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Lea en español
Dec. 1, 2022
In this issue ...
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December is ushering in snowy days, brisk weather, twinkling lights and winter holidays and traditions. The winter solstice is just around the corner, and soon the days will start getting longer.
The solstice represents a time of quiet energy: offering the opportunity for reflection to look within yourself and focus on what you want and need. It’s a time to set goals and intentions for the coming year, to examine and let go of the past and to make changes within yourself.
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For me, my eye turns toward the Oregon Health Authority’s (OHA) goal of health equity by 2030, and how I can embody this important effort in my work every day, to truly show up and walk with community and work hard to do better each day. The beauty of human diversity can be described as differences in race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical and/or mental capabilities and religious beliefs, and all the vast diversity and intersectionality that exist among all people in Oregon. I must do better. We must do better.
In January, we will also embrace change in Oregon with a new governor, Tina Kotek, and new leadership coming to OHA with both our Agency Director Pat Allen and our Behavioral Health Director Steve Allen moving onto new adventures. It has been a pleasure to work with Pat and Steve and to see the children’s system stronger as a result of their commitment to system improvement, health equity and to youth and their families. I am looking forward to working with Tina Kotek and her team to support the transition and continue system improvement for children and families in Oregon.
I would offer to you to take this time during the solstice for reflection and to set your own goals and intentions. Decide what changes you can make in your life and your work to see where equity can be achieved, and where it can flourish.
There is so much to be thankful for from all the work so many champions are doing in the Big River programs across the state. The Big River program is a statewide initiative sponsored by OHA to increase access to suicide prevention and intervention trainings. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is one training program making an impact and adapting to the needs of communities. MHFA has been supported statewide by OHA since 2013, with over 95,000 people in Oregon trained through efforts of the Association of Oregon Community Mental Health Programs (AOCMHP). MHFA offers key information in helping someone who is developing a mental health challenge or assisting someone in a crisis through a five-step action plan. The curriculum was adapted to a virtual platform allowing for accessibility during COVID-19 and to ensure people had the information necessary to provide that initial help or early intervention.
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While MHFA had a Spanish youth and adult training since 2012, there is a new, updated Spanish training that was recently released. The statewide goal is to continue supporting MHFA instructors in offering this to communities and to focus on expanding Spanish MHFA trainings and increasing bilingual instructors. Spanish MHFA instructor learning collaborative meetings are currently being held monthly and will be expanding to support bilingual trainers of other Big River training programs as well. Maria Gdontakis Pos (she/her), AOCMHP training manager said, “It is important to be able to offer Spanish MHFA trainings to communities and have the support available to equip communities with these important tools on how to help someone in need.” To help with the expansion of Spanish and broader MHFA training growth in Oregon, AOCMHP hired a new MHFA coordinator, Kait Fredrickson, who will continue this work and support this expansion. Those interested in learning more about Spanish and other MHFA trainings can reach out to Kait at kfredrickson@aocmhp.org.
In addition to increasing Spanish MHFA trainings, Oregon MHFA is focusing on training expansion to diverse cultures and groups including black, indigenous, and other people of color. There is currently an Instructor Learning Collaborative where cultural considerations and training requests are discussed in order to determine needs and gaps of offering trainings to various communities. Training expansion also includes prioritizing training instructors from different races and ethnicities to support the needs of communities. Course support and stipends are available for instructors to meet these needs.
MHFA table at the Capitol
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing, which established the MHFA curriculum in the United States, has provided cultural consideration and LGBTQ+ guides that have been integrated into the curriculum. The National Council also offers a Youth MHFA for Tribal communities and indigenous peoples that has been recently updated. While training opportunities are growing and adapting, this is just the beginning of the work that needs to be done to expand access to these trainings. The Oregon MHFA project plans to continue building on existing efforts and increasing opportunities to offer trainings to meet the needs of communities across Oregon.
For questions about AOCMHP trainings offered, or to get involved, please contact Maria Gdontakis Pos at mpos@aocmhp.org.
