PENDLETON — The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners is sticking with its decision to award a contract for mental health and addiction services to Community Counseling Solutions.

Lifeways, the county’s previous provider of mental health services, protested the recent move. The board at its Wednesday, June 16, meeting voted unanimously to override the protest.

Commissioners John Shafer and George Murdock made brief comments before casting their votes against Lifeways’ objection, which criticized the county’s decision and questioned the ability of Community Counseling to take on the new, larger role.

Shafer, the county’s mental health liaison, was the first to recommend the county reject Lifeways’ protest. Shafer was part of the five-person committee that unanimously recommended CCS, a Heppner-based provider that serves four smaller Eastern Oregon counties, over Lifeways.

An educator, business person, law enforcement officer and county employees all served on the committee.

Shafer said the decision to go with CCS as the new provider will lead to “a better end product for mental health and behavioral health in Umatilla County.” He said he was excited to see CCS and Lifeways directors say they would be willing to work together in any way possible to provide care in the county.

“Although I was not directly involved in the decision, I do know that considering the possibility of a new provider has been a long time coming, based upon input we have received from law enforcement, medical facilities, educators and others who have deep concerns about the service being provided to Umatilla County residents,” Murdock said. “The only objections I have heard have come from Lifeways employees and their corporate office. On the other hand, we have received numerous messages of enthusiasm from throughout the county.”

Murdock also apologized to the committee members for an article in the East Oregonian, which he said was “primarily guided by a less-than-professional press release from the Lifeways head office,” referring to a June 11 statement from Lifeways CEO Tim Hoekstra. The press release called CCS “underqualified and underprepared” and the county’s decision “a gamble” to residents’ health.

Murdock added the county already received more communication from Community Counseling Solutions “than we have received from Lifeways in the last year or more.” He said he was confident that county residents in need will receive “skilled and expedient service, as will the agencies that depend on the provider for support.”

In an email to the East Oregonian, Kimberly Lindsay, the executive director for CCS, said the organization “acknowledges this has been a difficult process for all involved.” She also stated, “We are both humbled and honored by the county’s decision, and we are excited to deliver upon our mission of providing dynamic, progressive and diverse support to the residents of Umatilla County.”

Lifeways officials did not immediately respond to emails requesting comment prior to press time.

The county recently put out a request for proposal for a single provider to handle mental health and addiction services, after years where those services were divided between Lifeways, which handled mental health, and the county’s own substance abuse services provider. An independent consultant recommended the county conjoin those services, noting patients often fall under both categories at once.

Hoekstra in the June 11 statement said Lifeways, which has served Umatilla County for more than 16 years, plans to stay in the county and “is already underway in pivoting its services to retain staff.” Officials have yet to provide specifics of what that might look like.

Lifeways has 11 facilities in Umatilla County and more than 120 employees, most of whom are county residents, officials have said. In all, Lifeways reported it serves 184 clients with schizophrenic disorders, 491 clients with major depression, 471 clients with post-traumatic stress disorder, 215 clients with bipolar disorder and more than 2,000 clients with adjustment disorders.