Grant County to receive behavioral health funding
By Logan Bagett on Monday, June 6th, 2022 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
GRANT COUNTY – Grant, Wheeler and Gilliam counties will receive approximately $2.25 million in Measure 110 behavioral health funding. Below is a release from the OHA:
(Press Release issued by the Oregon Health Authority)
Measure 110 Oversight and Accountability Council approves new grant agreements for drug treatment, recovery services
The Measure 110 Oversight and Accountability Council (OAC) this week approved Behavioral Health Resource Networks (BHRNs) in five additional Oregon counties: Gilliam, Grant, Lake, Morrow and Wheeler.
Th OAC has now approved seven BHRNs along with their funding, which totals more than $7.3 million. To date, approximately $47 million has been allocated in support of Measure 110, including Access to Care (ATC) grant funding.
The M110 funding is part of a $1.35 billion investment toward transformational change in Oregon’s behavioral health system.
As of June 1, OHA has spent or obligated approximately $523 million in behavioral health investments. An additional $422 million is expected to be spent or obligated by the end of September 2022. A report detailing the progress of this historic investment can be found here.
Gilliam, Grant, Wheeler County Region
Community Counseling Services (CCS) and Boulder Care will serve as the collaborative service providers for the Gilliam, Grant and Wheeler county region. The approved budget is $2.25 million.
CCS provides a full range of in-person support services and Boulder Care will provide accessible telehealth substance use treatment, which will expand the range of services in rural Oregon.
Lake County Region
Lake Health District will serve as the BHRN for Lake County. The approved budget is approximately $1.2 million.
The funds will be used to consolidate and expand mental health services for outpatient treatment and development of a robust low-barrier drop-in service center.
Morrow County Region
Community Counseling Services will serve as the BHRN for Morrow County. The approved budget is $924,517. They will provide expanded and culturally specific treatment options. CCS will also offer low-barrier treatment options and shorter waits for appointments.
OHA has established a robust new dashboard showing the progress being made to date. BHRN Approval progress, service entity coverage and funding progress by county
Orientation meetings with service providers will continue over the next few weeks and more funding announcements are expected.
Funding will be released no later than 20 days after a BHRN is approved and all funding agreements are executed. Thus far, funding has been released well within the projected time frame.
Last month, the OAC voted to adopt a new 18-month grant spending timeline that will extend from July 2022 through December 2023.
OHA will continue to provide frequent updates on the funding process.
Other M110 funds to be disbursed
A three-month extension will be offered to ATC grantees through Sept. 30, 2022. The grantees will receive a pro-rated amount based on their prior award, bringing the total funds disbursed to approximately $39.9 million.
These funds will prevent a lapse of funding or interruption of service for grantees while the OAC continues to review and approve applications.
ATC grantees comprise 70 substance use treatment programs that provide treatment, housing, vocational training and other life-changing support services.
Background: In November 2020, Oregon voters passed Measure 110, the Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act of 2020, which became effective on Dec. 4, 2020, to better serve people actively using substances or diagnosed with a substance use disorder. In July 2021, the legislature passed SB 755, which amended the act and made it more feasible to implement.
People who provide drug treatment and recovery services and advocates for criminal justice reform wrote Measure 110 in response to the high rate of drug addiction and overdoses in Oregon, and the disproportionate impact of those outcomes on Oregon’s communities of color.
Their goal was to establish a more equitable and effective approach to substance use disorder. OHA is working with the Measure 110 Oversight and Accountability Council to develop a first-in-the-nation health-based approach to substance use and overdose prevention system, which is more helpful, caring and cost-effective than punishing and criminalizing people who need help.
