OMA Medicine in Oregon Fall 2016

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6 Medicine in Oregon
Bryan Boehringer
CEO and Executive Vice President
Oregon Medical Association
QUICK, WHAT’S THE WEATHER like two
states over? What’s the score of the game?
And what were those dinner ingredients I
needed to pick up on the way home?
Living in today’s world of instant access to
information has a lot of benefits.
But our ready access to news can also be
dispiriting. Not a week goes by without
a news alert about acts of violence across
the globe. And far too often, we later
learn that addressing mental health
concerns proactively could have prevented
heartbreak.
Whatever the specific causes, it's hard to
ignore that in this state and country, there
are still far too many people who can't
access necessary mental health services.
Through the OMA’s town halls, focus
groups and surveys, our members have
communicated to us that improving
coordination of, and access to, mental and
behavioral care is a top priority for this
association. Many have found themselves
in the tough situation of having a patient
who needs mental health services but
having no resources to provide.
The final report for CCO metrics in
Oregon for 2015 is out, and the results
continue to show that investments in
better coordination of care have resulted
in increased access to prevention services
for Oregonians, with a simultaneous
decrease in the use of emergency rooms
Mental Health:
A Top Priority
and other high-cost care. While better
coordination has improved outcomes on
the physical health side, we continue to
seek integration of behavioral health.
Given some of health care's most vexing
problems, like funding and care for
behavioral health issues, the OMA is
trying to focus on solutions rather than
highlighting past problems. Appropriate
care for behavioral and mental health
still reigns as one of the industry's most
challenging issues.
It hasn't been for a lack of effort.
The legislature has made additional
investments in behavioral health, the
Oregon Health Authority has created
a Behavioral Health Collaborative to
improve cross-agency collaboration
and health outcomes, and local law
enforcement works to improve their
recognition of individuals with mental
illness and ensuring that they respond
appropriately.
Again, there are choices we make every
day that can help shine a light on the
need for better care, even something as
simple as understanding the damage we
do when we call a person “crazy” or “nuts”
or “mentally ill,” rather than respectfully
(and empathetically) noting they may have
a mental illness.
No one is untouched by the impact of
mental illness.
Again, thank you for your membership. 