Linn County Veterans Services has assisted nearly 9,000 veterans since last June, department manager Dee Baley-Hyder told the Linn County Commissioners Roger Nyquist, Sherrie Sprenger and Will Tucker.
Baley-Hyder said her staff has helped local veterans get nearly $1.5 million in services.
An $11,000 grant awarded in January from the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs to provide transportation to medical services statewide has proven to be extremely popular, she said. More than $700 of it has already been expended. Funds can be used to transport veterans for compensation and pension exams, as well as medical services.
“With this grant we have been able to help veterans get from Sweet Home all the way up to Portland,” she noted in a written report. “Quality Medical Transport requires a 72-hour notice, but they are very open to last-minute appointments if they have availability. We just ask that veterans call our office and we make any arrangements.”
Baley-Hyder said Veterans Services also received a $4,000 Suicide Awareness Grant from the Oregon Department of Veterans Services and her staff is working with the Lebanon Area Mental Health Alliance. Veterans Services will participate in the Lebanon Strawberry Festibval in June, as well as take part in and provide refreshments for an annual suicide awareness walk in Lebanon in September.
With the grant, Veterans Services purchased gunlocks that have information about the Suicide Hotline and Veterans Services phone numbers on them.
Commissioner Will Tucker thanked Baley-Hyder and her department, noting that while the grants are appreciated, her staff’s work “ … is impressive. Your day-to-day work is critically important.”
Linn County Veterans Services can be contacted by calling (541) 967-3882.
In other business the commissioners:
— Sold a 0.16-acre piece of land on Mt. Pleasant Road, near Lebanon, to the Kleinschmit family for $1,000. The non-buildable sliver adjoins the Kleinschmit property.
— Approved resolutions to complete the transfer of ownership of about 3 acres of the former Willamette Industries mill site in Sweet Home to the Family Assistance and Resource Center. The group plans to develop an area for homeless persons and Linn County plans to build an RV dump station on a portion of the site.
— Approved a new classification for a Special Transportation Program Coordinator position; amended classifications for a Juvenile Education Special I and II positions; a Mental Health Specialist I; and a County Attorney Legal Administrative Assistant.
— Appointed Mellissa Barnard of Lebanon to the Budget Committee.
— Announced that their next meeting would take place at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 14, due to scheduling issues.
– Alex Paul, Linn County Communications Officer