Imani Center seeks operating support from Scappoose for child abuse assessments and new mental-health services

Representatives of the county child abuse assessment center, identified in the application as the Imani Center, asked Scappoose’s council for community enhancement funding to support operating costs and a recently launched mental-health program.

“ We serve 248 children last year. Thirty-six of those were from Scappoose, which represents about 14.5 percent of the kids that we have seen across the county,” a representative identified only as Beth said during the presentation. She described the center’s work as providing forensic interviews and medical assessments for children who may have experienced abuse, neglect or been witnesses to violence.

Beth told the council the center’s operating budget this year was about $2,100,000 but that the center seeks less than 1 percent of its operating costs from the city. She said the center recently opened a mental-health program to provide urgent therapeutic services and to help triage children into longer-term care. Beth also described routine collaboration with local law enforcement and the county multidisciplinary team, naming Chief Lewellen, Sergeant Larson, Officer Gaynor and Officer Johnson as frequent participants.

In response to a council question, Beth said the center is facing a roughly 40 percent reduction in Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding and possible reimbursement risks tied to Medicare/Medicaid changes; she said about 70 percent of the center’s children are on the Oregon Health Plan (OHP), making possible reductions to federal medical reimbursements an uncertain impact on their revenue.

No vote or funding decision was taken at the work session; the council is scheduled to deliberate grant allocations at the June 2 council meeting.