The link between health and learning is clear: active, well-nourished, well-supported and connected young people are more likely to attend school, arrive ready to learn and stay engaged in class.
Reflecting this, OHA and the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) have co-developed and launched a new resource: Centering Health and Well-being in Education to support schools and districts in developing and sustaining health and wellness initiatives. The resource highlights seven strategies:
- Culturally relevant behavioral health supports through community-based partnerships.
- Culturally specific health-related services (therapy, healthcare services, navigation) and wraparound supports.
- Dedicated funding for a health coordinator or leader to develop health in education initiatives and systems within schools.
- Career pathways for health care and behavioral health careers through exposure and mentoring.
- Culturally specific community-based organization/school partnerships to address chronic absenteeism.
- Inclusion and capacity building for student voice and decision making around health and learning.
- Data sharing partnerships and Memoranda of Understanding with health care providers or local public health.
Highlighting these promising practices to strengthen educational and health outcomes from around the state is happening as the two-year budgeting process gets underway. Ashley Thirstrup, interim director of health and education at OHA is clear: “Educational outcomes are one of the most critical determinants of health. We can support youth by increasing school-based health services, including expanding culturally relevant behavioral health supports and by addressing structural racism in the school system. Integrating health services and programs more deeply into the day-to-day life of students and families provides a powerful pathway for raising academic achievement and improving learning.”
This year, six initiatives, including the Student Investment Account, are integrated in the planning process with more than $1.2 billion in the budget. This resource aims to support deeper collaboration and partnerships between the education and health sectors across our state. Please feel free to share this information with educational partners that may be unaware.
For more information, please reach out to Ashley Thirstrup at ashley.thirstrup@dhsoha.state.or.us.
Greetings everyone! My name is Sage Neilson, and I am thrilled to be joining the Child and Family Behavioral Health Unit as the children’s intensive treatment services coordinator.
I come to OHA with over eight years of experience working with Oregon’s higher levels of psychiatric care for children and adolescents. Over half this time I served as the access and community outreach manager at the nonprofit Albertina Kerr Centers. It is in this position that I found my love for systems and continuous improvement.
Sage Neilson
In 2018, I completed my Lean Sigma Six Green Belt certification, which has given me practical, client-centered problem-solving tools and helped ingrain the spirit of continuous improvement within myself. I do my best to root myself in trauma-informed thinking and practices, along with a collaborative problem-solving mindset. I have learned that if I’m uncomfortable, I need to check my biases and remain curious.
My hope for my time in this position is to streamline access to mental health services for youth all over Oregon. I believe we need to continue partnering with youth and families and our providers in the community to assess where there are gaps in care and then fill those gaps, either with funding or new programs.
I am a native Oregonian and I started working on my Masters of Public Health at OHSU-PSU’s School of Public Health in Fall 2021. When not working or studying, I enjoy camping, going to dog parks with my two pups, watching movies, trying new food and perusing local makers and farmers markets.
The System of Care Advisory Council seeks a youth member (under age 25, has been involved in foster care or juvenile justice) and a tribal representative (must be a member of one of the nine Federally Recognized Oregon Tribes). Do you know someone who could serve in one of those seats? These are some of the most vital voices we need to hear from to transform our systems to work for every Oregon child and family. SOCAC staff can support people in applying, attending meetings and learning about the council. Stipends for attendance at all SOCAC meetings are available, currently set at $157 per day. Please share among your networks!
Email Christy Hudson at christy.j.hudson@dhsoha.state.or.us if you would like to apply or if you have someone to recommend.
If you or another family member is a firearm owner, it is important to consider safe storage practices in the context of suicide prevention.
What we know:
Here are four recommended firearm safety practices:
- Keep a firearm locked.
- Keep a firearm unloaded.
- Lock stored ammunition.
- Store ammunition in a separate location.
Get a free safety kit for your home, including trigger locks, by visiting one of these Project Child Safe locations. Find other options for firearm storage and other child safety products in the Doernbecher Tom Sargent Safety Center.
