Multnomah County reopens behavioral health center after renovations, training
County officials said the one-week closure helped prevent five weeks of disrupted service.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Multnomah County’s Behavioral Health Resource Center is back in business after temporarily halting operations for building upgrades and staff training.
On Monday starting at 6 a.m., employees notified residents the center had re-opened by handing out entry tickets in the Old Town neighborhood.
The county first informed the public the center would shut down in early April. The closure lasted from Monday, May 6 to Sunday, May 12.
It allowed construction crews to install curtains that prevent smoke and heat from spreading to the elevator shafts in the facility. The building previously held only one of these devices on the first floor. But during an inspection in November 2022, the county learned it was no longer up to code.
Other maintenance included new building and program signs, pest control treatment and exterior landscaping.
The shutdown also allowed employees to complete annual training, officials said.
Staff with the Mental Health and Addiction Association of Oregon, the organization that manages the day center, were required to earn more education credits to stay professionally certified.
Other employees with Do Good Multnomah, the nonprofit that leads the shelter and bridge housing, took time to train peer staff members.
According to the county, service at the Behavioral Health Resource Center would have been disrupted for five weeks if officials decided against the one-week closure.
“Each day, dozens of people rely on the Center for a safe place to take care of some very important basic needs,” Operations Director John Karp-Evans said in a statement. “Completing these routine maintenance items will help us continue to serve our clients in a safe environment with updates that will minimize the need for unexpected closures in the future.”
The day center provides residents with restrooms, showers, clothing and other resources. It served 3,750 individuals from December 2022 to December 2023.