|
Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.
Lea en español
Oct. 3, 2022
In this issue ...
 |
|
October is here and Halloween is in just a few weeks. As the days become cooler, I am looking forward to pumpkin patches, apple cider, cozy hoodies and planning my family’s Halloween costumes.
Whether you are an astronaut, a princess, a Minecraft character or a vampire, remember to stay safe this year if you’re trick-or-treating by wearing masks, practicing social distancing and bringing along hand sanitizer.
There is a lot to celebrate this month: Hispanic Heritage Month started Sept. 15 and goes through Oct. 15.
|
We celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of people who have come from Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. There are cultural events, theaters, film festivals and of course local eateries and Latinx-owned wineries to enjoy and engage with.
October is LGBTQ2SIA+ History Month and you can celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender icons including Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, best known for writing fairy tales like “The Little Mermaid” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” If you or your child is part of the community, Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has numerous resources available, including its ongoing LBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Plan. ODE recently launched a newsletter with information around the plan, which you can sign up for to get updates. If you want to get involved in transgender justice, join the Fierce Families Network.
This month also marks one year of publishing our Holding Hope newsletter. You can find previous issues on our website. We hope this newsletter has been a helpful tool for you and your community and we appreciate all the feedback we’ve received from families and community members so far. If you have comments or information and resources you would like to see featured, please reach out to us: kids.team@odhsoha.oregon.gov. We want to hear from you!
Substance use disorder (SUD) for young people is on the rise, and research shows that most substance use disorders begin before age 25. New users of alcohol start between ages 18 and 25 and studies show that frequent marijuana use in adolescents (ages 12-17) and young adults (ages 18-25) has been linked with opioid misuse, heavy alcohol use and depression. SUD can be passed down through generations, and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is working to end this cycle by promoting prevention, best practices and cross-system collaboration throughout Oregon’s SUD treatment system.
OHA SUD Youth Program Coordinator Bernardino De La Torre says, “Oregon is in crisis when it comes to our youth and young adult population and substance use. By increasing prevention programming against substance use for Oregon youth and families and educating them about dangers associated with illicit drug use, we hope many young people will be diverted from harm through positive supports within their schools and community.” |
|
 |
He continued, “there are treatment and recovery supports for youth already suffering from SUD and efforts are being made to improve the addictions system of care. This includes sober high schools where youth in recovery can be surrounded by a supportive community of their peers.”
OHA works with a variety of partners, programs and systems whose providers must deliver developmentally focused, age-appropriate services using the Institute of Medicine’s Continuum of Care model:
 Promotion:
- Ensuring good family communication for resisting later drug use.
- Support self-esteem and teach decision-making skills.
Prevention:
- Universal: Drug education in schools.
- Selective: Drug education to prevent specific drug abuse, such as opioids.
- Indicated: Drug education in a treatment program specific to drugs that have been abused.
Treatment:
- Access to treatment and treatment modalities which support family involvement.
- Matching a treatment facility with developmental needs.
- Support after treatment: This support teaches how to:
- Live clean and sober, and
- Have positive experiences which reinforce this knowledge.
Below are resources for Oregon youth seeking treatment and care:
If you or someone you know has an SUD, find resources from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) or call the SAMHSA National Helpline for free, confidential treatment referral and information at 1-800-662 HELP (4357).
If you know a high school-age youth that would benefit from a safe, sober and supportive school environment, please contact Oregon's Recovery High School.
Residential Youth Treatment Facilities in Oregon:
Adapt: 541-672-2691
Madrona Recovery: 503-749-0200
NARA Youth Residential Treatment Center: 971-274-3757
Rimrock Trails: Toll Free, 888-532-6247 or Residential Admissions, 458-207-6443
The Oregon Youth Authority also provides substance use treatment within its facilities.
Contact Bernardino De La Torre at bernardino.delatorre@dhsoha.state.or.us with any questions.
The School Suicide Prevention and Wellness (SSPW) team is housed — figuratively, as they are a fully remote team — within Lines for Life, known for suicide prevention and crisis support services in Oregon. The SSPW team is unique because of their position in relation to YouthLine (a free teen-to-teen crisis support and help line), and their partnership with OHA and ODE.
The SSPW Program is a five-member crew of four regional coordinators and one program manager, who all live and work in their local communities in Oregon. The program is connected to suicide prevention champions throughout Oregon, including training and curriculum programs, local coalitions and the Alliance to Prevent Suicide. SSPW provides technical assistance, support and consultation to every school district in Oregon in the development of their district-wide suicide prevention, intervention and postvention plans, required under Adi’s Act (Senate Bill 52).
The SSPW Program is a supporting partner to your local school community, with a goal to harness connection and commitment and bring together suicide prevention champions within the community.
