Governor Brown joined CMS Administrator Brooks-LaSure to announce the approval of a Medicaid state plan amendment for Oregon

Medford, OR – State officials have announced that this will be the first Medicaid SPA approval since the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law.

The approval will allow the Oregon Health Authority to work with community partners to provide consistent and timely crisis and treatment services to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis in communities across the state.

The program will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year.

“Oregon’s model for community-based mobile crisis intervention teams is centered on the value that a behavioral health crisis should be met with a behavioral health response,” said Governor Brown. “This investment will be a game changer for our state, enabling us to provide mental health services that will reach Oregonians in communities across the state and that are culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate. We are incredibly grateful to our federal partners for supporting and investing in the building of our behavioral health crisis response system.”

“This federal investment will enable us to expand effective, compassionate ,and culturally responsive care to people experiencing a behavioral health crisis in communities all across Oregon,” said Director of Oregon Health Authority Patrick Allen.

Community-based mobile crisis intervention services are focused behavioral and rehabilitative interventions designed to diffuse and mitigate a crisis. They involve all the services, support, and treatments necessary to provide timely crisis response, including interventions such as de-escalation, and crisis prevention activities specific to the needs of the individual. Community-based mobile crisis intervention services teams are required to be dispatched if requested by 988 call centers and are not restricted to select locations or regions, nor to any particular days or times.

Stabilization services are provided for individuals and families and include short-term flexible services, supports, and coordination, such as life skills training and understanding of medication effects to assist in stabilization. Service providers will be able to receive reimbursement from CMS for services provided as outlined in section 9813 of the ARPA.