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Cowlitz County discussion grows over plan for long-term behavioral health facility; no vote taken
Summary
County commissioners heard more than an hour of public comment and commissioner discussion on a proposal to create a coordinated long‑term behavioral health and substance‑use treatment effort, including talk of an inpatient facility; no formal motion or funding decision was made.
Cowlitz County commissioners and community members spent the majority of a morning meeting debating whether to pursue a coordinated, long‑term behavioral health and substance‑use treatment program and facility, with residents urging a single leader and project manager to organize existing services and commissioners saying they will continue discussions with other counties and stakeholders.
The issue drew repeated calls from residents who said current programs scatter funding and services and fail to produce durable results. "One of the two principles of leadership is you have to know who's in charge," said Larry, a community member who presented a written proposal and urged the commissioners to name a lead commissioner and hire a project manager to keep the effort in front of the public weekly. "If you put it under the board of health, it's gonna get buried in a once a month," he said.
The proposal and ensuing…
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