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New Directions tells Baker County leaders of spike in suicides; agency outlines crisis and recovery services
Summary
New Directions representatives told commissioners the county has recorded 19 suicides in the past 23 months — the highest per capita in Oregon — and described mobile crisis response, recovery center and training plans while reviewing program finances shared with the county.
Baker City — Behavioral‑health partner New Directions told the Baker County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 3 that suicide rates in the county have risen sharply and that most recent decedents were not previously engaged with agency services.
"We have 19 in our county, which is the highest in the state of Oregon, per capita," Kelly Wright, director of community‑based services at New Directions, said at the commission meeting, adding the figure covers roughly a 23‑month span. Wright described New Directions’ mobile crisis rapid‑response team that partners with law enforcement in Huntington, Halfway and Unity and its Recovery Village Center, which can offer medical detox and crisis respite.
Sherry Zielander, representing New Directions, summarized the agency’s scope: the organization serves nearly 3,000 clients annually with about 150 staff across outpatient, residential, crisis, housing and developmental‑disability programs and said the agency now provides in‑house training for substance‑use and peer‑mentor certification.
Kent, New Directions’ external CFO, reviewed fiscal flows and pass‑through county funds for mental‑health, substance‑use, prevention and developmental‑disability programming. He explained that combined county pass‑through dollars for four county‑covered program lines totaled about $1,055,654 and walked commissioners through revenue and expense columns in the agency’s materials.
Commissioners asked about outreach and coordination. New Directions agreed to push local crisis and the national 988 and AgriStress lines more broadly on radio and in farming communities. Commission discussion noted overlapping outreach by Oregon State University extension and recommended coordinated messaging.
The board also ratified county signatures on related agreements: commissioners ratified an OHA intergovernmental agreement to support New Directions program work and ratified a Treatment Court grant (TCP‑27‑01) that funds treatment‑court operations through 11/30/2027. County staff said the Treatment Court program demonstrates outcomes that support continued funding and is exploring opioid‑related funding options within its allocations.
What’s next: New Directions and county staff plan to coordinate public trainings (suicide intervention) and expanded outreach; staff will finalize grant paperwork and monitor program reporting and finances.
