Oregon Health Authority (OHA) gets a new director, counties get a contract extension, and AOC is at the Capitol.

  • Governor-elect Tina Kotek has named James Schroeder as the interim OHA Director. We look forward to working with him to strengthen our state-county partnership and the shared services we provide to our communities. Our thanks to outgoing director Pat Allen, who led OHA through the pandemic years and the recent wildfire response and recovery.
  • The AOC Human Services Steering Committee will meet January 6, 1 – 3 p.m. The committee will review a short list of legislative concepts and targeted policy items to recommend to the AOC Legislative Committee for an official position.
  • At the last Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC) of his tenure on November 18, OHA Director Pat Allen agreed that, because of significant last minute changes to the 2023 boilerplate county financial assistance agreement for community behavioral health services, OHA would extend the 2022 contract (with the addition of the new service elements for mobile crisis and gambling treatment) for the first six months of 2023. Beginning in January, OHA will work with county counsels and community mental health program directors to negotiate a workable, updated contract, with an eye to biennial contracts on the fiscal year, rather than one-year contracts on the calendar year.
  • The next LGAC meeting is scheduled for Friday, January 27, 10 a.m. – noon, where the newly appointed membership for 2023 will start work on the shared state-county principles and expected outcomes for system accountability measures that may be included in future county financial assistance agreements.
  • Counties got a great head start at the December legislative days in advocating for our priority to “end liability risk shift to counties for services to mandated populations.” Our thanks to Senator Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene) for introducing LC 923 as a committee bill and to Representative Rob Nosse (D-Portland) for his committee’s attention to the state-county partnership on behavioral health care.
  • Lane County Commissioner Pat Farr, Lane County Intergovernmental Relations Manager Alex Cuyler, and Washington County Counsel Brad Anderson provided excellent testimony in the Senate Interim Committee On Judiciary and Ballot Measure 110 Implementation and House Interim Committee On Behavioral Health. “Risk shifting occurs when policy is evolved that exposes local government to risks that previously had been covered by either the state or through systems that already had been insulated via immunity provisions under Oregon Law,” said Cuyler. Commissioner Farr reminded committee members “Notably, this body passed SB 295 in 2021, and that measure includes a mandate that a defendant facing only a misdemeanor charge must be provided aid and assist “restoration” services in the community and except for certain circumstances may not be treated in the State Hospital.” Anderson shared, “Right now, the aid and assist system is in a crisis, only exacerbated by the Mosman order…prior to 2015, people found unable to aid and assist in their own defense went to the State Hospital.” Since the state policy shift to restoration services being provided in the communities in unsecured facilities, Anderson noted, and with a greater and greater number of people in the system without adequate community treatment capacity, counties are being sued when these individuals commit crimes, and the risk continues to accelerate. “Counties are asking for indemnity by the state when providing community restoration.” The coalition letter in support of indemnification was submitted for the record.
  • Liability protections will also need to be instituted for the statewide rollout of enhanced 9-8-8 mobile crisis response services.

Contributed by: Jessica Pratt | Legislative Affairs Manager