Please consider following these safety practices in your households and ask about these practices in households where your child or teen frequent. Together, we can save lives.
If you have questions or need more information, contact Jill Baker at jill.baker@dhsoha.state.or.us.
Our team is getting prepared for the upcoming legislative session. One important piece of that work is to prepare Policy Option Packages (POP) for needed and requested funding to create or expand services and supports. POPs developed in consultation with youth and families and as a part of our policy vision work are a part of the OHA Agency Requested Budget. These include:
- Adding respite services to the Medicaid State Plan.
- Expanding the young adult hub model.
- Adding more developmental assessment capacity.
Presentation materials around the POP are available, and the unit was excited to have the support of the System of Care Advisory Council in this ask.
You can find information on OHA’s proposed legislative concepts and POPs on the Government Relations page. This session, we are excited to be able to share and consult on these publicly before the (new) Governor reviews what she wishes to propose in her budget to the Legislature.
We look forward to ongoing conversations with all of you on supporting the evolution of the children’s behavioral health system.
A Time for Families
As a family member, being able to talk directly to people who have the power to change policies and influence direction is important advocacy. A Time for Families is that chance; it is an open forum that has been running for over a year, giving opportunity for direct communication between parents, family members and Chelsea Holcomb, director of the CFBH. This drop-in is informal and hosted by Chelsea and Hilary Harrison, System of Care policy strategist, who is also a family member. Often family peers come with family members to ensure that they feel comfortable and see a familiar face.
Please contact hilary.harrison@dhsoha.state.or.us if you have questions or need interpretation services.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) certification training
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (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, Jan. 19-20, 2023, 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.
Other upcoming training dates, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day:
- March 15-16, 2023
- June 1-2, 2023
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, Ph.D., RDN, CEDRD-S, owner, clinician and trainer at Willamette Nutrition Source, LLC, to offer a seven-month virtual training series. Therese was 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 last lecture in the series is Dec. 7 from noon to 1:15 p.m. with Dr. Waterhous. The topic will be “Impacts of Weight Stigma, Weight Bias and the Food System."
For more information, visit our website. You can register for the Dec. training through Eventbrite. 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.
Suicide prevention trainings
Question Persuade Refer (QPR): QPR Training for Trainers
Virtual training
- Wednesday, Jan. 25, 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
- April 19-20 (Location TBD, likely virtual)
Training for Trainers for Middle, High, and Post-secondary School programs
- April 27-March 2, 2023, in the Medford area
Register for all sessions and find more information at the Sources of Strength website.
Advanced skills trainings (such as DBT and AMSR) for mental health providers serving those struggling with suicidal thoughts, ideation or behaviors can be accessed at no cost by contacting Maria Gdontakis Posat mpos@aocmhp.org or by visiting the AOCMHP training web page
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.
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.
Mobile Response and Stabilization Services ($6.5 million)
The final public comment period and public hearing for the Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) on Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) concluded in Nov. The public comments will guide the crafting of the final version of the rule, which is scheduled to go into effect Dec. 20, 2022, with MRSS launching on Jan. 1, 2023.
In preparation for the MRSS launch, the Child and Family Behavioral Health (CFBH) unit will be funding and providing trainings to meet the unique needs of children, young adults and families. With perspective offered from providers, national experts and those with lived experience, the CFBH unit has identified three training opportunities to meet the needs of Oregon’s diverse population in a crisis response setting: Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS), the Nurtured Heart Approach (NHA) and an Equity and Inclusion, Anti-racism, and Health Equity training will be funded by CFBH.
- Collaborative Problem Solving is a model that focuses on building skills like flexibility, tolerance and problem solving while partnering with the child and relying on their strengths to identify triggers to behaviors and establish lasting solutions.
- The Nurtured Heart Approach offers a set of strategies and supports that can be applied in many situations as an enhancement for other approaches that focuses on the building of fulfilling and generative relationships where all are seen, valued and inspired.
- CPS, in conjunction with NHA, will provide a strong baseline for crisis response teams to provide services and supports to those in crisis.
