DAYTON—Columbia County Hospital System (CCHS) CEO Shane McGuire is concerned about how the Flood of 2020, COVID-19, wildfires, and the smoke from them, is impacting the emotional health of CCHS employees and people throughout the local community. He shared those concerns with the Hospital District board of commissioners at their meeting in September.

“We are experiencing a mental health crisis in our community and state,” he said. “In our own community, we have seen an uptick in suicide attempts, yet our behavioral health team’s volumes, have not returned to pre-COVID-19 levels.”

McGuire share...