[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6145615,"mediaKeyId","5532671-d5c3a041892ca2b27ea7656c0b7b54c6","parentId",5532671,"title","Cowlitz County commissioners discuss private-sector plan for new mental‑health hospital and 16‑bed Charlie’s site","audioSeconds",1558,"startMs",2495000,"endMs",4053000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5532671-d5c3a041892ca2b27ea7656c0b7b54c6&start=2495&end=4053","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5532671-d5c3a041892ca2b27ea7656c0b7b54c6/thumbnail_2495000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6145615/Cowlitz-County/Washington/Cowlitz-County-commissioners-discuss-private-sector-plan-for-new-mentalhealth-hospital-and-16bed-Charlies-site","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6145615-d3c6f3571295f6f2192f810d9510d7c7/orig.mp4?Expires=1773078760&Signature=lZa6qt-SemtE9z8qKOibUzUSMBA1slYdIYY181-PzqhavTht36EWIkc8KAPtJJbZKDObiYiNTG-9G8BXK0SvRTZ631vdyfQmfga~oRmP2tBEcI4U-vFkjBt2i5Tta-OLXybOoQJByTl1HU4tY9d5HfMppodr1yMNNV4sY5cljE9NwafopptcfqvbKy8BykdPj8hWslDI5MGJ9MaUCRyhXLBKMxZGOeEywv0S2fW08umXT9nhvsDWjuhJ7zlSzwp~Cjcx9gwLoDuPFlDWVQ1WhtaLNo58NmUm~VWHw1za1Tm3IaTv9oPkg8-TP70nYC~EiV471Xe4wPap7V4tVMd8Bw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Cowlitz County Commissioners, Washington","date","2025-08-05T18:21:52.66Z","article","County officials and members of the public discussed private proposals to expand local behavioral‑health capacity, including a 16‑bed facility at the former Charlie’s building and a larger hospital at the end of Broadway, during a Tuesday morning Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners meeting.

County officials described the Charlie’s project as the likeliest to open first and said Emerald City and a separate operator are pursuing two different, linked projects: a smaller 16‑bed program at Charlie’s and a separate plan for the Broadway hospital. The county said it will assist with permitting and coordination but is not planning to provide direct financial subsidies to for‑profit operators.

The discussion matters because commissioners and local service providers expect both projects to affect referrals, workforce needs and bed availability for Cowlitz County residents. Commissioners said they are pursuing coordination with the Great Rivers Behavioral Health Organization to align referrals and service mixes if the Broadway plan proceeds.

At the meeting a county official who presented on the topic said: \"They are very interested in that piece of property,\" referring to the hospital at the end of Broadway, and described a separate entity working on the Charlie’s site. The official said the Charlie’s project \"will probably go through first\" because it is further along and because the Broadway hospital involves negotiations with PeaceHealth about the property.

On who would occupy the Charlie’s beds, the presenter said the initial patients would be Cowlitz County residents moved back from state hospitals and that the state has been under pressure to relocate patients because of fines tied to compliance. The presenter described the Broadway hospital as intended for a mix of services — \"mental health, long term, substance abuse rehab\" — and said the team is exploring a drug court partnership and homeless‑services coordination.

A member of the public asked whether county residents would have priority access and whether beds could be reserved for local people. The presenter replied that referrals to the Broadway hospital would come first from local service providers and members of the Great Rivers Behavioral Health Organization network, and that \"we're gonna have first dibs because it's gonna be our service providers that are referring people to that hospital.\" The presenter added that the hospital was being planned as a regional center with different floors providing different services.

Commissioners and presenters also discussed workforce and operational scale. The presenter said preliminary planning suggested \"upwards of 260 employees to be able to run that thing 24/7.\" In earlier remarks the presenter said about 19 Cowlitz County residents remained in Western State Hospital at one point, which shaped urgency for local capacity.

Commissioners also said they had met with Emerald City and other private operators and would convene a stakeholder meeting with Great Rivers Behavioral Health Organization later in the month to discuss service overlaps and referral arrangements. The presenter said the county would help with permitting and other nonfinancial support, but: \"We are not planning on helping fund a private sector for profit organization when it comes to money. But anything that we can do to help them with the hospital, the permitting process, whatever we can do to help, we're gonna we're move gonna help them in any way.\"

The meeting record contains no formal motions or votes about either project. Commissioners described ongoing, preliminary conversations and plans to meet with stakeholders; no county funding commitments or contracts were authorized at the session.

County officials repeatedly said the projects were preliminary and that details such as referral protocols, bed reservation policies and final funding structures remained under discussion. Speakers emphasized that different operators would likely run separate floors or programs within the Broadway hospital and that Charlie’s and the Broadway site were being developed as distinct entities.

Plans discussed at the meeting include: using the Charlie’s site first to return certain state hospital patients to local care; a larger Broadway facility intended to provide a one‑stop mix of services, potentially including drug court; and workforce hiring estimated in the hundreds if the Broadway hospital moves forward. Commissioners said they would press for arrangements ensuring local residents’ access but stopped short of committing county funds or bed reservations.

