Oregon’s mental-health system faces a double whammy: Demand for care is at an all-time high, but the workforce is shortstaffed. In 2022 a report by the Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission showed Oregon was short 36,000 behavioral-health care workers, and that six Oregon counties did not have a single psychiatrist. Another 2022 report compiled by the Oregon Health Authority found behavioral-health care workers were concentrated in Multnomah County and largely underrepresented everywhere else in the state. The shortage has proven lethal: Last year a mental-health worker, who was working alone on a night shift, was killed by a patient at McCarthy Place, a Gresham facility operated by Cascadia Health. The state Legislature responded to the challenge by passing House Bills 4071 and 2949 during the 2021 and 2022 regular sessions, which granted the OHA $60 million to build out the state’s mental-health workforce as part of its Behavioral-health workforce Initiative, as well as $20 million to provide clinical supervision to new entrants into the field. The fund includes millions in grants to eight Oregon universities—Oregon Health & Science University, Oregon Institute of Technology, Portland State University, Southern Oregon University, Eastern Oregon University, Bushnell University, Lewis & Clark College, and Pacific University— to increase their capacity to take students through housing assistance, loan repayment, scholarships and child care subsidies. Now in its first year of distribution, the Behavioral-health workforce Initiative is already increasing the amount of students being trained in behavioral health. But experts say that staffing and recruitment play a major role in addressing the state’s behavioral health needs, finding solutions to burnout, poor administrative infrastructure, licensing challenges, and a chronically traumatic work environment will be equally critical to addressing the workforce shortage. Christa Jones, director of behavioral health strategic projects at the Oregon Health The state is beefing up funding to help train new mental health care workers. But experts say improving the pipeline is just the beginning. By Sander Gusinow Where Will the Money Go? $20 million of the OHA's funding package is earmarked for clinical supervision at behavioral-health organizations, community- health organizations and tribal behavioral- health organizations. $60 million is earmarked for: n Loan repayment n Housing and child care assistance n Bonuses and stipends for supervisors of interns n Subsidized dual certification with a specific focus on rural and vulnerable populations n Scholarships and other tuition assistance n Stipends for students enrolled in graduate behavioral-health programs n Other programs and incentives The Life of the Mind JOAN McGUIRE 28
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