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Health director warns of state cuts and administrative burden as county seeks relief
Summary
Deschutes County health director told commissioners the department expects funding pressure in the short session and urged advocacy to prevent cuts; she emphasized administrative-burden reform (LC 202) could help preserve direct services.
Pauline Harris, Deschutes County health director, told commissioners she is closely monitoring the legislature and does not expect typical funding gains this short session. Harris said the department is prioritizing statutory duties and trying to limit services lost if state funding is reduced.
"We're just hoping nothing would be taken away," Harris said, noting the department is already exploring internal efficiencies and restructuring to protect core functions such as substance-use prevention, suicide prevention and community health programming.
Harris and commissioners discussed administrative-burden proposals that would streamline state contracting, reduce duplicative reporting and reallocate staff time from compliance to service delivery. Harris pointed to LC 202, a legislative concept aimed at cutting administrative overhead for behavioral-health providers and county implementation partners.
Why it matters: Local public-health and behavioral-health services are often funded by state allocations and CCO reimbursements. The county flagged a possible 5–20% state funding reduction in upcoming budget discussions; health staff said such cuts would force program reductions or reorganizations. Commissioners urged active advocacy with the governor’s office and legislative delegation to preserve prevention and treatment funding.
What’s next: Health staff will follow LC 202 and other proposals, participate in county legislative check-ins and bring recommended priority positions or requests to the board for official action.
