Commissioner Jeff Cogen

Multnomah County Health Department assesses successes, challenges of H1N1 influenza response

Multnomah County Health Department Director Lillian Shirley and Tri-county Health Officer Dr. Gary Oxman will lead a review of the county’s H1N1 influenza work for the Multnomah County Board of County Commissioners on Thursday, March 11 from 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. in the Boardroom.

Public health recognized the emergence of the H1N1 influenza virus in April 2009 and H1N1 was declared a pandemic in June. Initially the virus appeared to be mild, but there was considerable uncertainty about the course the pandemic would take.

According to Tri-county Health Officer Dr. Gary Oxman, “This uncertainty appropriately prompted an aggressive public health response. While we are no longer in an urgent situation and H1N1 transmission is at or below levels that are typical for this time of year, this event is an important opportunity to review core public health functions and how we can amplify those functions in an emergency situation.”

The briefing will include details on how H1N1 spread in the community, allocation and distribution of the H1N1 influenza vaccine, comparing local vaccine uptake with national averages, an overview of public-private partnerships that facilitated protecting the health of our community, and planning for the upcoming influenza season.

Kenton Library photo montage from The Oregonian

These were taken by Rob Finch and Randy Rasmussen from The Oregonian.

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Morrison Bridge closed Sunday morning, March 7th

The Morrison Bridge will be closed Sunday, March 7 from 7:00 am until as late as noon while crews complete annual maintenance work. The work is not weather dependent. The bridge will reopen as soon as work is completed. The closure will impact motor vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists. River traffic will not be affected.

During the closure, on and off-ramps from the bridge to I-5 and I-84 will be closed, except for the offramp from I-5 south to SE Belmont St./Hwy. 99E. Motorists can access I-5 north at NE Broadway and N Williams Ave. and enter I-84 eastbound at NE Grand Ave. and NE Everett St. Alternate downtown river crossings include the Hawthorne, Burnside and Steel bridges. During the bridge closure, TriMet’s 15-Belmont line will be re-routed across the Burnside Bridge.

Multnomah County maintains the Morrison Bridge, five other Willamette River bridges, and more than 300 miles of roads. For information on county bridges, visit www.multco.us/bridges.

St. Johns Neighborhood Association meeting, March 8th

Monday, March 8th
St. Johns Neighborhood Association General Meeting
7:00pm - 8:30 pm
St. Johns Community Center Auditorium, 8427 N Central St. (at Leavitt). Agenda includes the introduction of Angela Wagnon as our new Crime Prevention Coordinator, planning for the Community Clean-up and Trash to Treasure on April 24th.

Video: Sneak Peek at the new Kenton Branch Library

Grand opening on March 13th!

Video: Hands on Greater Portland's Annual Lunch

A couple of weeks ago, Jeff won the Heart of the Community Award from Hands on Greater Portland. The good folks there made a great video chronicling his work over the years. Check it out:

Kenton Branch Library media day, March 3rd

Portland, Ore. – The Kenton Branch Library in North Portland will open to the public on March 8, 2010 and members of the Board of County Commissioners and Library leaders will recognize the milestone with a short event on March 3.

“After three years of work with the community and the library, I am looking forward to introducing the new Kenton Branch to the neighborhood,” says Commissioner Jeff Cogen. This new neighborhood library will serve Multnomah County residents in Kenton and other North Portland neighborhoods. Neighbors have been organizing for a third North Portland branch since the late 1980’s due to the over 4 mile distance between the existing two branches in North Portland. The other two library locations are St. Johns and North Portland branches.

]]> The Kenton Library building, located at 8226 N. Denver Ave, was originally Cyril S. Kenyon Hardware, constructed in 1951. The library features a barreled ceiling made from the store’s original wood and one wall is made of recycled wood from the original building. Artist Marlene Bauer crafted art glass meeting room doors in the new building that reflect simple observations of community and nature in Portland.

