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Public commenters urge county action on life-expectancy gaps, school mental health cuts and eviction prevention
Summary
During public testimony several residents and school staff urged Multnomah County commissioners to acknowledge life-expectancy disparities between ZIP codes, to restore funding for school-based mental health providers, and to preserve an eviction-prevention contract serving thousands of tenants.
Several members of the public used the board’s public-comment period to urge commissioners to act on health, housing and school mental-health concerns.
Britney Pressey, identifying herself as a concerned citizen, told the board that data from zipcodeexam.com show life-expectancy gaps of more than a decade across nearby Portland ZIP codes: she said 97219 averages 86 years, 97214 averages 77 years and 97209 averages 73 years. Pressey asked commissioners to acknowledge those disparities, to review health data for all Portland ZIP codes and to use that information to guide planning and investments that address social determinants of health such as housing, walkability, education and access to care.
Sarah Forrest, a clinical social worker at Cleveland High School, testified against proposed cuts to school-based mental health providers,…
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