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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 26, 2019)
A3 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2019 Brown creates council to address severe mental illness By CONNOR RADNOVICH Statesman Journal A new committee formed by Gov. Kate Brown is tack- ling the state’s behavioral health care system with the goal of improving access and availability of services for Oregonians with serious mental illnesses. The 35-member Behav- ioral Health Advisory Council will focus on the care of adolescents and adults with series mental health concerns, including those who also have sub- stance use disorders. Brown said the state is currently working with a “failed system.” Recent surveys estimate that only 45% of Orego- nians experiencing a mental illness and 11% of people with substance use disor- ders received treatment within the past year. Around one in four adults with a serious mental illness also has a substance abuse disorder. “Every person in Ore- gon grappling with a seri- ous mental illness deserves access to the services they need, when they need them,” Brown said. Brown issued an exec- utive order last week that established the council, and on Wednesday announced the members, which include lawmakers, health care professionals, gov- ernment offi cials, business leaders and mental health advocates. Salem’s Republican Sen. Denyc Boles is among the council’s four legis- lators. She also serves as vice-chair on the new Sen- ate Interim Committee On Mental Health. Boles said she is pleased mental health care is becoming a top issue at the highest levels of state gov- Anna Reed/Statesman Journal Gov. Kate Brown has formed the Behavioral Health Advisory Council, which will focus on the care of adolescents and adults with serious mental health concerns. ‘THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CHALLENGES WE FACE TOUCH EVERY FAMILY, EVERY COMMUNITY AND EVERY SECTOR. NO ONE AGENCY CAN FIX THEM ALONE.’ Steve Allen | behavioral health director for the Oregon Health Authority ernment and she’s hope- ful the committee will dig into programs to fi nd where people are falling through the cracks. Through her personal experience, Boles said she is particularly interested in improving mental health care among youth in crisis, veterans and the elderly. It’s also important to have a system that can identify the unique characteristics of each group and treat them accordingly, she said. “Our agencies and our systems should work together better,” Boles said. According to the execu- tive order, the council will be responsible for recom- mending an action plan that includes “concrete actions, policies and potential investments.” The council will meet once per month for the next year and will send a fi nal plan to the governor’s offi ce no later than Oct. 1, 2020. Brown said on a call with reporters Wednesday that the council will dove- tail with her focus on men- tal health care funding in the 2021-2023 biennium. This past legislative session, the Legislature committed $50 million of general fund money to behavioral health care. That money is earmarked to go toward suicide pre- vention and substance abuse programs, foster care behavioral health services and increasing the capacity of behavioral health homes. “The behavioral health challenges we face touch every family, every com- munity and every sector,” said Steve Allen, behav- ioral health director for the Oregon Health Author- ity. “No one agency can fi x them alone.” Inmates could receive federal care under Merkley’s proposal By CONRAD WILSON Oregon Public Broadcasting For more than 50 years, people booked into local jails have been stripped of their federal health care ben- efi ts, leaving an already vul- nerable population with even less support. At the same time, the U.S. Constitution requires jails to provide adequate medical care. That lack of federal dol- lars coupled with the man- date saddles jails with what is often their single largest expense: medical care. Lawmakers in Washing- ton D.C. put forward legis- lation last week that would allow federal benefi ts to con- tinue for people booked into jail, where the vast majority of inmates are awaiting trial. Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, and Ed Mar- key, D-Massachusetts, intro- duced two bills that would allow inmates to keep their federal benefi ts. It would allow them to access their Medicare, state Medicaid plans, veterans health bene- fi ts, or in the case of juvenile defendants, the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The legislation could improve health care — including mental health — for inmates while simulta- neously reducing medical costs for counties. It would also apply to other public correctional facilities such as reentry centers. Merkley said he was par- ticularly concerned with healthcare benefi ts being cut off from people who had only been charged, but not convicted, of a crime. In some cases, he said the defendants are stuck in jail because they can’t afford to pay their bail. Inmates have their fed- eral health benefi ts sus- pended when they enter jail. In some cases there can be delays in getting those bene- fi ts resorted, even after a per- son is released from custody. “To strip someone’s coherent healthcare away from them, something they’ve paid for, when SINCE 2008, AT LEAST 306 PEOPLE ACROSS THE NORTHWEST HAVE DIED AFTER BEING TAKEN TO A COUNTY JAIL they’ve haven’t been con- victed of anything, seems problematic, perhaps uncon- stitutional,” Merkley said. He said inmates have their health compromised while counties incur costs they can’t afford. And the lack of adequate mental and physical care in local jails has led to prevent- able deaths. Since 2008, at least 306 people across the Northwest have died after being taken to a county jail, according to an investigation by Ore- gon Public Broadcasting, KUOW and the Northwest News Network. Of those, roughly 33% — or 100 peo- ple — died from some type of illness, while another 10% died from drug or alco- hol related conditions. By far, the leading cause of death was suicide. This year, Oregon’s Crim- inal Justice Commission and the Council of State Govern- ments put out a report that looked at 12 county jails across the state. It found in 2017, 65% of people who were booked into those jails four times or more were on Medicaid. That same study also found 29% had a mental illness and 45% had a sub- stance use disorder. The provision that stops inmates from accessing fed- eral health care dates back to 1965. The intent was to prevent states from shift- ing health care costs of con- victed inmates to the fed- eral government. But it also impacted local jail inmates who are still awaiting trial. “This is an issue that we’ve been struggling with for years,” said Yamhill County Sheriff Tim Sven- son. “Trying to provide a high level of medical ser- vice to individuals who come into our facility, who are very vulnerable at that time, have high behavioral health, high medical needs. But their benefi ts immedi- ately get cut off when they walk in the door.” Svenson said inmates who are waiting for trial shouldn’t be losing a fed- erally protected benefi t just because they’re in jail. The bill has the back- ing of the National Sher- iff’s Association, Disabil- ity Rights Oregon and the National Association of Counties. In Multnomah County, corrections health care tops $24 million annually, which is paid for out of the coun- ty’s general fund. It covers everything from x-rays to gynecological care. Emily Abrams, eligibil- ity specialist in the Correc- tions Health Division of the Multnomah County Health Department, spends much of her day signing up people in one of the county’s jails for the Oregon Health Plan. She estimated 95% of people who come through the jail are eligible. “It’s the majority of peo- ple who come through here,” she said. And those managing jail health care systems say because it’s required, there should be more support. “If that’s a federal benefi t and they’re federal require- ments for constitutional level of health care in a jail, then it makes sense that the federal government would pay for that,” said Dr. Mike Seale, deputy director of Corrections Health in Mult- nomah County. While the bills appear to have broad support out- side of Congress, it’s not clear whether they’ll move forward. “This is the sort of bill we’ll have to build a con- versation around,” Merk- ley said. “It’s not some- thing on the top fi ve list of things people are talking about in America, but I think it’s a very worthy effort to improve the continuity of care.” He said he would try to attach the legislation to larger health care bills. CHEERS TO 50 years 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration Edwin & Judy Fisher Sunday • October 27, 2019 1 to 4 p.m. Olney Grange Hall • Highway 202 Luncheon served • No gifts please For questions call: 503-325-1288 Seaside American Legion Post 99 • 100 th Birthday of the American Legion SUN OCT 27 3:00pm Doors open at 2:15 Pre-Show 2:30: Astoria Tuba Quartet Clatsop College Performing Arts Center Admission $15 Students $8 Celebrate 40 years of the NCSB North Coast Symphonic Band Guest Conductor Michael McClure Semi formal Celebration November 10th No host Cocktail hour 5:30 Dinner served 6:00pm $30.00 per ticket Prime Rib or Salmon All Dinner Guests MUST RSVP before November 2 nd so do it now! 503-738-5111 • 1315 Broadway Seaside Oregon Public event Proceeds go toward helping our Veterans