Kenton will boast a collection of books as well as audio and visual materials, periodicals and electronic resources in English and Spanish that can be accessed on site or from a home computer. Library patrons have access to Multnomah County Library's system-wide catalog of two million books and other library materials.

Commissioner Cogen, State Representative Tina Kotek, Chair Ted Wheeler, Vailey Oehlke, director of libraries, and David Miles, branch manager will be available for interviews.

Commissioners voting on urban, rural reserves Feb 25th

Tomorrow, the County Commissioners will vote to approve the inter-governmental agreement (IGA) between Multnomah County and Metro, designating urban and rural reserves. Washington County approved their IGA yesterday with a 5-0 vote.

The reserves item on the agenda starts at 10:10am, 50 minutes earlier than it's originally scheduled time of 11am.

North Portland Gathering of Neighbors, March 2nd

We will be GATHERING next Tuesday, March 2nd at New Columbia in the Community Education Center located at 4625 N. Trenton Street, 503-285-0333. Our host is Richard Nitti and the wonderful staff of a tremendous community asset, Neighbor House. The Gathering is from 5 to 7pm.

2011 County Budget Forums

Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler and the Citizen Involvement Committee are holding two forums to gather citizen input that will help shape the Chair’s Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2011.

Creating a Safe Community
Thursday, March 4, 2010 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Focused on county services provided by the Sheriff’s Office, District
Attorney, Department of Community Justice, and Corrections Health

Creating a Healthy Community
Thursday, March 18, 2010 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Focused on county services provided by the Health Department,
Department Of County Human Services, Department of Community
Services, Library, and Commission on Children, Families and Communities

]]> Multnomah County is seeking public feedback on specific policy areas that will inform the Chair’s Executive budget decisions and the Board’s budget deliberations. The meetings are intended as informal, small group discussions to gather the community’s priorities, input and questions. For the tenth time in as many years, Multnomah County again faces cuts to programs and services in the community. Your ideas and comments tell county leaders what’s most important to you.

Location:
Multnomah Building, Boardroom
501 SE Hawthorne, Portland, OR 97214
Parking is available. Accessible by bus lines #4, 6, 10 and 14.
For public transportation information, go to www.trimet.org
The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities.
A request for an interpreter for the hearing impaired, or for other accommodations for persons with disabilities, should be made at least 48 hours before the meeting at 503-988-3450 or 503-988-5170 (TTY).

The Wizard of Oz at Roosevelt HS

Come on out and see this show. The first night is dress as your favorite character and the second night is a sing-a-long!

Board approves Commissioner Cogen request to save Creston Dental Clinic

Today, Commissioner Jeff Cogen introduced and the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved using county contingency funds to keep the Creston Children’s Dental Clinic open until the end of the school year.

For almost 50 years, the Creston Dental Clinic had been offering free dental care for children from low income children in Portland Public Schools. The Assistance League of Portland is no longer able to fund the clinic and its doors were scheduled to close on March 17. The clinic treats about 2,500 students every school year.

]]> This $20,000 from Multnomah County will ensure that the clinic stays open through the rest of the school year. The Multnomah Dental Society – which had requested the funds from the county - has formed a nonprofit corporation called Friends of the Creston Dental Clinic that will support the clinic from September to June every year. The nonprofit will also focus on donations, grants and volunteer dentists to ensure long-term viability for the clinic.

“I’m introducing this resolution knowing full well the difficult budget situation our county is in,” said Cogen. “But we cannot let these children who are relying on this vital service fall by the wayside. This is a vulnerable population and providing this support fits directly with our mission and I’m proud to be part of the solution.”

The Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to use the funds to save the clinic.

Multnomah County seeks community input to inform FY 2011 budget

Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler and the Multnomah County Citizen Involvement Committee (CIC) will collect community input on the county’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget in two public meetings in March.

