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About Us

Our Mission:

Providing behavioral health and recovery services that transform the lives of children, adults, and families in the communities of Southwest Washington.

We’re passionate about this mission, and we are proud of the diversity we have both in the staff that work here and the patients we see. Our goal is to see diversity and inclusivity continue to grow and expand as we do.

Lives Change Here!

CRMHS staff with state Reps. Paul Harris and Monica Stonier at the NorthStar Treatment Center anniversary ceremony
CRMHS staff with state Reps. Paul Harris and Monica Stonier at the NorthStar Treatment Center anniversary ceremony

A female doctor sits at her desk and chats to a female patient. She is a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a stethoscope around her neck.

What We Do

As a nonprofit organization, we proudly serve the Southwest Washington population at four locations across Clark County. Our Services include Mental Health Care and Psychiatry Services, opiate use treatment at our NorthStar Clinic, and GAP Medicine for all our patients.

Join the Columbia River Mental Health Care team by checking out our Career Openings and Clinical Internship Opportunities.

History

Since 1942, Columbia River Mental Health Services has helped thousands of children, adults and families with personalized solutions to mental health, substance use, and crisis situations.

We are the oldest community behavioral health provider in Southwest Washington. With over 200 employees, we are able to serve more than 5,000 people each year.

Board of Directors

The Board of CRMHS is dedicated to ensuring that Columbia River fulfills its mission to the community.

PRESIDENT

Michelle Howell, CPA

Retired Accountant

VICE PRESIDENT

Dimitry Makhanov

Wealth Advisor

OneDigital

TREASURER

Sugie Joseph, CPA

Consultant Propeller

SECRETARY

Peter Munroe

Community Member

John Horch

Sheriff

Clark County Sheriff’s Office

Douglas Chapman

Therapist

The DBT Clinic, PC

Paul Harris

17th Legislative District

Washington State Legislator

James “Jamie” Howsley

Attorney at Law

Jordan Ramis PC

Kyle Rahn

Director of Behavioral Health Services

Peace Health

Matt Rose, DO

Medical Director; Physician

Rose Medical Groups, PC

Greg Saunders, MD

VP Chief Medical Officer

Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital

Lisa Steele, Ph.D.

System Director

Behavioral Health Service Lines

Correspondence may be directed to Board Members
c/o CRMHS, P.O. Box 1337, Vancouver, WA 98666-1337

Executive Leadership Team

Columbia River CEO Victor Jackson

Victor Jackson joins Columbia River Mental Health Services with over 20 years of progressive leadership experience. He spent more than half that time developing and managing healthcare systems throughout the world to include the Caribbean, Middle East and Asia. No stranger to forging collaborations across differing cultures, Victor prides himself in providing access to high-quality effective care.

He started his career bedside with a commitment to putting patients first and has never deviated. With an undergraduate degree in Public Health and a Master’s in Public Administration with a focus in Healthcare Administration, Victor’s background and experience lends well in building upon CRMHS’s legacy of providing mental health services that promote healthy individuals, families and the community at large.

The father of one son and an English bulldog, Victor divides his time living an active lifestyle completing century bike rides, running, and hiking the Gorge.

Dr. Kevin Fischer, Chief Medical Officer

Kevin Fischer, M.D., joined the agency in 2019. The third generation of his family to call Clark County home, Dr. Fischer is proud to practice medicine in the community he calls home. Starting off his career as a process engineer, Dr. Fischer is a graduate of the University of Washington (BS) and Oregon Health & Sciences University for his medical degree and Internal Medicine residency.  Board-certified in Addiction Medicine & Internal Medicine, he provides patient care within our NorthStar opiate treatment program, as well as leads the agency’s medical services as Chief Medical Officer.

Anne Willis, PsyD, joined the agency in 2020. She is a Clinical Psychologist with over a decade of experience in community mental health settings from direct service delivery to program development and administration.

As a former Professor and Clinical Supervisor, Dr. Willis has an extensive background in the implementation of evidence-based practices in mental health. She is passionate about advocating for strong clinical training and client outcomes within community mental health systems.

She was drawn to CRMHS because of its long history of serving the community and hearing the positive experiences of her former students who interned at the agency.

She is excited to partner within and outside of the agency to improve the lives of members of our community in innovative ways. A hot springs and fairy garden enthusiast, she has found herself at home in the Pacific Northwest.

Kelly relocated from Southern California to join CRMHS in 2013. While attending Cal State University, Bakersfield, Kelly quickly realized that she wanted to continue pursuing her career in healthcare management rather than teaching U.S. history.

With over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, Kelly is excited to be part of an agency that recognizes the importance of integrated health and serving the community.

It is her hope to one day incorporate her love of animals and passion for serving others by training rescue dogs and horses for therapy/companion pet service. In her spare time, she loves to garden and spend time with her family, including her two dogs, Kami and Lily; and four cats, Russell, Wilson, Twix and Ollie.

Sarah came to CRMHS in November of 2018. She received her Master of Public Administration from Portland State University and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Relations from Carroll College.

Sarah has dedicated her career to understanding and interpreting federal, state, and local regulations. While her previous employment was focused on homelessness and housing, she realized that she wanted to be more involved in the solution and shifted her focus to healthcare. She is excited to join a nonprofit organization that is passionate about its clients and employees.

Sarah loves to volunteer and is often seeking ways to get her friends and family involved in volunteer opportunities in the community.

Christopher Cone

Christopher grew up in The Dalles, Oregon, fishing and working in his family’s small-town tackle store business. Christopher is a proud Eagle Scout and was an Oregon Army National Guard medic while attending Eastern Oregon University, where he participated on the rodeo and football teams.

After a short career as a professional rodeo cowboy, Christopher found a passion for the nonprofit arena and fined-tuned his fundraising and volunteer development skill set with the Boy Scouts of America here in the Portland and Vancouver area.

Christopher has over 15 years in nonprofit executive leadership where he developed and enhanced the impacts of the nonprofits he ran. Christopher has a deep passion for community mental health, conservation, and animal welfare.

Lisa Aarseth, Associate Chief Clinical Officer

Lisa Aarseth, LICSW, is originally from a small rural community in North Dakota. She attended the University of North Dakota where she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and later attended Arizona State University where she graduated with her Master’s degree in Social Work.

Lisa has an extensive background in child welfare and community mental health, with a focus on serving children, youth, and families.

Lisa joined CRMHS in 2014 as a clinician in the Child and Family department. She is honored to be a part of an agency that is invested in the well-being of its community.

Lisa is passionate about social justice and is driven to serve, support and advocate for marginalized and underserved community members. Lisa has a love for animals, the outdoors and travel. She enjoys spending her free time with friends and family.

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