Larry Dean Plant, who gave up his private practice in Portland to take the job last year at the troubled facility, says he was told that the state hospital couldn’t afford his salary.

The rising chlamydia and gonorrhea numbers mirror a national trend, and public health experts say the reasons could include a lingering resistance to condom use and less fear of having unprotected sex.

A collaborative effort by Mercy Hospital, the city of Portland and several nonprofits hopes to increase the number of detoxification beds and develop new housing for people in recovery from opioid addiction.