Mental Health

A federal judge has found Oregon’s state health agency in contempt of a 2002 court order that requires severely mentally ill detainees be swiftly admitted to the state psychiatric hospital.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration has seen its staff cut by more than a third, and it's facing deep budget cuts. Progress on overdose deaths could be lost, experts warn.

CAHOOTS, a vital crisis response program in Eugene, ceased operations after 15 years, leaving community members and former workers advocating for its return to provide crucial support for individuals facing mental health crises.

The Clark County Residential Treatment Facility, or Brockmann Campus, will remain shuttered despite being just weeks away from opening.  

After expanding state Medicaid programs to cover people in the country without legal status, Democrats are considering changes that would reduce immigrant access.

When someone accused of a crime is found unable to aid and assist in their own defense, they are sent to the Oregon State Hospital for an evaluation. After that, they often need to spend time at a residential treatment center until they are fit to stand trial. A new rule from the Oregon Health Authority requires residential treatment facilities in the state to accept those patients ahead of any who might be on their waiting list, setting aside their normal admissions standards. Attorneys for the Oregon Council for Behavioral Health and six residential treatment providers filed a petition with the Oregon Court of Appeals to block that rule. We hear from Heather Jefferis, executive director of the Oregon Council for Behavioral Health, about the challenges faced by behavioral health providers in Oregon.

Oregon’s system for helping people with imminent thoughts of suicide or other mental health crises is underfunded and poorly tracked, according to a new audit from the Oregon Secretary of State.

Congress created the grants in the aftermath of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The goal was to help schools hire mental health professionals, including counselors and social workers.

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

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek replaced the head of the Oregon State Hospital Friday night after she said state health officials shared more details about a recent fatality at the hospital.