Overview
House Bill 2235 (2023) requires Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to convene a workgroup to:
- Study major barriers to workforce recruitment and retention in Oregon's publicly financed behavioral health system and
- Produce recommendations for improvement.
The workgroup will provide formal recommendations for OHA to report to the Oregon Legislature. An initial report to the legislature is due Jan. 15, 2025. A final report is due Dec. 15, 2025.
Membership
Workgroup members will represent:
- Various specific roles within the behavioral health care workforce,
- Providers of culturally specific services, and
- The geographic, racial, ethnic, and gender diversity of Oregon.
The workgroup will listen to diverse voices to inform their work.
Goals
The workgroup will develop recommendations through a consensus-based process to:
- Improve behavioral health workforce recruitment and retention,
- Reduce administrative burdens,
- Increase reimbursement and pay,
- Improve caseload management,
- Increase diversity within Oregon's behavioral health workforce, and
- Address professional burnout.
The workgroup will identify specific needs and potential impacts in developing recommendations. The group will not implement recommendations, create technical solutions or identify funding streams.
Meetings and Key Dates
Meetings will run from November 2023 through December 2025. Starting Feb. 21, 2024, meetings will be on the first and third Wednesday of each month, from 1 to 3 p.m..
Meeting material:
Accessibility
Everyone has a right to know about and participate in OHA committees and workgroups. For people who speak or use a language other than English, people with disabilities or people who need more support, OHA can provide free help. Some examples are:
- Sign language and spoken language interpreters
- Written materials in other languages or transcript
- Braille
- Real-time captioning (CART)
- Large print
- Virtual platform change
- Audio and other formats
To ask for this help, please email HB2235.Workgroup@oha.oregon.gov.