There is a shortage of behavioral health professionals licensed to provide the full scope of mental health services in Central Oregon. Of all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Oregon ranks 49th for access to mental health care. There is also a lack of behavioral health providers who accept certain insurances or who specialize in serving certain subpopulations such as young children, seniors, & linguistic & cultural groups such as Native Americans & Latinx.
In Central Oregon from 2012–2015 approximately one in four adults over the age of 55 reported a diagnosis of depression. Among adults with diabetes, approximately 50% also reported depression. These individuals benefit significantly from intensive outreach & coordination of care activities, which are found in more populous regions & less available in rural areas. This means increasing access to behavioral health care services within one’s lived community is a necessity. Another barrier identified by local behavioral health agencies is a shortage of adequate clinical supervision for their staff. Several sites are at risk of losing their trainees & associate staff due to supervisor attrition. With the lack of providers in rural areas of Central Oregon, agencies who deliver services in these regions are struggling to fill job openings due to the shortage of qualified supervisors.
The need for more behavioral health practitioners in Central Oregon is immense, with rural areas particularly in need. There is an inadequate workforce to deliver full spectrum mental health care, let alone take on innovative approaches to health care reform. The Central Oregon Behavioral Health Consortium (COBHC) was created to address these needs through the centralized, & neutral local workforce board of East Cascades Works (EC Works) (Attachment 1, Figures).
2020-2024 Regional Health Improvement Plan Priority Area
Behavioral Health: Increase Access and Coordination
Future State Measure
Improve availability of behavioral health providers in rural areas