SSPW coordinators complement existing community resources with outside support to make plans and initiatives impactful and sustainable. Through this work, SSPW coordinators help school districts achieve their suicide prevention, intervention and postvention goals in K-12 schools.
The picture below captures essential partners in this work, including but not limited to statewide coordinators of ASIST, YouthSave, Question Persuade Refer, Connect, and OHA’s Youth Suicide Prevention Team.
From left to right – Back: Crystal Larson (Lines for Life), Tim Glascock and puppy (Association of Oregon Community Mental Health Programs), Shanda Hochstetler (OHA Youth Suicide Prevention), Isabella Acevedo (NW Regional SSPW), Lucina Armstrong Michaud (Lines for Life), Boston Colson (Eastern Or. SSPW). Front: Kris Bifulco (AOCMHP), Claire Kille (SSPW Program Manager), Ashley Meilahn (Central and Mid-Central Or. Regional SSPW), Jill Baker (OHA Youth Suicide Prevention).
What schools have been saying about SSPW:
“I think it helps schools to have outside knowledge and supports come in and give helpful information. Even when school staff supporting students with their mental health share with their coworkers, it's not always fully received until validated by other professionals focusing on the work and affirming the information they are being given regularly.”
“[The] Lines for Life School Suicide Prevention and Wellness program were not only helpful but integral in helping us to prepare and move forward with our suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention policies. The support, guidance, and expertise were remarkable and allowed for the process to be district-specific and supportive. It was because of their support that we were able to make so many positive and substantial gains last year.”
“Our Regional SSPW Coordinator utilized a collaborative approach that really emphasized teamwork. Our district Whole Child Program coordinator and I each appreciated the technical assistance, feedback, and concrete ideas which have helped to develop a plan that includes specific and measurable objectives.”
Check out the SSPW website for more information, or sign up for the SSPW Newsletter.
Contact Claire Kille at Lines for Life at clairek@linesforlife.org with any questions.
OHA received an historic investment from the 2021 Oregon Legislature to transform the state’s behavioral health system. In September, OHA released the Behavioral Health Investment Report, documenting the progress OHA has made on funding several central priorities in Oregon.
According to this report, as of mid-September OHA has spent or obligated $845 million of a $1.35 billion investment. Read more in OHA’s Sept. 20, 2022 press release. Child and Family Behavioral Health (CFBH) has two Requests for Grant Applications (RFGAs) for children’s psychiatric residential treatment facilities system and Young Adults in Transition Residential Treatment Homes that are a part of these important investments, and we expect to report more on this next month.
Oregon Suicide Prevention Conference
The Oregon Suicide Prevention Conference (OSPC) will be in Ashland, Oregon, from Oct. 11-13. Lines for Life, alongside OHA and other dedicated community partners, invite you to join us at the conference.
Attendees will encounter opportunities to learn, connect and heal, and will leave with relevant networks, skills and training, along with to-do lists for improving suicide prevention and mental health promotion efforts in their own communities.
OSPC 2022: Reconnecting to Hope: Growing Responsive Communities focuses on rebuilding and growing connections between individuals, providers, local and state resources, advocates and prevention leaders. These connections strengthen networks of community support and create systems that can respond with compassion and care to address the unique needs of individuals — lifting Oregonians to reconnect to hope when they are struggling.
View conference registration and more information.
12th Annual We Can Do Better Conference
 Relational Health: Supporting Our Youth at Home, School and in Community.
We Can Do Better views health as a product of many factors. Using their website, social media and community forums, they share creative ways that communities approach health — through affordable and nutritious food, safe biking and pedestrian walkways, housing, equity issues and improving the medical system.
The We Can Do Better Conference occurs Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022, at 9 a.m. Tickets are $25. You can register online. Full or partial scholarships are available upon request, thanks to sponsors PacificSource Health Plans and Pivot Point Consulting.
OHA’s own Chelsea Holcomb, CFBH director, and Dr. Grace Bullock, senior mental health officer at ODE will be speakers.
Spanish and American Sign Language interpretation will be provided thanks to sponsor: Comunidad y Herrencia Cultural.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) Certification Training
TF-CBT is an evidence-based treatment to help children and adolescents recover after trauma. Research shows that TF-CBT successfully resolves a broad array of emotional and behavioral difficulties associated with single, multiple and complex trauma experiences. This is a structured, short-term treatment model that effectively improves a range of trauma-related outcomes in eight to 25 sessions with the child/youth and caregiver.
Dr. Alicia Meyer, a national trainer in TF-CBT and a global trainer in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy is offering a two-day online training, Oct. 20-21, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, for clinicians to become certified in TF-CBT treatment. The training is free for people sponsored by OHA; for others it is $500. For more information, including prerequisites and required reading materials, visit Dr. Meyer’s website. The prerequisite TF-CBT course costs $35, offers 11 Continuing Education Units and must be completed prior to the two-day training.
