulbs not only keeps your house cool but can save your money on your energy bills!
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Seal gaps in windows and doors. Cool air may be able to escape through gaps in doors and windows. There are lots of solutions for filling these gaps. If you’re in an apartment, you might consider less permanent solutions like a draft snake, window film, or insulated curtains to stop cool air from escaping.
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Learn with us!
All organizations and facilities are welcome! Join Washington County Emergency Management, Environmental Health, and Animal Services on June 2 from 1-3pm on zoom to talk about cooling centers during extreme heat events. The presenters will provide information on County response procedures, what it means to be a cooling center, and what resources and support are available for cooling center partners.
Meeting ID: 812-1434-8567
Call-in Number: (669) 900-6833
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Are you registered for Washington County's Public Alert system? Stay prepared this summer so when an emergency is happening you will be notified quickly. Sign up for the Everbridge public alerting system here.
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Learn about warning signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke and how to assist people in distress through a free webinar on Wednesday, June 29th from 6 - 7 pm. Live captioning, and ASL and Spanish interpretation will be provided. To register for the event and request accommodations, please visit this link. For questions, please contact Kathleen_Johnson@co.washington.or.us.
This event is presented by the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management as part of Heat Week 2022.
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Funding, Grants and Community opportunities |
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Oregon Elections Division Seeks Translation Advisory Council |
Oregon Secretary of State is recruiting for a new Translation Advisory Council to guide translation of the state voters' pamphlet and voters' pamphlets in Oregon Counties. Deadline to apply is June 1, 2022 apply online.
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Latino Health Equity Conference |
The Familias en Acción 13th Annual Latino Health Equity Conference will be held on June 9th and 10th, 2022. The conference provides a forum to focus on individual and community issues addressing health equity through research, programs, and policies. For more information about the conference, please visit https://www.latinohealthequity.org/about. |
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Notice of Funding Availability to help first-time home-buyers |
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Request for Grant Applications (RFGA) for Supportive Housing for individuals with a Serious and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI)
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Health Systems Division (HSD) announced the Request for Grant Applications (RFGA) for forgivable loan assistance in the development of Supportive Housing for individuals with a Serious and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI).
Application materials must be submitted by email to OHA HSD no later than 11:59 pm on July 29, 2022 to: Richard Malloy, HSD Housing Investment Coordinator RICHARD.F.MALLOY@dhsoha.state.or.us.
For more information, visit this page or view the community partner meeting about this funding opportunity.
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Disaster Relief Programs for Oregon Farmers and Ranchers |
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DEQ to form Climate Equity Advisory Committee |
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is seeking people from across the state to be part of a new Equity Advisory Committee to help guide the Climate Protection Program. Interested individuals are asked to provide a brief statement of interest by June 13, 2022.
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Join the Interagency Task Force on Healthy Homes
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The 2021 Oregon Legislature enacted groundbreaking legislation to help achieve Healthy Homes for low income households and communities impacted by environmental justice factors. HB 2842 directs the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to provide grants to a wide array of third party organizations, which in turn provide financial assistance to eligible homeowners and landlords to repair and rehabilitate dwellings to address climate and other environmental hazards, ensure accessible homes for disabled residents, and make general repairs needed to maintain a safe and healthy home.
OHA is looking for individuals or groups to join an Interagency Task Force to help design the NEW Healthy Homes Program who are:
- Organizations likely to request funding from OHA;
- Individuals with lived or professional experience low income housing and negative health outcomes; and
- Individuals with expertise and experience in performing home improvement work.
- Organizations and community members who can speak to community needs, especially communities of color, tribal communities and people with disabilities, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are encouraged to participate.
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Homelessness Resources
Leaders from Multnomah, Washington & Clackamas counties jointly released their federally-required counts of people experiencing homelessness. On the night of Jan. 26 of this year, 6,633 people were counted as experiencing homelessness across the counties. Read more about this effort.
If you are at imminent risk or experiencing homelessness, please call Community Connect at 503-640-3263.
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Utility Assistance and Energy Conservation - Community Action |
If community members are experiencing financial difficulty, Community Action can make a payment directly for them. For more information, please visit Community Action's utility assistance page. If repair is needed to improve energy efficiency, weatherization assistance is available. For more information, visit this page. Or call (503) 615-0771, Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. |
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Portland General Electric encourages all customers to call and ask for information on payment plans, fee waivers, and other assistance. The phone numbers are 503-228-6322 (for Portland), 503-399-7717 (for Salem), or call toll-free at 800-542-8818.
Income-Qualified Bill Discount program is available for qualifying households. Check here to see if you qualify. |
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Help with Past-Due Balances at NW Natural Gas |
Oregon Arrearage Management Program (AMP): Oregon NW Natural Gas customers in need may be able to receive assistance through several grant options available to help with a past-due balance. This new program provides instant grants of up to $300 and more options for larger balances. A grant can be used to help offset the cost of a payment plan or to pay off a past-due account balance. Click here https://www.nwnatural.com/account/payment-assistance or call Customer Service at 800-422-4012.
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Home Access Repair for the Disabled and Elderly (HARDE)
Offers grants to pay for urgent repairs and accessibility improvements for Washington County residents who are disabled or elderly and have assets lower than $15,000 and low income. Eligible repairs include repair or replacement of failed heating, plumbing, roofing, or electrical systems, and accessibility improvements such as grab bars, accessible bathrooms, and ramps. For more information, visit the Washington County Community Development webpage or contact Housing Rehabilitation Coordinator.
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Domestic Violence Resource Center 24hr Crisis Line |
Click here https://www.dvrc-or.org/ or call the 24hr Crisis Line at: 503-469-8620. If the survivor experiencing domestic violence has a minor child in their care, they may be able to apply for the Temporary Assistance for Domestic Violence Survivors grant through ODHS (Oregon Department of Human Services), which may be able to help them flee, if eligible. To apply for this assistance, the survivor needs to contact their local ODHS Self Sufficiency office and request Domestic Violence services. Click here for information: https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/abuse/domestic/pages/tadvs.aspx or call: Tigard – 503-670-9711 – 10777 SW Cascade Ave, Tigard, OR 97223
Beaverton – 503-646-9952 – 15425 NW Greenbrier Pkwy, Beaverton, OR 97006
Hillsboro – 503-693-4555 – 5300 NE Elam Young Pkwy, Hillsboro, OR 97124
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Access to Healthcare Services
Project Access NOW has a mission to improve the health of our community by creating access to care and services for those most in need. They support comprehensive solutions adapted to meet the changing needs of our community. As they continue their core work of connecting low-income uninsured people to donated healthcare services, their focus has expanded to include innovative initiatives and partnerships that go beyond simple healthcare and address the social determinants of health. For more information click https://www.projectaccessnow.org/programs.
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This monthly newsletter is designed for community-based organizations to share COVID-19 related information and resources specific to Washington County. Please email us if you have:
- Information or resources you would like to include in this newsletter
- Question about resources needed in the community not included in this newsletter
- Opportunities or ideas you’d like to collaborate with another CBO on (e.g. Media campaign or events)
- Successful outreach events or stories you would like to share with other CBOs
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