Oregon finishes plan to help persistent mentally ill

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon has created a three-year plan to improve mental health care access after a federal investigation found problems with the system.

The Statesman Journal reports (http://stjr.nl/2aPsDLs ) that officials hope the Oregon Performance Plan will decrease hospitalization and jail time. The Oregon Health Authority plan would bolster efforts in 10 areas, including community treatment and crisis services.

A lengthy 2012 investigation by the federal Department of Justice concluded that Oregon was not fully complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

OHA Director Lynne Saxton said Thursday that she does not yet have a cost estimate for the program. She also countered concerns that the agency is just responding to scrutiny from the DOJ, saying it is focused on implementing the plan and willing to be held accountable to it.

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Oregon Health Authority news release:

The Oregon Health Authority on Thursday finalized the Oregon Performance Plan, which calls for expanding services and improving outcomes for adults with serious and persistent mental illness.

“Under this three-year plan, Oregon will meet robust performance metrics that hold the state, its providers, counties and coordinated care organizations accountable for improving our behavioral health system,” said Lynne Saxton, OHA Director.

“This plan builds on and accelerates Oregon’s continuing efforts to expand community-based mental health services, better integrate behavioral and physical health across the state and reduce commitments to the state hospital.”

The Plan is the result of a unique collaborative process with the U.S. Department of Justice, which began in 2012.

To carry out Oregon’s goals under the Performance Plan, the state will be required to make significant changes in how it delivers and invests in behavioral health services. These steps include:
— Improving the way adults with severe and persistent mental illness transition to integrated community-based treatment from higher levels of care.
— Increasing access to crisis services and community-based supports to avoid incarceration or unnecessary hospitalization for adults with severe and persistent mental illness.
— Expanding services and supports that enable adults with severe and persistent mental illness to successfully live in the community, including strengthening housing and peer support services.

Beyond improving services for adults with serious and persistent mental illness, the Plan adds greater urgency and accountability to statewide efforts to reform behavioral health in Oregon.

Independent consultant Pam Hyde has been contracted by OHA to assess its performance under the plan and provide reports to OHA and the USDOJ. From 2009 to 2015, Hyde led the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

OHA has convened a Behavioral Health Collaborative (BHC) to develop recommendations to better align Oregon’s behavioral health system, focus new investments and deliver better results for consumers and families.

The collaborative is made up of consumers, clinicians, hospital representatives, county officials, community mental health providers, judges, public safety officials and others with expertise and experience in addressing mental health issues in Oregon.

The BHC’s work will be informed by the Oregon Performance Plan, OHA’s Behavioral Health Mapping Tool, OHA’s Behavioral Health Town Hall Report, and the Oregon State University Boarding Study. The BHC will develop prioritized recommendations for consideration by the 2017 Oregon Legislature.

“I appreciate USDOJ’s partnership in developing this Performance Plan,” said Saxton. “It reflects the commitment so many consumers, family members, state leaders, advocates, clinicians and others have made to improve our state’s behavioral health system. Oregon’s success in fulfilling the terms of this agreement depends on their continued focus. I look forward to continuing to report on our progress.”

The Oregon Performance Plan, a one-page overview and the letter of transmittal are available at http://www.oregon.gov/oha/bhp/Pages/Oregon-Performance-Plan.aspx