On Thursday, March 4, the “Creating a Safe Community” meeting will focus on public safety, and on Thursday, March 18, the “Creating a Healthy Community” meeting will address health and human services. Both meetings will take place in the Boardroom at the Multnomah Building, at 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd. in Portland, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

]]> The public meetings are meant to be informal, small group discussions to gather the community’s priorities and questions. County leaders will provide insights on the county’s annual budget process, as well as the latest updates about the decrease in revenues.

“Important services for our community continue to face cuts as our region and nation weather a difficult economic situation,” said Chair Wheeler. “We must take responsible steps to prioritize our resources and the perspectives we hear from our community are more important than ever to inform this process.”

For the tenth year in a row, Multnomah County must make cuts to programs and services in the community. The county faces budget cuts because of a projected $10 million general fund shortfall over the next two years. This shortfall is due to decreases in the county’s major revenues sources, the rising costs of doing business and economic conditions that have yet to improve.

The community input gathered at these meetings and elsewhere will help shape Chair Wheeler’s Executive Budget, to be released in late April. The full Board of County Commissioners will then deliberate the content of the budget, accepting further public testimony at meetings in May, and ultimately adopt the county’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget in early June.

Jeff wins the Heart of the Community Award

Today, Jeff will be awarded the Heart of the Community Award from Hands on Greater Portland. The Portland Trailblazers sponsor the Heart of the Community lunch, an annual event that celebrates volunteerism in Portland. From their website:

Social responsibility is a guiding ethic in Jeff Cogen's personal and professional life. His passion for public service and commitment to a better tomorrow are evident in the work he has done as a volunteer, as communications director for the Multnomah Commission on Children and Families, as chief of staff to City Commissioner Dan Saltzman, and in his current role as a Multnomah County Commissioner. Jeff has touched the lives of everyone in our community. Whether through his support, participation and leadership with Hands On Greater Portland, his successful initiative that led to the establishment of a new library in North Portland's Kenton neighborhood, or his enthusiastic support of green practices in our community, Jeff's vision and hands-on leadership will benefit the residents of Multnomah County for generations to come.

Media availability today - 2/16 - at school exclusion immunization clinic

Approximately 8,000 Multnomah County parents received letters stating that their children must be immunized or will not be admitted to school on the school exclusion date of February 17, 2010. The number of this year’s letters is slightly more than sent in 2009 due to adding the Hepatitis A vaccine requirement for first graders and the Tdap (pertussis booster) for eighth graders. Previously, the number of exclusion orders issued was declining, from a high of 10,530 in 2004 to 4,280 in 2008, as children and students got caught up on the new vaccine requirements that were introduced in the year 2000.

For more information: Jessica Guernsey, Multnomah County Health Department, (503) 988-3674 ext. 25698 or 503-936-1207

]]> Dr. Paul Lewis, Deputy Health Officer for the Tri-County Health Officer Program, will be available for media at the Multnomah County Health Department school exclusion immunization events the week of February 15, 2010. An immunization clinic will be held at the Portland State Office Building on February 16, the day prior to school exclusions (see below for details); and on February 17th, the day of school exclusions, the immunization clinic will be held at the East County Health Center (see below for details).

WHERE & WHEN

2/16/10 Day Before School Exclusion Immunization Clinic

Media availability, 10-11am

Portland State Office Building (PSOB)

First Floor
800 NE Oregon Street
Portland, OR 97213

2/17/20 Day Of School Exclusion Immunization Clinic

Media availability, 11:30am-12:30pm

East County Health Center

Sharron Kelley Room – Second Floor
600 NE 8th Street
Gresham, OR 97030

For more information contact:

Multnomah County Health Department Community Immunization Program at
503-988-3828 or visit www.mchealth.org/immunizations.html for information on upcoming immunization clinics.
Multnomah Education Service District at 503-257-1760 for information on public school student vaccination records.
Oregon Department of Human Services’ website at http://oregon.gov/DHS/ph/imm/school/index.shtml