Hello! First Lady and I are so glad to be with you today. We believe deeply that every Oregonian deserves access to affordable healthcare, and that includes recovery services and supports.
Recovery starts with recognizing that change is possible. You are the living proof of that.
Thank you to everyone who has taken their lived experience into service to others – in your personal life or maybe as a professional peer provider of care and support. Recovery is about hope, healing, and connecting to others.
We all know that when someone is ready to get help, it needs to be there - whether that's a treatment bed or someone to talk to.
Since taking office, I have overseen an unprecedented increase in treatment capacity – adding over 1,700 beds to the behavioral health system, which includes 769 substance use disorder treatment beds. That’s a more than 61% increase in capacity.
I’ve also focused on transitional and recovery housing because housing stability and health are inextricably linked. Since becoming your governor, 597 recovery-related housing units have been added to the continuum. And my renewed Emergency Order on unsheltered homelessness is focused on securing sustainable funding for onsite behavioral health supports in housing to ensure long term housing stability.
As we expand treatment capacity and supportive housing, we’re also addressing the behavioral health workforce shortage - because these must go hand in hand. This work is now guided by rigorous, community driven research. Led by the First Lady, my Behavioral Health Talent Council has done the work, meeting with frontline providers, people with lived experience, and leaders across the state to produce a comprehensive report that is now guiding our next steps. We’re already pushing forward to implement strategies that will make a difference.
This May I signed five bills that represent a shift in how Oregon is tackling the behavioral health crisis – this is about mission change, not just working around the edges.
Of course, there is more work to do. Too many families watch their loved ones suffer without adequate support. We have made real progress, and we should celebrate that today. But let’s keep pushing hard – together - to make sure every Oregonian has what they need to be healthy and safe.
Providing healthcare - and especially behavioral healthcare - is facing tough headwinds. Federal threats and unprecedented cuts are putting pressure on the treatment, services, and supports that people depend on. I am committed to minimizing the impacts of these devastating changes on providers and Oregonians in need of care. We must protect and preserve the healthcare Oregonians rely on – and I am prepared to use every tool I have to do so. When more than 80% of state-supported substance use disorder treatment is paid for by Medicaid, we must preserve the Oregon Health Plan from cuts.
To everyone walking today: thank you. Every step you take sends a message. It says that recovery matters, that the recovery community matters. When we show up together, we build the Oregon we all want — where every person can access the care they need.
Your strength and healing don’t end with you. Recovery represents generations of change. This work is breaking cycles of pain and trauma. And together, we'll ensure countless more Oregonians can begin their journey of recovery. Thank you.