Behavioral Health

Tents in downtown Portland on March 14, 2022. | SHUTTERSTOCK

'Administrative collapse:' Advocates blame evictions on new Oregon Health Authority housing program Premium

People and providers have spent months trying to tap a new program intended to support health by keeping people out of homelessness, and they say that in the Portland area it's turned into a bureacratic nightmare in which the promised help often does not arrive in time

May 1

Oregon State Hospital in Salem. | OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY

Oregon’s mental health needs outweigh its ability to provide services, report shows

Limited data collection and inadequate funding are key barriers to Oregon’s behavioral health improvement efforts

May 9

SHUTTERSTOCK

Contentious bill backed by behavioral health providers gets another hearing

A revised version of the bill affecting medical and behavioral care for foster kids and others in the custody of the state has won another hearing after facing major criticisms earlier in the session

May 8

Western State Forensic Hospital rendering

A rendering of the Western State Forensic Hospital in Lakewood, Wash. | HOK ARCHITECTURE

Construction proceeds on 350-bed Washington state psychiatric hospital

The Western State Forensic Hospital is intended to help reduce wait times for mental health evaluations and treatment

May 6

Large red building, the Oregon State Hospital

Oregon State Hospital in Salem. | BEN BOTKIN/THE LUND REPORT

Updated: Oregon State Hospital's new 30-day safety plan provides broad strokes but few details

The three-page plan focuses on assessing patients risks, increasing staffing to operate more like a 24/7 hospital, and providing clearer direction and empowerment to staff

Apr 30
Premium

The Oregon Health Authority headquarters in Salem | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Treatment providers say Oregon health officials’ new rule is hurting care

Cascadia Health and other residential facility operators say the state’s push to avoid a possible federal contempt order is leading to poor outcomes as well as escapes and increased violence

Apr 29
Premium

SHUTTERSTOCK

Oregon hospitals house mentally ill for long periods, dashboard shows

New state website supports longstanding complaints that hospitals have become a stopgap for holes in the Oregon mental health system

Apr 24
Premium

SHUTTERSTOCK

Bills to permit behavioral health treatment by out-of-state providers were sailing, then hit the rocks

Rep. Ed Diehl said the four bills, intended to address Oregon's critical shortage of behavioral health providers, were pulled by the House Speaker's office at the last minute

Apr 24
Premium

Oregon State Hospital in Salem, Oregon, on Nov. 21, 2023. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Another patient’s death, another new leader add to turmoil at Oregon State Hospital

Kotek gives Dave Baden 30 days to issue a public plan to ease concerns, but one lawyer says Oregonians deserve more information and a lasting fix for the psychiatric facility

Apr 15
Premium

A courtroom at Multnomah County Circuit Court. | PHOTO COPYRIGHT: PORTLAND TRIBUNE/JONATHAN HOUSE (USED WITH PERMISSION)

Patient’s murder of Haley Rogers leads to verdict of guilty except for insanity

Her death at a Gresham care home two years ago sparked changes for Cascadia Health and spurred legislation in Salem

Apr 10
Premium

Subscribe to Behavioral Health

How meth is sabotaging Oregon's behavioral health system

SHUTTERSTOCK

Read our two-part series about how — despite a windfall of new funding — the state has no plan to address the 'new meth' that is overwhelming behavioral health providers and inflaming ongoing crises across the state.

State inaction left Oregon teens vulnerable to fentanyl’s fatal spread

A student at Harmony Academy, a high school for teens in recovery, told The Lund Report he didn't realize he was smoking fentanyl until his parent had him tested. He thought the pills he was buying were oxycodone. | EMILY GREEN/THE LUND REPORT

A lack of prevention, education and youth addiction programs opened the door to tragedy as dealers added the potent opioid to local drug markets

Get Involved

NEWS TIPS

Securely submit an anonymous news tip or confidential document.

DONATE

Support our journalism by making a tax-deductible gift.

Menu

Behavioral Health

'Administrative collapse:' Advocates blame evictions on new Oregon Health Authority housing program Premium

Newsletter

Get Involved

Newsletter