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National Organizations

ACHIEVE Communities

ACHIEVE > Columbia County, Oregon

Columbia County, Oregon

Community Vision/Mission

Columbia Health Coalition

MISSION: The Columbia County Health Coalition will empower the community to increase opportunities for healthy lifestyles through initiatives for policy, system, and environmental change.

Activities

Columbia County ACHIEVE Activities:

COMMUNITY AT LARGE

Coordinate and promote Stanford University's program Living Well.
Establish a community garden at the Episcopal Church. Produce will be donated to both the Columbia Pacific Food Bank and Community Meals.
Work with local Head Start to implement I am Moving I am Learning into the elementary schools.

SCHOOLS

Vernonia School District recently approved a model wellness policy and administrative rules. The Coalition will continue to partner with remaining school district until all schools district in Columbia County adopt a comprehensive wellness policy.
Collaborate with Vernonia School District to improve their Tobacco Free campus policy to an “A+.”
Work with all School Districts to incorporate coordinated school health approach using the school health index to assess and identify evidence based strategies that support staff and student health and wellbeing.

WORKSITES

Columbia Health District – Public Health adopt a policy that limits unhealthy foods at meetings
Columbia Health District – Public Health improve their tobacco free policy to include the campus.
Begin working with select businesses to initiate wellness activities.

HEALTH SYSTEMS

Columbia River Community Hospital will adopt a tobacco free policy.
Columbia Health District – Public Health, Columbia Community Mental Health, and St Helens High School are partnering to implement a youth cessation class for students who struggle with tobacco.

Community Tools & Resources

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Columbia County, Oregon consists of 688 square miles, of which 657 square miles is land and 32 square miles is water. As of 2008, Columbia County's total population served was 48,095; a 10.4 percent increase from 2001 census data. The county is made up of seven incorporated areas; the largest has a population of 12,325 and the smallest has a population of 60. The unincorporated area consists of 21,240 people.

Columbia County has a high rate of economically disadvantaged citizens, with children faring the worst. Nearly 13 percent of the county’s children live in poverty and 33 percent of public school children are eligible to receive free or reduced price lunches during the school year. In 2006, 15 percent of Columbia County children were uninsured and 21 percent were on the Oregon Health Plan.

The CDC’s 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey indicates that the residents of Columbia County are living with serious health risks. The percentages of individuals living with these risks are statistically significant when compared to the data from the entire state of Oregon. A 2006 study of eighth graders in Columbia County showed a preponderance of health, mental health, and substance abuse risk indicators. According to the State of Oregon’s Area of Unmet Healthcare Needs Evaluation, Columbia County is the most medically underserved county in Oregon. Columbia County also has been deemed a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) by the federal government. Furthermore, Columbia County does not have a 24/7 healthcare option for county residents. The county's one Urgent Care Clinic, operated in St. Helens by Legacy Health System, is open for eight hours per day, six days a week.

It bears noting that in 2006 hospital admissions for Columbia County residents were 17 percent less than expected for the population demographics, indicating that access barriers prohibit Columbia County citizens from seeking and utilizing hospital healthcare. Public transportation options are dismally limited and exacerbate the lack of access to scarce health resources. Fuel costs further limit access, as a majority of Columbia County residents rely heavily on personal vehicle usage.