Dear Friends,

I hope you had a happy and safe Fourth of July weekend.  I spent my days with family, eating, laughing, and enjoying the warm weather.

Already this summer I’ve traveled to Harvard for the National Symposium on Early Childhood Science and Policy; I’ve toured residential treatment facilities for patients discharged from the Oregon State Hospital; I’ve participated in many constituent and legislative meetings, both here and in Salem.  It’s been busy, but I try always to make time for our Milwaukie Farmer’s Market on Sundays to enjoy the local fresh produce beginning to appear.  I hope to see you there.

Want to know more about Milwaukie Light Rail?

After receiving questions from several constituents about the proposed Milwaukie/SE Portland light rail expansion, I’ve arranged with TriMet for a special tour and invite you to attend.

Thursday, July 10, we’ll depart via bus at 5:30 PM from the parking lot at old Southgate Theater in downtown Milwaukie to ride the new Interstate line through neighborhoods and communities similar to the proposed Milwaukie alignment.  TriMet officials will be with us to share information and answer questions.

It should be fun!  Space is limited so please RSVP by phone, 503-653-5180 or by email to rep.carolyntomei@state.or.us

Women’s Health and Wellness Alliance

I continue to serve as co-chair of the Oregon Women’s Health and Wellness Alliance (OWH&WA), a bipartisan group of legislators, health professionals, agency personnel and citizen advocates dedicated to promoting the health, physical safety and economic wellbeing of women.  Each legislative session the OWH&WA develops a packet of legislation and works together to see it enacted.

On Monday, June 30, we had our first meeting to prepare for 2009.  What an exciting, enthusiastic group!  Almost 50 people attended to brainstorm ideas for possible legislation.  Topics discussed include expansion of prenatal care, increased screening and treatment options for breast and cervical cancer, post-partum depression, paid family leave, gender discrimination in health insurance, protection of evidence in domestic violence/sexual assault cases, access to clinical trials, expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit, and much, much more.  Over the next few months, we’ll be fleshing out proposals and narrowing to 8-10 specific items to include in the 2009 Legislative Agenda.  For more information, or if you want to join the alliance, please let me know.

Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB) and Siting of Community Treatment Facilities

In addition to serving on the State Hospital Patient Care Committee, I am also a member of a special task force investigating the procedures and regulations governing the siting of community residential treatment facilities for patients ready to be discharged from the Oregon State Hospital.

News stories in recent months have highlighted community concerns about the placement of residential treatment facilities for people who’ve committed crimes but were judged “guilty except for insanity.”  These inmates are placed under the jurisdiction of the Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB) and housed in appropriate facilities based on the level of treatment and supervision required.  Most PSRB clients begin their treatment at the Oregon State Hospital.   As patients are deemed suitable for conditional release, the PSRB works to find suitable community treatment facilities. There is a big backlog of patients ready to move from the State Hospital to less restrictive settings but have no where to go.

Siting of residential treatment facilities is complicated.  Federal fair housing laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act apply to forbid discrimination and protect the privacy of persons with mental illness.  However, individual community members are concerned about public safety.  Current practice requires coordination with local mental health agencies, district attorneys and judges, and a comprehensive treatment plan before PSRB patients can be moved into residential facilities.

This month I toured several existing facilities housing patients under treatment.  It was a fascinating visit.  I’d passed the facility in Milwaukie hundreds of times, and not even realized it was there.  The success of the patients housed in these facilities is very good – with only a 2.2% recidivism rate, as compared to a 31.4% recidivism rate for those released by the Dept. of Corrections.  Moreover, comprehensive treatment and monitoring of clients is far greater than that which follows criminals released into the community.  The concerns about public safety are more in perception than in actuality. 

Our task force will continue to work to refine the process of siting additional facilities, trying to allow for more public input while still complying with the federal regulations.  For more information about the task force and the PSRB process in general, click here.

Identity Theft and “Phishing”

Occasionally I get press releases and public service announcements that I want to share.  Identity theft and the misuse of personal information continue to grow, and criminals are  refining their techniques as new technology appears.  Recently the Oregon Credit Union Association published information about some of the new, technology based methods that scammers are using.  Follow this link to learn more.  And it doesn’t ask you to type in personal information, I promise!
 

Contact me with questions and concerns

I really appreciate your feedback – what you think is going well in state government, what you think needs improvement, and the issues you’d like to see addressed by the next legislature. 

During the interim, I move my office back to Milwaukie.  You can reach me by email at rep.carolyntomei@state.or.us

Or via regular mail:
Rep. Carolyn Tomei
11907 SE 19th Ave.
Milwaukie, OR  97222
530-653-5180

As always, thank you for your interest and your continued involvement in our communities and the legislative process.

My best,

Carolyn Tomei