- Equity and Inclusion and Anti-Racism trainings will give providers the historical context, knowledge and skills needed to provide crisis response services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate to help ensure an equitable crisis response system.
Finally, AOCMHP will be establishing a training academy to offer additional trainings that will focus on providing developmentally, culturally and linguistically appropriate services to meet the needs of Oregon’s diverse population across the lifespan.
While we prepare for the launch of MRSS, the 988 call center is currently available to all people in Oregon. Since the launch of 988 in July, there has been a steady increase in calls and texts and Oregon’s monthly data is consistently above the national average for answer rates. Of the total contacts received by 988 for the state of Oregon across the lifespan, 12 resulted in the dispatch of a mobile response team and approximately 100 resulted in EMS dispatch. For the month of October, Oregon’s 988 call center fielded approximately 4,250 contacts, of which 874 were text or chat.
In anticipation of the January launch date for MRSS, OHA holds Learning Collaboratives the second Monday of each month, from 10 to 11 a.m., to inform the community and providers of MRSS and address questions and concerns about the model. The Children’s Crisis Outreach Response System (CCORS), a nationally recognized crisis-response system in King County, Wash., recently presented at the Learning Collaborative, sharing insight and experience on effective crisis response.
Join us the second Monday of each month from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Learn more about 988 in Oregon on OHA’s 988 web page. If you promote the NSPL 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 or Beth.Holliman@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 a Request for Grant Applications (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 the awardees are Community Counseling Solutions and Madrona Recovery.
This funding will make it possible for Oregon to expand current psychiatric residential services by 14 beds geared toward children and youth ages 6 to 13, at a facility yet to be built, located in Boardman, and by 18 beds for youth ages 13 to 17 at Madrona.
Young Adult Residential Treatment Homes ($9.2 million)
Young Adult Residential programs are for young adults who experience complex behavioral health challenges and support them with developing the skills needed for a successful transition into adulthood. Services and supports include but are not limited to: access to therapy and medication management, understanding and managing behavioral health symptoms and skill development around activities of daily living.
OHA is reposting this solicitation of a Request for Grant Applications (RFGA) in collaboration with the Intensive Services, Housing & Social Determinants of Health Unit that 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 twenty 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.
More information is to come. If you are interested, the RFGA will be posted on the Social Determinants of Health website.
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 first goal, set out in Senate Bill 1 (2019), is to provide rapid access to evaluation, assessment and stabilization services for youth and especially for those who are in child welfare custody and placed in temporary lodging, in emergency department boarding, in shelter care, in county juvenile facilities or in the custody of Oregon Youth Authority. The second, longer-term goal is to increase statewide education, consultation and telemedicine evaluations, assessment and treatment capacity, with specific emphasis on increasing access to psychiatric and developmental assessments in communities that lack access to providers.
While we are developing the IAT to reach its full potential, we have made significant progress with smaller scale versions of IAT.
Expedited Evaluation Services (EES) has a new name, Expedited Assessment Services for Youth (EASY). The service remains the same and will provide much-needed support to our communities that are clearly struggling. In some situations, all that may be needed is a full psychological evaluation to help a youth and family get on the right path to the services they need. EASY provides quick access to full psychological and assessment services within seven to 10 days of referral. EASY includes a full review of clinical documents, determination of need for testing, conducting of psychological testing, communication with current clinical providers and (where appropriate) coordination with local Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities intake screening departments. EASY can be mobile and meet the youth in the community, either in person or via telehealth as needed.
We are developing demonstration projects with various system partners in collaboration with the System of Care Advisory Council and plan to develop more options available throughout the state.
If you are interested in this work, please contact John Linn at john.r.linn@dhsoha.state.or.us.
What we’re reading
We loved this recent article on EdSurge by Zi Jia Ng and Jennifer Seibyl, “Emotions Come and Go in Waves. We Can Teach Our Students How to Surf Them.”
For feedback and suggestions for our newsletter and information: kids.team@dhsoha.state.or.us
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