Coalition of Local Health Officials (CLHO)
The Coalition of Local Health Officials (CLHO) is Oregon’s statewide 501(c)(6) nonprofit association representing all 33 local public health authorities. As the unified voice for local public health in Oregon, CLHO advocates for policies, adequate funding, and strategic partnerships that strengthen community health across the state. We work collaboratively with the Oregon Health Authority, state legislators, and community partners to ensure local health departments have the resources and support needed to protect and promote the health of every Oregonian.
CLHO’s work spans policy advocacy, workforce development, and capacity building for Oregon’s local public health system. We champion legislation that advances public health priorities, support professional development and recruitment efforts to address workforce challenges, and facilitate collaboration among local health authorities to share best practices and innovative solutions. Through our advocacy, technical assistance, and coalition-building efforts, CLHO ensures that local public health voices are heard in state policy decisions and that communities across Oregon—from frontier to urban—have equitable access to essential public health services that prevent disease, promote wellness, and respond to public health emergencies.
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CLHO in Action
Beyond Fighting Fires: Public Health’s Essential Role in Wildfire Emergency Preparedness - CLHO Issue Brief, 2026
Oregon’s wildfire seasons are getting longer, more destructive, and more expensive, and local public health is doing essential work that often goes unseen. When wildfire smoke blankets communities, local public health agencies are already there, running preparedness campaigns, distributing protective equipment, staffing emergency shelters, and tracking health impacts in real time. CLHO’s latest issue brief breaks down who gets hit hardest by wildfire smoke, what local public health does before, during, and after a fire, and what dedicated funding would make possible.
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Beyond Fighting Fires: The Public Health Story Behind Central Oregon’s Prescribed Burns - CLHO Impact Story, July 2026
Oregon’s wildfire seasons keep breaking records, but fighting fires after they start is only part of the answer. In Central Oregon, a public health modernization position at Deschutes County became the bridge between air quality regulators, forest managers, and public health agencies, helping increase prescribed burning in the West Bend area eightfold in a single year. Hear from Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang, who championed this work, and learn how the Deschutes County public health team turned a first-of-its-kind EPA pilot into a model for wildfire prevention statewide.
Read the full impact story
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