The Community Powered Change Implementation Framework of the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP).
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
One of the things I love about auditing is that you are always learning. Whether we're diving into a new program at the county or learning how to do our work in new ways, we are always finding out something new. My office started the month of August by learning more about equity-focused community engagement strategies to help us build relationships with Multnomah County communities and bring community wisdom to our work.
Natasha Davy, Senior Program Specialist for Community Partnerships and Capacity Building for the Public Health Division of the County Health Department, along with Katie Sawicki and Marilou Carrera from the Oregon Health Equity Alliance, met with us to talk about how they leveraged input from marginalized communities to create the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). The Oregon Health Equity Alliance led the CHIP process for the Multnomah County Health Department out of a desire to amplify community voices and transform the way communities engage with government around issues and services that impact them. The CHIP describes the priorities, goals, solutions, and resources for health equity and improvement.
This was a great opportunity for us to see how we can align our work with the community-created equity goals of the CHIP. For example, we can utilize these goals to inform our strategic plan and outreach efforts. We can also conduct specific audits where we speak to concerns that were raised by community members. Finally, the CHIP can inform how we conduct audits by incorporating an equity and empowerment focus, gathering data and community stories in ways that reflect the CHIP's priorities and strategies.Speaking of audits that affect community members, my office is wrapping up two audits: Mental Health Services and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities Services. We will present these audits to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on October 10th. BOCC meetings are public so you're welcome to attend or watch online. We can also meet with community groups to talk about these audits. You can schedule a time for us to meet with your group by completing this form.
Best,
Jennifer
September 28th Community Coffee with Auditor McGuirk
I'm holding my next community coffee on Saturday, September 28 from 10:30am-12:30pm at the Holgate Library Meeting Room, located at 7905 SE Holgate Blvd, Portland, OR 97206. This is a chance for me to listen to your questions, concerns, and ideas and talk about the work of my office. We'll have coffee and light refreshments on hand. Kiddos are welcome! If you need an accommodation to attend, please contact my office at mult.auditor@multco.us or (503) 988-3320.
Update to Audit Schedule
On August 1, I updated the Audit schedule to reflect the Office's progress on audits and made some adjustments to the schedule. Below is the updated schedule, which can also be found on our website.
Completed
Audits Special Studies- Report on results of 2018 County Ethical Culture Survey
- 2018 report on the County’s Good Government Hotline
To be completed
- Health Department Mental Health and Addiction Services Division
- Determine how well community mental health programs are serving individuals with serious and persistent mental illness.
- Health Department Integrated Clinical Services Division
- Evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the primary care clinics.
- Department of County Human Services' Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Services Division (I/DDSD)
- Determine how I/DDSD ensures that clients receive the care and services they need.
To be started
Audits- County jail conditions
- Accessing housing and homeless services
- Follow-up on 2016 audit Animal Services Finances: Follow Sound Financial Policies
Removed from schedule
- County Workforce Equity Strategic Plan implementation – My office may have a representative on the County’s Workforce Equity Strategic Plan Committee; this discussion is in process.
Moved to 2020 schedule
- 2020 County financial condition report (was 2019 financial condition report)
- Adult care homes and facilities audit
Preparing for the 2020 Census
This month I learned about efforts in Multnomah County to ensure a complete count for the upcoming U.S. Census. I want to help make sure as many people as possible in our county participate in the census. Why? Because the census count is directly related to federal dollars that will come to our county for the 10 years following the census. And in 2021, my office will use the census to re-apportion County Commission districts. Having a complete count helps ensure that our commission districts are drawn accurately and fairly. Complete count efforts in Multnomah County - and the presentation I attended - are being led by Lori Stegmann, Commissioner for District 4.