Eastern Oregonians are well aware of barriers to services in our rural areas: scarce local resources and numerous small populations scattered over a big geographic area make challenges to cost-effective delivery of quality services.

The counties of Hood River,Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam, Wheeler, Morrow, Umatilla, Wallowa, Baker, Union, Grant, Harney and Malheur signed an intergovernmental agreement in 1988 to create the Eastern Oregon Human Services Consortium(EOHSC) of community mental health programs. The Consortium covers a 50,000 square mile area.

The Eastern Oregon Human Services Consortium represents the needs of Eastern Oregonians before the State Legislature and works to educate others about the practicalities of delivering mental health, alcohol and drug treatment and developmental disability services to Eastern Oregon.

EOHSC develops and supports innovative partnerships and utilizes the expertise of people at the local level to maximize resources and benefits for the entire region.

The Eastern Oregon Regional Crisis Services Program is one of the programs that the Consortium developed to meet a critical need for people with developmental disabilities.

The Crisis Services Program provides essential services for people with mental retardation who are at risk of losing a safe place to live. Through EOHSC's contract with the state, the Regional Crisis Program is able to provide crises services that would be very difficult for each county to provide by itself.

The executive directors of the community mental health programs serve as the Directors of the Consortium. Kevin Campbell is responsible for implementing EOHSC goals. The EOHSC address is: PO Box 2905, LaGrande, Oregon, 97850.