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Clatsop County, OR

Clatsop County, in the northwest corner of Oregon, is a popular seaside destination for tourists from Portland, about 100 miles away, and beyond. The county seat, Astoria, is the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies. The primary industries are forestry, fisheries, and tourism/recreation. There is also a large Coast Guard facility in Astoria.

Primary health-related issues are obesity/lack of physical activity, addiction and other mental health issues (including ACEs), and housing insecurity. 

Works in Progress

Long-Term Shared Goals

Wellville advisor Marya Stark supports the work in Clatsop County. The Clatsop team is focused on creating greater health equity, working within two coalitions: the Clatsop Equity Committee and an organizing committee to apply for a Regional Health Equity Coalition (RHEC) designation. Long-term goals include:

  • Build long-term capacity for driving equity in the region.
  • Reduce ACEs scores for adults and children
  • Integrate CHIP/CHA processes
  • Develop more pre-k slots
Marya and Debbie review information on a white board
Marya Stark of Wellville and Debbie Morrow of the Columbia Pacific CCO work on a plan at the 2019 Wellville Gathering.
Wellville National team members Jeff Doemland and Marya Stark listen to Jeanette Schacher (l) of Columbia Memorial Hospital.
Wellville National team members Jeff Doemland and Marya Stark listen to Jeanette Schacher (l) of Columbia Memorial Hospital.

Current Initiatives

Clatsop Equity Committee
A group of local stakeholders are working to identify sustainable long-term initiatives to improve equity. The group is also growing the impact and influence of the Committee, including by publicizing its work in local media.

Regional Health Equity Coalition (RHEC) designation
Stakeholders from Clatsop, Tillamook and Columbia counties are collaborating to apply for an RHEC designation from the state. RHECs are collaborative, community-led, cross-sector groups organized regionally to identify and address health equity issues. Coalitions prioritize communities of color as primary populations of focus.

Pre-kindergarten (pre-k) slots
The team engaged Social Finance and the Sorenson Impact Center to complete a feasibility study for a pre-kindergarten Pay for Success program. While Pay For Success wasn’t viable, the process gave the County valuable data and relationships for adding pre-k and child care slots. The team is working on other angles for a smaller-scale expansion of pre-K.

Our Stories

black

Close the gap: Racial equity is fundamental to our health

There is so much in our hearts and minds following these tumultuous past few months and intense past few days. This is a moment to consider the causes of the consequences that are now on full display. It’s time to call out what led to such health disparities and what will it take to improve outcomes for all.

Read More »
Man presenting to a medium size group of people

All Hands on Deck

When Covid-19 hit the US, we asked ourselves: Now that everyone is just trying to stay alive and save jobs, is Wellville just a distraction? We can’t just preach about the long term and what people want to achieve by the end of the Wellville project while they are busy responding to the short term. Instead, we tried a different question: How can we build a better long-term future even as we address current needs?

Read More »

By the Numbers

The data below represent an overall picture of health and wellbeing in Clatsop County – a realtime snapshot, if you will. For data that’s tied to the specific work we’re doing, see above and in the stories we share. 

Demographics

Population: 40,224

No Data Found

Land area (sq. mi): 829.05
Median age: 44.2

Social and Economic Indicators

Median household income

No Data Found

2019 data

Poverty rate

No Data Found

2019 data

High school graduation rate

No Data Found

2019 data

Severe housing problems *

No Data Found

* Percentage of households with at least 1 of 4 housing problems: overcrowding, high housing costs, lack of kitchen facilities, or lack of plumbing facilities (2013-2017).

Health Behaviors and Outcomes

Adult obesity

No Data Found

2017 data

Adult smoking

No Data Found

2018 data

Years of potential life lost *

No Data Found

* Years of potential life lost before age 75 per 100,000 population. Data covers 2017-2019.

Health Care

Uninsured *

No Data Found

* Persons under the age of 65 (2019 data)

Per capita Medicare spending *

No Data Found

* As a percentage of insured; does not include uninsured. Data from 2019.

Insurance sources

No Data Found

2019 data