Collaborative Problem Solving
OHA funded The Child Center to help families strengthen positive relationships and build the skills needed for success at home, at school, in the community and throughout life. Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) is a philosophy based on the understanding that youth with challenging behaviors may be having delays in the development of skills in five different areas which are needed to adaptively solve problems and make decisions in their lives. CPS works to strengthen existing skills and teach them skills to do better in their environment; the philosophy is that “Kids do well if they can.”
The Child Center:
- Offers free CPS classes to people throughout Oregon. Sessions are once a week for eight weeks.
- Is focused on providing services to seven regions in Oregon that have limited mental health provider resources.
For more information, please visit The Child Center’s website and share widely with families and communities.
Eating disorder treatment training series
Struggling to diagnose eating disorders? Have you ever wondered about options for screening a young person for an eating disorder? Did you know that there are several tools that could be used?
Eating disorders affect 30 million Americans and 95 percent of those affected are between the ages of 12 and 25. To address the lack of knowledge and expertise on this subject among health professionals in Oregon, we have engaged Therese Waterhous, PhD, RDN, CEDRD-S, owner, clinician and trainer at Willamette Nutrition Source, LLC, to offer a seven-month virtual training series. Therese will be joined by two guest speakers to address specific health equity considerations in eating disorder treatment. This training is made available through federal funding and there is no charge to registrants.
The next lecture is Oct. 12 from noon to 1:15 p.m. with Melissa Grossman, MS, LPC. The topic will be “Working with LGBTQIA+ Clients."
Melissa is a licensed therapist who has been working with eating disorders for 32 years. She acted as the clinical director of an outpatient eating disorder and substance abuse program in San Francisco for 10 years. She works with adolescents, their families and adult clients and specializes in eating disorders, addiction, trauma and issues relevant to people who identify as LGBTQIA+.
For more information, visit our website and you can register for the training series through Eventbrite. There are three training dates left in this series. You may register for as many trainings as you like, including the entire series. The training is open to everyone. Check out the resources and links to the previous webinars for more information and consider joining this free series or recommending it to others.
If you have questions from the prior trainings that you’d like answered, send them to Sam Haskins at sam.l.haskins@dhsoha.state.or.us.
If you have general questions about the series or need more information, contact Kathleen Burns at kathleen.m.burns@dhsoha.state.or.us.
Mental health approaches to Intellectual/Developmental Disability (I/DD) trainings
In September 2021, OHA sponsored a Mental Health Approaches to I/DD Train the Trainer event. Trainings are available for our community partners. If you are interested in hosting a training for your organization, please contact Jessica Stout at jessica.l.stout@dhsoha.state.or.us.
Suicide Prevention Trainings
Question Persuade Refer (QPR): QPR Training for Trainers
Virtual training
- Monday, Nov. 7, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Contact QPR@linesforlife.org for more information.
Sources of Strength
Virtual Info Sessions (Elementary and Secondary models):
Elementary Coaches training
Training for Trainers for Middle and High School programs
- Feb. 27-March 2, 2023, in the Medford area
Register for all sessions and find more information at the Sources of Strength website.
System of Care Learning Collaborative
Every second Tuesday of the month, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., Oregon Family Support Network, Youth ERA and OHA facilitate a conversation for people involved with System of Care work.
Conversation topics include how to develop skills that center youth and families, how to be culturally and linguistically responsive and how to ensure services and supports are community-based. Bring your questions and a desire to learn and unlearn!
Contact Nat Jacobs at nat.jacobs@dhsoha.state.or.us for more details.
A Time for Families
A Time for Families is a weekly drop-in discussion hour for parents and family members hosted by Chelsea Holcomb and OHA Family Partnership Specialist Frances Purdy. Join us Thursdays from noon to 1p.m.
-
Click here to join the meeting conference ID 676907 or
-
Join by phone:1-669-254-5252 | Meeting ID: 161 993 2307 | Passcode: 676907 | One tap mobile: +16692545252,,1619932307#,,,,*676907#
Warmline
Reach Out Oregon, funded by OHA as part of Oregon Family Support Network, has a warm line at 833-732-2467, a website, a chat room for any family member needing support and a weekly virtual support group.
Capacity in the children’s psychiatric and substance use disorder residential system
The CFBH unit has been closely monitoring capacity at all Oregon Health Plan child behavioral health residential facilities since spring 2021. The goal of this work is to develop a centralized access process, so we know how many children and families need services. As a result, we can identify where capacity needs to be increased to support people with the right service, at the right time.
