|
|
Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.
  Welcome to the OHA Behavioral Health Services Partners and Providers Monthly Update – a monthly digest of progress and outcomes of OHA’s work that directly affects the services and care you provide in your communities.
We recognize that we cannot fulfill our mission as an agency to end health inequities without you – our partners and providers. We are committed to continued transparency, collaboration and responsive communication as we work to address our state’s workforce crisis and to ensure equitable access to behavioral health care across Oregon.
Your voice matters. It affects change. And we want you to know that we hear you. We heard that administrative burden is negatively impacting the workforce. In this issue, we highlight how your experiences and expertise led to changes in how our team will move forward in our work with a focus on reducing providers’ administrative burden.
We know there is more work to be done and we look forward to continuing to partner with you. Please continue to reach out to us with questions, concerns or feedback.
On behalf of the entire OHA Behavioral Health Services team, thank you for the work you do to improve access to behavioral health support and services.
Ebony S. Clarke, OHA Behavioral Health Services Director
Jackie Fabrick, OHA Behavioral Health Services Deputy Director
In this Issue:
|
|
TAB Workgroup update
The Tackling Administrative Burden (TAB) Workgroup was convened by the Legislature to make recommendations to address unnecessary barriers to care, decrease community behavioral health workforce burnout, reduce overall system costs and strengthen person-centered care.
In collaboration with the TAB workgroup, we’ve developed principles to guide our work to implement their recommendations to reduce administrative burden for providers. Behavioral Health staff are currently working to create procedures that address the following TAB recommendations:
- Proactive identification and elimination of duplicative reporting requirements, as well as efforts to streamline and integrate data collection wherever possible.
- Increased solicitation of feedback from frontline providers and other impacted system partners early in the design of forms, reports and guidance documents prior to their finalization.
- Improved standardization in the promotion and publication of rule-related public meetings.
- Enhanced documentation and rationale for new or revised rules that exceed federal requirements and/or mandates.
|
Community technical assistance and support session Nov. 15
In alignment with implementing recommendations from the Tackling Administrative Burden (TAB) Workgroup, OHA will host the first listening session to promote awareness of OHA's current OAR rulemaking process and to discuss opportunities to reduce administrative burden. Invited participants include CCOs and Behavioral Health Directors, CMHPs, BH and SUD providers, Tribes, and Youth Providers.
HSD rules advisory page and calendar update
The Health Systems Division Rules Advisory Committees (RAC) and Community Engagement webpage now provide more clear information about opportunities for community engagement and upcoming RAC meetings and related community engagement activities are shared on a single calendar.
This calendar hosts the following rulemaking divisions:
- Behavioral Health – OAR chapter 309
- Addictions Services – OAR chapter 415
- Medicaid Programs – OAR chapter 410
The following OHA councils and divisions maintain their own rulemaking calendars:
Other upcoming virtual community listening sessions
-
Behavior Rehabilitation Services (BRS) – Virtual community listening essions begin Nov. 7 to gather feedback from BRS clients, family members, others with lived experience and advocates to help with BRS rules changes in 2024. Participating agencies: OHA, Oregon Department of Human Services and Oregon Youth Authority. Sessions continue Nov. 28 and Feb. 20. Learn more and register online.
|
|
New adult BH director and interim ORR director named
We are excited to announce Samantha Byers as the new Adult Behavioral Health Services (BH) director and Beau Rappaport as the interim director of the Office of Recovery and Resilience (ORR).
- Samantha Byers has led the Adult BH program as interim director since last spring and was selected after a national search. She oversees the following programs: Intensive Services, Adult Substance Use Disorders, Adult Mental Health, Behavioral Health Crisis Response System and 988 and leads the overdose prevention strategy for the Health Systems Division.
- Beau Rappaport has served as the program lead since April and recently was promoted to interim director. The ORR amplifies the voice of those with lived experience and supports our peer-delivered services program in support of our goal to end health inequities in Oregon.
|
|
|
NEW: BH housing dashboard online
Our Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) team recently launched a comprehensive and robust dashboard focused on our efforts to increase behavioral health housing capacity to 5,061 across the state for housing units, residential treatment beds and rental assistance for people who are recovering from mental illness or substance.
The dashboard includes:
- Investment summary over the last three decades compared to investments since July 2021 and a breakdown of how these investments will increase behavioral health housing capacity in Oregon communities
- Total current and projected funding by county and housing capacity by county (per 1,000 individuals)
- Active housing capacity timeline and projected capacity through 2026
- Total current and projected capacity by facility type
- Total projected funding for behavioral health housing programs
Resources
MOTS resources
Stay in the know about updates to the Measures and Outcomes Tracking System (MOTS) with these resources:
|
|
|
You received this official OHA publication because you have been identified as an OHA Behavioral Health provider or partner and shared your email with OHA. Click to unsubscribe.
|
|
|
|
