As of April 19, all Oregonians 16 years of age or older became eligible for vaccination. The State, in partnership with counties, hospitals, and other providers has administered over 2.6 million doses of vaccines as of April 22.

Throughout the pandemic, Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) has been dedicated to providing critical member services to help Oregon’s 36 counties navigate the complexities involved with health, testing, regulatory changes, economic impact, resource management, advocacy, vaccines, and other critical information. Below are key areas AOC has been focused on.

Advocacy

During the month of April, AOC staff has continued to advocate with the Oregon Legislature and governor’s office to ensure needs of counties are met as executive and legislative actions are considered.

Communications

Over the course of the pandemic, AOC has communicated on a number of issues related to the pandemic, including providing regular updates to county officials on federal, State, and regulatory action, as well as funding opportunities that impact Oregonians. Since March of 2020, AOC has distributed over 190 special COVID-19 related briefings and news alerts to county commissioners, judges, chairs, and administrators.

Information Sharing

AOC has and continues to work with State and federal partners, including National Association of Counties (NACo) to ensure counties have been able to ask questions and provide input on regulations and mitigation efforts.

During the month of April, AOC partnered with NACo to host a special membership meeting where NACo Director of Government Affairs, Mark Rittaco provided a high level overview of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for counties, policy to be aware of, best practices, and more. Members also shared ideas and information for using these ARPA resources.

A recording of the meeting and the presentation are now available. Please find these resources below.

Signed into law on March 11, 2021, ARPA is intended to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, including offering supports for public health and mitigating the devastating economic impacts associated with the pandemic. As part of the $362 billion in federal fiscal recovery aid for state and local governments, $65.1 billion is provided in direct aid to counties and an additional $1.5 billion for public land counties.

  • Key information sharing options AOC has coordinated:
  • Weekly agency partners call (over 50 have been held since March of 2020).
  • Monthly AOC meetings.
  • Regular calls with the governor’s office.

Contributed by: Megan Chuinard | Public Affairs Associate