Goal capacity:
- Acute psychiatric and psychiatric residential: 286 beds
- Substance use disorder residential: To be determined
Operational capacity as of Sept. 2, 2022:
- Acute psychiatric and psychiatric residential: 144 beds (50% operational capacity, 52% goal capacity)
- Substance use disorder residential: 25 beds (41% operational capacity)
Projected operational capacity: Acute psychiatric and psychiatric residential
- By fall 2023: 268 beds (94% goal capacity)
Mobile Response and Stabilization Services ($6.5 million)
Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) continues planning toward a January 2023 go-live date. Currently, the Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) for MRSS have moved through the Rules Advisory Committee, with guidance and insight from community members, those with lived experience, crisis response staff and those from traditionally underserved and underrepresented communities.
The final public comment period runs from Nov. 1 through Nov. 21 with a public hearing scheduled for Nov. 15. The CFBH unit will update their MRSS web page with additional information on the public comment period and the final public hearing once it becomes available.
While awaiting the adoption of the OAR, the CFBH unit is establishing trainings for crisis response staff to provide evidence-based assessments and screenings delivered in a clinically, developmentally and culturally appropriate manner.
Since 988 went live July 16, there has been some exciting data that illustrates a significant increase in calls being received over the previous numbers seen at the National Suicide Prevention Line.
- With the evolution of the National Suicide Prevention Line into 988, there has been a roughly 40 percent increase in calls, according to national data.
- Oregon’s answer rate is above the national average, placing Oregon with 20 other states that have reached the 98 percent mark.
- Finally, and perhaps the most promising data for Oregon’s population under age 20, is the dramatic increase in the use of text and chat to access 988 services. The week prior to 988 go-live (July 10 to July 17), Oregon’s Suicide Prevention Line received 35 chat and text requests. Within the first week of our 988 program, chat and texts received jumped to 267, and have remained at a rate that is seven times the previous average.
In anticipation of the January go-live date for MRSS, OHA holds Learning Collaboratives the second Monday of each month to gather further insight and inform the community about MRSS.
Learn more about 988 in Oregon on OHA’s 988 web page. If you promote the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in your work, consider how you will switch messaging from NSPL over to 988. The NSPL number (1-800-273-TALK (8255)) remains available.
Contact Brian Pitkin at brian.m.pitkin@dhsoha.state.or.us with any questions.
Psychiatric Residential Treatment Services ($6 million)
In 2021, OHA’s Legislatively Approved Budget provided funding to support investment in treatment services for Oregon’s youth and families experiencing an intensive behavioral health crisis.
OHA issued an RFGA to support the development of Children’s Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities for children with severe emotional disorders. This solicitation closed Sept. 24, 2022, and applications are being reviewed. Committee is scheduled for determination of awards mid-October. We will report more on this investment in November.
Young Adult Residential Treatment Homes ($9.2 million)
Developed in collaboration with the Intensive Services, Housing & Social Determinants of Health Unit, the RFGA focuses on Young Adult Residential Treatment programs.
This RFGA focuses on:
- Centering health equity, expanding the Young Adult Residential programs, including up to an additional 20 residential treatment home beds for ages 17.5 through 24 years of age, and
- Developing a 10-bed Secure Residential Treatment Facility for young adults aged 18 through 26 years of age with higher acuity needs.
The RFGA closes Oct. 1, 2022. More information to come after the grants have been awarded.
Contact Jessica Stout at jessica.l.stout@dhsoha.state.or.us with any questions.
Interdisciplinary Assessment Teams ($5.7 million)
We continue to meet with community and system partners to assess the need of the Interdisciplinary Assessment Team (IAT) project and creative ways to move forward. The goal is to provide expedited services early on to avoid the significant fallout that can happen while a youth and their family are waiting for evaluations. While we are developing the IAT to reach its full potential, we have made significant progress with smaller versions of IAT.
Expedited Evaluation Services provide much needed support to our communities that are clearly struggling. In some situations, all that is needed is a full psychological evaluation to access appropriate systems to help a youth and family get on the right path to the services they need. Through a new and exciting collaboration with the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Office of Developmental Disabilities Services (ODDS), 988/MRSS, community providers and OHA, we hope to significantly shorten the timeline from crisis to access.
We are still considering demonstration project ideas with various system partners and plan to have more options available throughout the state soon.
If you are interested in this work, please contact John Linn at john.r.linn@dhsoha.state.or.us.
What we’re reading:
Join our team
The OHA Child and Family Behavioral Health team is looking for an Early Childhood Program and Policy Development Specialist with a passion, knowledge, and interest in infant and toddler mental health. This role is an essential part of our team and will work to build awareness and systems to address mental health concerns in early childhood.
For feedback and suggestions for our newsletter and information: kids.team@dhsoha.state.or.us
Subscribe to OHA Behavioral Health Updates
Did someone forward or share this with you? You can subscribe here to get future issues of Holding Hope and other updates for Oregon behavioral health providers and partners.
|