The item drew sustained public interest and prompted follow‑up coordination tasks for county staff and commissioners. The county scheduled further stakeholder talks with Great Rivers Behavioral Health Organization to refine referral arrangements and service design.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Cowlitz County Commissioner Open Public Meetings","oneSentenceSummary","County officials and members of the public discussed private proposals to expand local behavioral‑health capacity, including a 16‑bed facility at the former Charlie’s building and a larger hospital at the end of Broadway, during a Tuesday morning Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners meeting.","taxTitle","Cowlitz County, Washington","taxId",5122,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6145601,"County approves upgrade to CrowdStrike cybersecurity service under Omnia Partners contract",164,2213000,2377000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5532671-d5c3a041892ca2b27ea7656c0b7b54c6&start=2213&end=2377","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5532671-d5c3a041892ca2b27ea7656c0b7b54c6/thumbnail_2213000.jpg","/articles/6145601/Cowlitz-County/Washington/County-approves-upgrade-to-CrowdStrike-cybersecurity-service-under-Omnia-Partners-contract","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6145601-1f0452fc4345d9233ffccdd1dc3010af/orig.mp4?Expires=1773078760&Signature=lbCBVA5vegHOdxvCRlfecli8fzyojx-x72QFgyfcjg28nH8ZbLm8GlrNhV0izx2uSzeOvkDP1vU~NoZy70RJz7T1SglbSRrhgDeVT23J4Xboy1pb~dl4eLPtMD4BHZp6QkYPA78LXpK98-RNDy~HZFL6sIJpTEdjRGnJ3URwWWcwWeNrLCpbye~2JuJebnKi3sGBzxh~N3~pcTSiht3cs7j0t6sn~ijPoJKNp~FO9JBhUOteZnIBMpABOpM4a7iNgw4X1DYZhiXA9WK6s88YJ5siFbBtlDEpx8BqzvIIU9ONblWENUNFyGsyiUhZxPVFxZSOwf3vFir2yN1BcOslXQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Cowlitz County commissioners approved a purchase for CrowdStrike Falcon Complete under the Omnia Partners contract to enhance county cybersecurity.

During the consent agenda discussion a county staff member said the CrowdStrike contract grew out of earlier work after the county detected suspicious activity. \"That is a software company that helps us with any malware or issues that we may have in the IT department,\" the staff member said, and described the purchase as an \"upgrade to our current system\" to improve protection against viruses, malware and ransomware.

The staff member said the county had already integrated many CrowdStrike services during prior incident response and that the new procurement will enhance proactive threat hunting and integrated threat intelligence. The total amount the presenter stated for the purchase was $84,110.88.

The board approved the consent agenda, which included this purchase, by voice vote; no separate roll call or additional conditions were recorded in the public meeting minutes.

No additional technical specifications, contract period lengths or implementation schedules were provided in the public discussion; staff indicated the purchase upgrades existing protections and follows prior use of the vendor during an incident response.","The board approved a contract purchase for CrowdStrike Falcon Complete to upgrade county endpoint and threat‑hunting capabilities; staff described the purchase as an upgrade to address prior suspicious activity and outdated protections.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6145605,"Residents raise safety concerns as county chip‑seal waits weeks for line painting",51,2765000,2816000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5532671-d5c3a041892ca2b27ea7656c0b7b54c6&start=2765&end=2816","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5532671-d5c3a041892ca2b27ea7656c0b7b54c6/thumbnail_2765000.jpg","/articles/6145605/Cowlitz-County/Washington/Residents-raise-safety-concerns-as-county-chipseal-waits-weeks-for-line-painting","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6145605-1c68960e576c03bb22889050aabdca62/orig.mp4?Expires=1773078760&Signature=NL9SXMLJZh8UDNZga9RJwMe98nwcJ2suaOZUiWImxcEsSTYtF8yevtQXVe0Ds7GSz9HABOJfhY4MknNL9skYs5BelFZN8J9dDXbwpZLKWD-KxfgoGK3fF~RFLM2G615MA7pjMXcIBWsb7BW7jAogRl2lx1N7lnqRQubaNseIaEGXZ1zDPNcHA3OWBZBgcqMEAV1CPGk4LybpPlWum6NPnLbeC9nWrzElz8MK2XuFgZeHqXEAou10~PvSt3df0te86TwyfqviRH-i~s9M9gvZUSAUKLBFJ4y5ZDrHM1D9NWOvrpMVnkVyaGx9QGeruhU7OelRh2Qa~YVLRKnjUOUVOw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Residents told the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners that chip‑sealed roads are remaining unstriped for several weeks, creating visibility hazards at night, and asked the county when striping will be completed.

Susan, the county engineer, told the board the striping program is underway and the contractor hopes to finish by early September. She said striping typically occurs about a week and a half after chip sealing because crews must sweep loose materials before painting.

