Malheur County was the 500th county to pass a proclamation committing to join the national initiative, Stepping Up, a program to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails through data-driven and collaborative community plans.
Stepping Up, launched in 2015 by the National Association of Counties (NACo) in collaboration with the Council of State Governments and the American Psychiatric Association. From Stepping Up’s inception, counties and state leadership have been called engage in the program and participate in a multi-step planning process to achieve concrete results for jails and counties of all sizes.
“Malheur County decided to join the national Stepping Up initiative to support the work that we have already started to help people in our community achieve and maintain emotional well-being and get the services they need,” said Daniel Joyce, county judge.
“We already have a lot of support in our community to address this issue from our sheriff’s office, the courts and community partners and hope to make an even bigger difference in our residents’ lives with this initiative.”
To learn more about the initiative and Malheur County’s efforts, click here.
Contributed by: Megan Chuinard | Public Affairs Associate