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In this episode of ClackCo Works, Mary Rumbaugh, director of Clackamas County Health, Housing, and Human Services, shares how her team is making a real difference in the community. She talks about the department’s wide-ranging work, from urgent mental health care and homelessness support to helping veterans, families, and older adults. Mary introduces the county’s new recovery-oriented system of care, which meets people where they are and connects them to the right services, including a new recovery campus and stabilization center. Listeners will hear inspiring stories about breaking down stigma, building strong partnerships, and creating real pathways to recovery and stability. Tune in to learn how Clackamas County is leading the way in supporting its residents and changing lives every day.
Transcript
Dylan: Welcome to ClackCo Works, where we chat with the people who make Clackamas County work for our community. Today, we're joined by Mary Rumbaugh, director of the county's Health, Housing, and Human Services department, known as H3S. Thanks for being here.
Mary: Thank you.
Dylan: H3S is the largest county department. Can you tell us a little about it?
Mary: Sure. I can break down what we do by our department's title. For health, we're the largest health clinic in the county. Last year, we served over 18,000 individuals across primary care, dental, and specialty behavioral health, with locations in Oregon City, Milwaukie, and Sandy. We also have an Urgent Mental Health Walk-In Center, which served over 800 individuals last year. We took 13,000 calls to our crisis and support line and served over 600 individuals through our Mobile Crisis Response Team, which goes out to the community wherever someone is having a crisis.
For housing, we've seen over 10,000 calls to our coordinated housing access line in the first five months of this year, with over 6,000 of those calls related to eviction prevention. Through permanent supportive housing, we've housed just over 1,000 households. We're making a small dent in a big problem.
On the human services side, we serve veterans, help older adults get to appointments, support new families through our Women, Infants, and Children program, and focus on early learning. Our public health division ensures restaurants and pools are safe and responds to community diseases. We have over 800 employees doing this work every day.
Dylan: That's a lot of people and important work. Today, we're talking about the recovery-oriented system of care, which Clackamas County has focused on recently. Can you walk us through what a recovery-oriented system of care is and how it's different?
Mary: We looked to the federal definition, but wanted a framework anyone in the community can understand. It's a continuum of services designed to meet individuals where they are, whether it's recovery from substance use disorder, mental illness, unstable housing, or chronic homelessness. We're looking at what services we have, where the gaps are, and creating a continuum so it's whole-person care, building on individuals' strengths and resources. It's not a one-size-fits-all approach.
Dylan: The services you mentioned have existed for decades, but this is a new way of looking at them, right?
Mary: That's right.
Dylan: The recovery system of care came about in April 2023 through a board resolution to address addictions, mental health, and homelessness. Is that correct?
Mary: That's correct. After the resolution, in fall 2023, we hosted a summit with local, national, and international experts to learn best practices and see how to adapt them for Clackamas County. We've been moving forward since then.
Dylan: What are some real impacts people might have seen since this reorientation? Where might the community see a difference?
Mary: We have new investments coming online, but we've also focused on telling stories of recovery—hearing from individuals about how their recovery would have looked if we had, for example, the recovery campus. Hearing from people with lived experience is important to address stigma. We've done important work even before buildings are built to address stigma for those struggling in our community.
Dylan: What are some of those investments? You mentioned the recovery campus.
Mary: The recovery campus was an output of the summit. We purchased property at the end of 2024 and are designing a campus with a continuum of services: withdrawal management (detox), residential, outpatient, peer support, and, importantly, recovery housing. Recovery housing allows people to move more quickly through treatment and into a recovery community. The primary focus is adults with substance use disorders, many of whom may also have mental health issues or have experienced homelessness.
A more immediate opening is our stabilization center in Milwaukie, with two complementary programs focused on adults with mental health concerns. The 23-hour crisis stabilization program is open 24/7 for those who can't be stabilized at home but don't need jail or hospital. Law enforcement and mobile teams will refer people there. There's also a housing and case management program for those needing 30 to 60 days of support, with most referrals coming through our coordinated housing access line. This helps people struggling with homelessness get referrals to long-term housing.
Dylan: If people go into the recovery campus or stabilization center, they get plugged into the Clackamas County network, right? It's not just a one-stop.
Mary: That's correct. Our hope is there's no wrong front door. We get people connected to what they need, whether it's stable housing or other resources. Another program coming online is Caring Place, a homeless services resource center in Oregon City, where people can get connected to housing, basic needs, and social services. If someone comes in and we realize they need recovery services, we can refer them to the recovery campus. All these services are coordinated through communication and partnership, which will be a game changer for the community.
Dylan: The board's support for the recovery-oriented system of care was specifically for addictions, mental health, and homelessness, the three examples you've named. Are there any other investments we should talk about?
Mary: With our new courthouse in Oregon City, we needed to relocate our specialty behavioral health clinics. The Lake Road Health Center is open and running, though still under construction, and will be fully utilized by the end of the year. We also just opened Clackamas Village, a trauma-informed, compassionate place for houseless individuals to stay for a period of time. The recovery-oriented system of care gave us a framework, but there was already important work happening. We want a continuum of services that meet individual needs, not a one-size-fits-all approach.
Dylan: Final question—what are you hopeful for with this transition, and how will it help the community?
Mary: I hope we can continue to support our community and neighbors who are struggling. By creating these resources, we're providing a pathway for people to get on their road to recovery. I've worked for the county for 25 years and believe everyone has the right to a safe place to live and to get the supports they need when they're ready. I'm excited for these investments and the partnerships at the state and local level. We change lives every day, and with these investments, we'll continue to change even more lives. That's what keeps me coming back every day.
Dylan: I think we're a better community because of your heart. Thank you for all the good work you do, and thank you for joining us today.
Mary: Thank you.