Each September, in recognition of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Hood River County Prevention and collaborators post signs of hope around the county in English and Spanish. Above, Belinda Ballah, Hood River County Prevention director who retired Oct. 1, and Jacob Dilla, Pacific Source, hold examples of the signs.
Hood River County Prevention Department Director Belinda Ballah, right, discusses the county’s community health survey with Public Health Project Manager Daron Ryan, Hood River County Health Department in August 2022.
Belinda Ballah speaks to the crowd of volunteers during an appreciation event. On June 21, the organization held a luncheon for those who enlisted their help with setting up vaccination clinics and call centers in 2021.
Hood River County School District Mental Health Consultant Erin Rust (left) and Director of Hood River County Prevention Belinda Ballah work to bring suicide prevention information to the Gorge community in 2022.
Erin Rust and Anne Carloss of Hood River County School District and Belinda Ballah of Hood River County Prevention Department at the Oregon Suicide Prevention conference in Ashland, held in October 2023. The trio presented a workshop detailing the partnership between the county and school district regarding suicide prevention and destigmatizing mental health issues.
Each September, in recognition of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Hood River County Prevention and collaborators post signs of hope around the county in English and Spanish. Above, Belinda Ballah, Hood River County Prevention director who retired Oct. 1, and Jacob Dilla, Pacific Source, hold examples of the signs.
Contributed photo/file
Hood River County Prevention Department Director Belinda Ballah, right, discusses the county’s community health survey with Public Health Project Manager Daron Ryan, Hood River County Health Department in August 2022.
Trisha Walker / file
Eggy the therapy dog visits with HRVHS students in 2023. Therapy dog visits are one of the prevention department's programs.
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Belinda Ballah speaks to the crowd of volunteers during an appreciation event. On June 21, the organization held a luncheon for those who enlisted their help with setting up vaccination clinics and call centers in 2021.
Noah Noteboom/ file
Erin Rust and Anne Carloss of Hood River County School District and Belinda Ballah of Hood River County Prevention Department at the Oregon Suicide Prevention conference in Ashland, held in October 2023. The trio presented a workshop detailing the partnership between the county and school district regarding suicide prevention and destigmatizing mental health issues.
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Hood River Valley High School's H.E.A.L.T.H. Media club members in 2018, another program of Hood River County Prevention.
Contributed photo
The 2024 Hair Because We Care event in Cascade Locks with Vida Barber Shop.
HOOD RIVER — After 12 years as director of Hood River County Prevention, Belinda Ballah retired Oct. 1. But just because she’s leaving the position doesn’t mean you won’t see her around.
“The work I have done over the years with prevention is a passion of mine, and while I am retiring from the position as director, I will continue to look for opportunities to serve our community,” she said.
To watch a video of the “Soar Above the Influence” Wy’east Middle School Murals project from July 3, 2013, visit youtu.be/F8kFtwwaxvk.
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Rachel Fuller, who previously served as city manager of Hood River, will step into the interim director role, with programming remaining the same.
Hood River County Prevention started in 1992 as the Commission on Children and Families through a legislative mandate, Ballah said. When the mandate ended in 2013, it became the Hood River County Prevention Department.
Ballah began her work in prevention in 2006 as Hood River Alliance Church’s liaison for the federal Drug Free Communities Faith Connection Coalition grant that had been awarded to Hood River County.
“The grant was to involve the faith community in primary prevention, activities, events and programs,” she explained.
In 2012, she joined the county prevention department as its tobacco prevention specialist, becoming director in 2015.
“Our mission is striving towards a healthy, safe and drug-free Hood River County through education, programs and support for our children, families and community, based on a foundation of cultural humility, inclusion and equality,” Ballah said. “Our vision is ‘Wellbeing for all.’”
Hood River County School District Mental Health Consultant Erin Rust (left) and Director of Hood River County Prevention Belinda Ballah work to bring suicide prevention information to the Gorge community in 2022.
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These days, the department operates county-wide as a “bilingual and inclusive organization that works across the spectrum of wellness and injustice to help every community member thrive,” according to the website (hoodriverprevents.com). Prevention programs include substance abuse, mental health and youth development. Additionally, Ballah managed more than 500 volunteers for COVID-19 vaccination clinics for the Hood River County Health Department.
Since becoming director, she’s been responsible for bringing more than $5 million in grant programing to Hood River County. She said $1.8 million of that has gone directly to 73 different youth programs over the past nine years. Some of those youth programs — and it’s a lengthy list — include the Hair Because We Care annual event, where students receive free haircuts and manicures to get them ready to go back to school; trips to Washington, D.C. with the HEALTH Media Club at Hood River Valley High School (HRVHS); opioid rescue kit presentations at HRVHS; therapy dog visits to HRVHS, and Hood River and Wy’east middle schools to provide emotional support to students and staff; and Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) suicide prevention education (for the full list of programs, see columbiagorgenews.com).
Ballah plans to continue to work with the Trauma Intervention Program (TIP), which includes numerous volunteers throughout the Gorge working closely with first responders — while first responders do their work, TIP volunteers provide emotional support to those in need (www.tipnw.org).
Arlo the therapy dog with HRVHS students in 2023.
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She also will continue to facilitate QPR suicide prevention training. The training empowers participants to ask hard questions around suicide, how to persuade a person to seek help and refer them to professionals, Ballah said in a 2021 Columbia Gorge News article.
“The work we do has always been based in prevention science, utilizing evidence-based programs and practices,” Ballah said. “The programs have ranged from Healthy Start to parent education, positive youth development programs in schools to substance issue prevention, drug-free community grants to town halls on a variety of topics, suicide prevention to reducing child abuse and neglect, poverty simulations to problem gambling prevention.”
For more information on all of Hood River County Prevention programs, or for a list of resources, visit hoodriverprevents.com.
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