 Welcome to
the Oregon Health Update. I’m sending this to you and other leaders in the
state who care about health policy. In this issue, I want to share steps we’re
taking to modernize behavioral health, renew Oregon’s Medicaid waiver and
reform air quality regulations. Look for regular updates on these and other
health issues in the future.
--Lynne Saxton, OHA Director
Behavioral health collaborative launches
It’s
a startling statistic. Last year, one out of every six Oregonians experienced
some form of mental illness. Each one has friends, family members, coworkers
and neighbors who felt the impact as well.
Because
mental health problems and addiction affect so many Oregonians, we need a
strong, sustainable and clinically-responsive behavioral health system in our
state. We want a system that puts consumers, families and communities at the
center. We want to deliver the right services and supports, at the right place
and at the right time.
Listening to consumer and family
feedback
Earlier
this year, OHA worked with Senator Sara Gelser to host seven town hall meetings across the state to learn more about behavioral health. Our goal was to listen to what was working
in Oregon’s behavioral health system and find out what we can improve.
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More
than 550 consumers and family members participated. Here’s what we heard:
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Support independence: Consumers told us
they want good jobs, stable housing and accessible transportation.
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Integrate behavioral, physical and oral health. Consumers called for better coordination of
services. They asked for simpler “one-stop shopping.”
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Deliver consistent and equitable services in
all parts of the state. A consumer
said, “Services and resources vary by
county—I shouldn’t have to move to get services. They should be consistent.”
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Improve the quality of care. One consumer said, “You need an outcomes-based system that recovers people and their
lives.” Others called for changes to a treatment system driven by "codes not needs."
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Eliminate silos and bureaucratic hurdles.
Many people said they were frustrated with complex procedures, coverage gaps
and systems that don’t talk to each other.
We were honored to have many state and
local elected officials listen and participate. They included: Senator Doug
Whitsett and Representative Gail Whitsett, Klamath County Commissioner Tom
Mallams, Union County Commissioner Jack Howard, Senator Tim Knopp, Deschutes
County Commissioner Tammy Baney, Representative Mitch Greenlick, Senate
Majority Leader Ginny Burdick, and Portland City Commissioner Amanda Fritz.
You
can learn more by reading the Oregon Health Authority 2015 Behavioral Health
Town Hall Report or watching our Town Hall Report webinar.
Action steps to better integrate
behavioral health
This
summer, we’re launching OHA’s Behavioral Health Design Team–a stakeholder
group that will chart the course for excellence and sustainability in
behavioral health services across the different systems that serve consumers.
Starting
July 1, 2016, the team will:
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Review and analyze qualitative
and quantitative data developed over the past year through efforts such as the
Behavioral Health Town Halls, the Behavioral Health Mapping Tool, our partnership
with the United States Department of Justice, a special report produced by Oregon State University and other information.
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Re-conceptualize and design
an achievable plan that
defines the policy, financing, and infrastructure needs to modernize Oregon's
behavioral health system.
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Produce recommendations for the Legislature by late fall 2016.
Team members will be experts in mental health,
addictions, prevention, wellness promotion, education, housing, senior
services, peer services, culturally specific health services, children and
youth, corrections and public safety, disability services and health
disparities.
Members will be appointed to the design team, based on a statement of interest. (Application forms will be
posted on the OHA website by June 1.) Members will
serve through February 2017.
Our goal is to improve outcomes for people with
behavioral health problems consistent with the triple aim: better health, better
care and lower costs—not just in our behavioral health system, but for law
enforcement, school systems, cities and counties, too.
Oregon’s
new waiver tackles social factors to improve health
Earlier this month, Oregon became one of the
first states in the nation to tackle housing as a health care issue. In a new Medicaid waiver proposal, we’re seeking approval to use federal
dollars to address housing needs for people with health problems.
Affordable housing is hard to find in many
Oregon communities. Your options are even scarcer if your family is
economically vulnerable, or if you have special needs. Yet, finding a good
place to live isn’t just a financial or quality-of-life issue. Housing is vital
to your health. Poor housing can increase your risk of disease. Safe, clean and
stable housing can improve your physical and emotional well-being.
 Oregon’s
existing waiver was granted in 2012. Since its implementation, Oregon’s
Medicaid program has been successful in meeting our goals of better care and a
slower rise in health care costs. For example, hospital readmissions, emergency department visits, and avoidable hospitalizations
have decreased. Preventive screenings for children and people with chronic
conditions have increased. OHA currently projects a cumulative savings of $8.6
billion from 2013 through 2022 due to health system transformation.
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States
must renew their Medicaid waivers every five years (Oregon must renew its
current waiver by June 2017). Under our current draft waiver application, we
want to:
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Improve the integration of physical,
behavioral, and oral health care
through updated performance incentives.
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Improve health outcomes and reduce disparities by addressing housing and other social determinants of health.
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Hold down expenditures through an integrated global budget that
controls costs at a sustainable 3.4 percent growth rate.
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Continue to expand the coordinated care model for the 1.1
million members on the Oregon Health Plan, as well as in OEBB, PEBB and in
other markets.
Governor Brown’s health policy advisor Jeremy
Vandehey and OHA’s state Medicaid director Lori Coyner are leading the
development of Oregon’s waiver renewal and have met with more
than 75 stakeholder groups and tribal governments so far.
There’s
still time to share your input. You can share your priorities in this brief survey (share
your input by June 1). Your efforts
will inform our state’s waiver, our discussions with the federal government and
our broader strategies to improve the health and well-being of all Oregonians.
Cleaner Air Oregon: Glass company order
highlights need for new rules
On May 9,
air monitors around Bullseye Glass in Southeast Portland detected lead levels
three times above short-term health safety levels.
Acting under
Governor Brown’s direction and authority, OHA and the Department of Environmental
Quality (DEQ) took immediate action. DEQ ordered Bullseye to stop processing
heavy metals through furnaces that lacked emission controls.
 It was an unprecedented intervention, using a law that
had not been previously invoked in Oregon. Yet the action highlighted gaps in
Oregon’s current air quality regulations. Our current rules don’t tie health
standards to permitting and enforcement decisions. That’s why OHA is partnering
with DEQ to rewrite air quality regulations.
Starting this month, OHA is partnering with DEQ to reform Oregon’s
industrial air emissions regulations through the Governor’s Cleaner
Air Oregon program. We want your
help.
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Cleaner Air Oregon is a new program to reform air
toxics regulations for industrial sources. Our goal is to write scientifically
sound statewide regulations that keep industrial air toxics below levels at
which they would pose health risks for people. We want to hear from as many
perspectives as we can, so that Oregon’s new regulations protect our
communities, our environment and our economy.
Visit cleanerair.oregon.gov
for more information. I look forward to hearing your input as we rewrite
Oregon’s industrial air quality regulations.
Upcoming meetings:
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