4REAL

For 14 years, the 4REAL program has worked in nearly every middle school and high school in Multnomah County. We have reached out to over 15,000 students and adults in more than 50 schools. The 4REAL staff has specialized training in popular education methods through the Community Capacitation Center, as well as training in understanding the adolescent brain and how to engage males in the classroom on healthy relationships and sexuality. Selected activities are a combination of research-based and promising or best practice methods developed by Multnomah County Health Department 4REAL staff, the Prevention and Relationship Education Program, Connections, and Love U2 curricula.

Community Wellness and Prevention

Community strategies to prevent obesity and tobacco use, and to promote nutrition and healthy active living.

Early Childhood Services

Early Childhood Services serves over 7000 women, infants and children each year. We provide home-visiting services that are responsive to the cultural needs of our clients. Our programs promote family bonding and parent-child attachment, improved pregnancy and birth outcomes, and the adoption of healthy behaviors during pregnancy and early life. With our support, new parents increase self-efficacy and are better able to provide safe, nurturing and stimulating environments for their children. 

Components of our program include:

• Nurse Family Partnership
• Healthy Start/Welcome Baby 
• Healthy Birth Initiative
• Nurse and health specialist field team

Emergency Medical Services

Multnomah County Emergency Medical Services is funded through franchise fees, ambulance license fees and reimbursement for medical supervision.

Environmental Health

Our goal is to protect the community from environment-related health threats and concerns by educating individuals, families and local businesses to support them in gaining more control over their health, community coalitions, and policy development.

Health Assessment and Evaluation

Health Assessment and Evaluation supports efforts to achieve health equity and social justice in Multnomah County through preparing and disseminating reports documenting the health status of County residents and identifying health inequities. It provides research and evaluation services to inform and support program management, grant development and policy decisions.

Leadline

The Leadline program works in partnership with other community groups and government agencies to help eliminate lead poisoning in Oregon. Leadline is funded by Multnomah County, the Portland Water Bureau, and the State of Oregon Lead Prevention Program.

The services we provide include:

• The Leadline, a telephone information and referral line for questions about lead, lead testing and lead in drinking water.
• Community outreach and education, including participation in community health fairs and community presentations.
• Helping families who have children with high blood lead levels identify and reduce exposure to lead.
• Promoting lead testing of children to identify those at risk for lead poisoning.
• Coordinating our services with other community-based agencies to create an efficient program designed to prevent lead poisoning.

Prevention of lead poisoning can be accomplished by eliminating lead-based paint hazards before children are exposed. Our goal is to eliminate this disease by working to make Multnomah County housing lead-safe, and by improving the detection and treatment of lead poisoning.

Program Design and Evaluation Services

Program Design and Evaluation Services (PDES) is a unique research and evaluation unit within both Multnomah County Health Department and the Oregon Public Health Division. It provides ongoing evaluation support to state programs, initiates and conducts applied research studies, and contracts with organizations across the country to improve community health, shape public policy and reduce health disparities. Clients and funders include health departments and other agencies in local and state governments, community-based organizations, foundations, research institutions, federal government and other public health organizations across the country.

School-Based Health Centers

The School-Based Health Center program’s mission is to unite health and education for success in school and life by providing Multnomah County school-aged youth access to comprehensive preventive, primary and mental health care.

In partnership with schools, families, healthcare providers and community agencies, Multnomah County School-Based Health Centers:

• Provide culturally sensitive and age appropriate healthcare, education, outreach, and referrals to school-age youth.
• Facilitate early identification of high-risk behaviors and health issues that enable timely intervention and treatment.
• Reduce barriers to healthcare by being conveniently located in schools and by offering confidential care in a safe environment regardless of insurance coverage and ability to pay.
• Promote healthy lifestyle choices and empower youth to take responsibility for their health and healthcare.
• Encourage parent or guardian involvement to support and sustain successful health outcomes.

Vector Control & Code Enforcement

Vector Control protects health and enhances livability through control of the rat and mosquito populations, and serves as a resource for addressing public health vector problems. Programs include Rodent Control, Mosquito Control, and Code Enforcement, which enforces some specific County and City municipal codes.

Women, Infants & Children

In Oregon, WIC vouchers provide an average of $44 in nutritious foods per month to the about 100,000 women, infants and children who participate. These foods play an important role in increasing the nutritional intake of WIC households, thus reducing the incidence of low birth weight and anemia and helping to protect children from behavioral and cognitive deficiencies. WIC dollars also strengthen Oregon’s local economies—in 2007, WIC food money brought more than $75 million into the state.