[Sora] FW: OHA Ombuds 2023 Six Month Report: Children and Youth Community-Based Mental Health

[Drinan Catherine]

Greetings, we are writing to share with you the release of the OHA Ombuds 2023 Six Month Report, which offers member stories, data, and recommendations specific to community-based child, youth and family mental health in Oregon.  This Report functions as a companion piece to the OHA Ombuds 2022 Annual Report, which examined adult mental health, SUD and access to residential care.  Please share widely as you see fit, and we welcome further questions.  Our report can be found attached, and on the OHA Ombuds Program website<https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ERD/Pages/Ombuds-Reports.aspx> at this link: OHA Ombuds Six Month Report 2023<https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ERD/OmbudsProgram/OHA%20Ombuds%20Six%20Month%20Report_Final.pdf>.

The Ombuds Office is deeply committed to elevating the voices and stories of our members.  This Report is comprehensive and contains the data in which we ground our recommendations.  However, the Report also features a young member's story about their efforts to access mental health care, which tells us all as much about the state of youth mental health care in Oregon today as the numbers do.  Thank you for receiving their story.

With warmest thanks for all of the work you do to serve Oregonians,

Cate

Catherine Drinan, MA (she/hers)
Ombudswoman
External Relations Division
OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY
catherine.drinan at oha.oregon.gov<mailto:catherine.drinan at oha.oregon.gov> Please Note My New Email!
Cell: 503-983-0643
Ombuds Program: 877-642-0450 / 503-947-2346
Fax: 503 934 5023
OHA.OmbudsOffice at oha.oregon.gov<mailto:OHA.OmbudsOffice at oha.oregon.gov> or send a secure email from the Ombuds website:
https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ERD/Pages/Ombuds-Program.aspx
Hablamos Español

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From: Dobra Sarah E
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2023 1:09 PM
To: Oscar Arana <OscarA at nayapdx.org<mailto:OscarA at nayapdx.org>>; NARAYAN Kristina * GOV <Kristina.Narayan at oregon.gov<mailto:Kristina.Narayan at oregon.gov>>
Cc: CURRANS-HENRY Rachel * GOV <Rachel.CURRANS-HENRY at oregon.gov<mailto:Rachel.CURRANS-HENRY at oregon.gov>>; TIBBS Abby * GOV <Abby.TIBBS at oregon.gov<mailto:Abby.TIBBS at oregon.gov>>; Sarah E. Wetherson (she/her) <SARAH.E.WETHERSON at oha.oregon.gov<mailto:SARAH.E.WETHERSON at oha.oregon.gov>>; Tara Chetock <Tara.A.CHETOCK at oha.oregon.gov<mailto:Tara.A.CHETOCK at oha.oregon.gov>>; Baden David <DAVID.BADEN at oha.oregon.gov<mailto:DAVID.BADEN at oha.oregon.gov>>; Clarke Ebony Sloan <Ebony.S.Clarke at oha.oregon.gov<mailto:Ebony.S.Clarke at oha.oregon.gov>>; McDermott Shawna M <Shawna.M.McDermott at oha.oregon.gov<mailto:Shawna.M.McDermott at oha.oregon.gov>>; Triplett Gabriel Nickolas <Gabriel.N.Triplett at oha.oregon.gov<mailto:Gabriel.N.Triplett at oha.oregon.gov>>; heather at ocbh.org<mailto:heather at ocbh.org>; Kirsten Isaacson <KirstenI at seiu49.org<mailto:KirstenI at seiu49.org>>
Subject: OHA Ombuds Six Month Report

Dear Governor Kotek and Chair Arana:

Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 414.712 directs the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Ombuds Program to serve as the advocate for Oregon Health Plan (OHP - Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program) members for access to care, quality of care, and channeling member experience into recommendations for Medicaid systems, policy, and program improvement.

The OHA Ombuds is a formal, internal voice for process and systems improvements responsive to identified trends impacting services for people in Oregon served by OHP.

As required by ORS 182.500, the OHA Ombuds Program provides quarterly reports to both the Governor and the Oregon Health Policy Board that include:

  1.  A summary of the services that the Ombuds provided during the quarter
  2.  Recommendations for improving access to or quality of care provided to OHP members; and
  3.  Recommendations for improving Ombuds Services.

Please find attached the OHA Ombuds report covering the first six months of 2023. This report recommends strategies to prioritize community-based child, youth, and family mental health services. This report can be found on the OHA Ombuds Program website<https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ERD/Pages/Ombuds-Reports.aspx> at this link: OHA Ombuds Six Month Report 2023<https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ERD/OmbudsProgram/OHA%20Ombuds%20Six%20Month%20Report_Final.pdf>

Sincerely,
[cid:image001.png at 01DA17E7.5228A2D0]

Sarah Dobra,
On behalf of the entire OHA Ombuds Program and the OHP members we serve very day

Cc:
Kristina Narayan, Health Policy Advisor, Governor's Office
Abby Tibbs, Human Services Advisor, Governor's Office
Rachel Currans-Henry, Senior Policy Advisor, Governor's Office
Oscar Arana, Chair, Oregon Health Policy Board
Kirsten Isaacson, Vice-Chair, Oregon Health Policy Board
Dave Baden, Interim Director, Oregon Health Authority
Heather Jefferis, Co-Chair, Medicaid Advisory Committee
Gabe Triplett, Co-Chair, Medicaid Advisory Committee
Shawna McDermott, Interim Director, OHA Health Systems Division
Ebony Clarke, OHA Behavioral Health Director
Dana Hittle, OHA Medicaid Director, Oregon Health Authority
Ellen Pinney, Principal Ombuds


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