A resident said some chip‑sealed roads had reflective tabs placed before sealing and then were sprayed over during chip sealing, removing reflectivity. Susan acknowledged the concern and said road supervisors choose which roads get the tabs.

Susan said the contract focuses on collectors and roads that were overlaid or chip‑sealed this year. She explained striping contractors work in geographic batches and that weather — particularly fog in low‑lying areas — can cause teams to move around the county. \"They tend to start go through areas,\" she said, \"so sometimes they bounce around because of weather, especially South County.\"

County commissioners and residents asked whether striping crews wait until the entire county program is finished before returning to paint newly chip‑sealed roads. Susan said the contractor sequences work by area and road type and that crews are trying to complete collector roads and recent overlays before September in case weather intervenes.

The board did not take formal action on the item; the engineer provided a schedule and technical explanation and will continue coordinating with residents and the striping contractor.","Drivers and commissioners flagged areas where chip‑sealed roads remain unstriped for several weeks, impairing nighttime visibility; the county engineer said striping is underway and should finish in early September, with a typical 1½‑week wait after chip sealing before striping can occur.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6145610,"Commissioners warn rising tort awards and insurer exits are driving up county insurance costs",424,2958000,3382000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5532671-d5c3a041892ca2b27ea7656c0b7b54c6&start=2958&end=3382","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5532671-d5c3a041892ca2b27ea7656c0b7b54c6/thumbnail_2958000.jpg","/articles/6145610/Cowlitz-County/Washington/Commissioners-warn-rising-tort-awards-and-insurer-exits-are-driving-up-county-insurance-costs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6145610-11d57c2e77241b55d3482b8cb14c2704/orig.mp4?Expires=1773078760&Signature=JoyngWT5UBLRC4H2ysuCUQq4SG~cRjmaUxx~V~SyP0Ux-qczgJQwzORrYWZgUoBzUW~2ER1MCF-hZmnzoPnhRWafEIdeEtre5pjMFmcE3xmxycLZOG583~RrexL2fPhtX4yqBfp~mJlCM15xU839FVZ4DW-2GjxaZYJodWm~6FmAClO4rPDbs5H3ERtju8phMXbvLof3Q4GyRPhgR5tY8-5J24nf6kuEkMkmj0IlqEf2SA4~EZNzzA8c3FKYc5gt4jFs7psTJ4CwzMjcZrrIqWGMChcMdMo8-rKj40VwS80J13puSTkdkfGpE70IB3AwmLfB4y10wvLQKfFtfVms7A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Commissioners said rising claim sizes and the withdrawal of domestic insurers from Washington are forcing the county’s insurance risk pool to assume larger portions of liability and will raise premiums for local governments.

At the meeting a county official summarized changes in the risk‑pool structure: four years ago the risk pool covered the first $175,000 of an individual claim, then a private carrier covered the next layers; today the county said the risk pool’s self‑insured retention has risen to $3 million and that the pool is carrying layers that previously sat with private insurers.

\"Our risk pool's self insured retention now is up to 3,000,000,\" the county presenter said, adding that the pool is seeking international carriers to fill coverage gaps after domestic carriers exited Washington. The presenter said the pool’s underwriting environment was affected by a surge in claim filings and by court awards, and singled out changes to assault and molestation litigation as a contributing factor.

Commissioners and speakers said the risk pool expects to increase member premiums by roughly 20%–25% and that the pool is hiring lobbyists to seek legislative relief. The presenter said counties are considering operational changes such as consolidating jail services because some insurers now condition coverage on health‑monitoring systems for inmates.

Multiple commissioners and a public speaker described a wider legal and market environment in which plaintiff advertising and third‑party financing made large claims more common. One commissioner said some firms and funders were actively recruiting claimants and that several settlements and judgments in recent years had reached nine figures, a development he said was unprecedented.

The board discussed practical consequences: higher premiums and deductibles for county government, potential consolidation of services to contain costs, and pressure on county budgets that will ultimately fall to taxpayers. Commissioners discussed writing to the state insurance commissioner and coordinating with the Washington State Association of Counties (WOSAC) to press for legislative changes.

No formal action to change county policy or budget was adopted at the meeting. Commissioners described these items as ongoing risk‑management work for staff and members of the county’s risk pool and the Washington State Association of Counties.","Cowlitz County commissioners and staff described a sharp rise in claim sizes and insurer withdrawals in Washington, raising the county’s self‑insured retention and predicting a 20–25% premium increase; commissioners said the county and state risk pool are pursuing legislative and lobbying responses.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Cowlitz County commissioners discuss private-sector plan for new mental‑health hospital and 16‑bed Charlie’s site

County approves upgrade to CrowdStrike cybersecurity service under Omnia Partners contract

Residents raise safety concerns as county chip‑seal waits weeks for line painting

Commissioners warn rising tort awards and insurer exits are driving up county insurance costs