J u n e 6 , 2001
Page A 4
ÿ ta rU a n fc (ß b s e r u e r
as Opinion
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E s ta b lis h e d 1 9 7 0
STAFF
E
d it o r
P
C
in
h ie f
,
u b l is h e r
Charles H. W ashington
E
d it o r
Larry J. Jackson, Sr.
B
M
u s in e s s
anager
Gary Ann Taylor
A sst . P ublisher
Michael Leighton
C
E
opy
d it o r
Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views
o f t o l ' V urtlani) (fibaeruer
Oregon Must Blaze Trail for Mental Health Services
O ver 10 years ago, m y son was
diagnosed with a brain disorder
A Navy veteran, who served during
the Persian G u lf era, his experiences
have given me a crash course in the
frustrations and difficulties in navigat­
ing O regon’s mental health system.
And after serving as a m ember o fth e
G overnor’s Mental Health Alignment
W orkgroup, this is what I know:
O regon’s mental health system is
fragmented and lacks space and ap­
propriate levelsofcare for our citizens
with mental health disorders. Our jails
are used as mental health facilities.
Personnel who work in the mental
health system are inadequately trained
and supported. A nd the public errone­
ously believes that a person with men­
tal health disorders pose a threat to
public safety.
The num ber o f Oregonians with
mental health disorders has risen 17
percent since 1990. There are 124,000
uninsured or publicly insured O rego­
nians who have a serious brain disor­
der, like my son.
S e n . Avel Gordly
grows, the insurance industry contin­
ues to decrease coverage o f mental
health disorders, and m ental health
medication. M any an O regon family
Twenty-four per­ ‘ 1 W O U L D N O T W IS H O N can tell you horror
sto ries o f u sin g
c e n t o f th e se
A N Y O N E T H E P A IN F U L A N D their life savings,
people are not re­ N IG H T M A R IS H S T R U G G L E S
ceiv in g th e se r­ M Y S O N , M Y FA M IL Y A N D I putting a second,
th ird , o r e v e n
vices they need,
H A V E H A D T O E N D U R E AS fourth m ortgage
and an additional
WE
W ADED
T H R O U G H on their home, ju st
23 percent are not
O regon ’ s
M en ta l to pay for access
receiving needed
H ealth system ’
to m ental health
medications. Y et
- S e n . A vel G ordly
services forachild,
our budget to sup­
p
a re n t o r o th e r
port treatment and
family
member.
They
do so because
m edications for the uninsured has
they
love
their
child,
and
they do not
grown very little, if at all, in the past
qualify
for
Medicaid,
and
because
their
decade.
insurance
does
not
cover
serious
men­
In addition, w hile the num ber o f
tal health disorders. You and I would
persons with m ental health disorders
do the same thing.
This is Oregon. We can do
better than this, and w e must.
Two bills working their way
through the Oregon Legisla­
ture will go a long way towards
improving the plight ofOrego-
nians living with mental health
disordeis. House Bill 3017 will
ensure that all Oregonians have
access to a basic level o f
healthcare services that in­
cludes access to m ental health
services on an equal basis with
physical health services. The
bill does so by using the Or­
egon Health Plan list to arrive
at a basic health benefits pack­
age for al 1 Oregonians publicly
or privately insured.
House Bill 3024 provides
forplans ofhow a local mental
health authority will ensure the
delivery of, and be account­
able for, clinically appropriate services
in continuum o f care based on con­
sumer needs o f both children and
adults. W e need 24-hour crisis ser­
vices. Com munities need secure and
non-secure extended psychiatric care
to help stabilize people and get them
appropriate medications, ensuring a
quality oflife. W e need dual diagnosis
services and day treatment. W e need
a civil com mitm ent process that pro­
tects the dignity and rights o f loved
ones in crisis, yet permits placem ent in
a secure psychiatric setting. A nd we
need well-trained, culturally com pe­
tent professionals to w ork in all o f
those settings.
Creating a com m unity-based m en­
tal health system, with access to a
range oflevels ofcare, m ust be a prior­
ity. I would not w ish on anyone the
painful and nightm arish struggles my
son, my family and I have had to en­
dure as we w aded through O regon’s
M ental H ealth system. L et’s continue
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Law Would Make Amends for 1921 Race Riot
C
r e a t iv e
D
ir e c t o r
Robert Parker
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Portland, OR 9 7 2 1 1
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O klahom a law m akers have ap­
proved legislation aim ed at m aking
som e am ends for a 1921 race riot that
left as m any as 300 A frican A m eri­
cans dead and destroyed dozens o f
thriving businesses.
T he Tulsa R ace R iot R econcilia­
tion A ct establishes a scholarship
fund, w ith priority consideration for
the descendents o f those w ho sur­
vived the tw o-day m assacre, but it
does not offer reparations for riot
survivors.
“W e are in am ode ofhealing,” said
state Sen. M axine H om er, one o f the
b ill’s sponsors. “W e w ant to bring
som e closure to the past, but w e also
w ant to m ake sure that the past isn ’t
forgotten.”
T he act now aw aits the approval
o f Gov. Frank Keating.
The legislation follows the release
o f a report by a com m ission appointed
by the governor to exam ine the race
riot, w hich exploded on the night o f
M ay 31,1921.
A n A frican A m erican nam ed D ick
R ow land had been arrested earlier in
the day and charged w ith sexually
assaulting a young w hite female el­
evator operator.
By evening, rum ors that Row land
w ould be lynched had draw n an ugly
w hite crow d to the courthouse. M ean­
while, A frican-A m erican veterans o f
W orld W ar I had arm ed them selves,
Oregon’s traditionofblazing new trails
by leading the w ay on services for the
m entally ill. W e must work to pass HB
3017 and HB 3024. It is the right thing
to do for all Oregonians.
determ ined to protect R ow land from
the grow ing mob.
H om er, w ho w as bom in T ulsa in
1933, believes the bill serves to create
an accurate historical record o f “a
very dark tim e.”
“T o bring this up from u nder the
carpet and get it w ritten and in d ocu­
m ented form m eans it w ill be in our
textbooks. It w illb e ap a rto fh isto ry ,”
she said.
But the m easure has som e im pas­
sioned detractors, as w ell. T he bill
passed the state Senate by a vote o f
32-13. The 13 “no” votes w ere cast by
Republican senators, w h o contend
the language o f bill paints all w hite
people “as thugs,” said state Sen.
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