Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is rallying support for her $80 million behavioral health plan to expand access to care in the state, OregonLive reported March 21.
She further shared with lawmakers that her budget for the next two years would invest an additional $5.58 billion toward behavioral health.
The state is currently in the process of adding over 12 facilities and 320 inpatient mental health beds. It is also planning to use pandemic funding to support over 1,000 students planning to pursue mental health careers.
The $80 million would be split in the following ways:
- $20 million in incentives to recruit and retain diverse healthcare providers in underserved areas
- $15 million for substance use disorder facilities and recovery centers
- $10 million for community mental health programs for people for whom civil commitment proceedings have been initiated
- $8.3 million for behavioral rehabilitation for Medicaid members and service hubs for youth
- $7.7 million for child and adult suicide prevention
- $6 million for case management for people discharged from the Oregon State Hospital who are at risk of homelessness
- $4.9 million for community mental health programs for jail diversion services
- $4 million to the Oregon Department of Human Services for long-term behavioral health care
- $2.3 million for psychiatric residential treatment for children
- $1.5 million to Oregon Health & Science University to coordinate the availability of behavioral health residential beds statewide