Moyer says behavioral health system'collapsing'

County commissioner says defunding will further erode treatment

Broader civil commitment laws have their advocates but not Multnomah County Commissioner Meghan Moyer, who cites the high cost of each case.

Multnomah County Commissioner Meghan Moyer, who met with Friends of Couch Park last week, shared grim news on the behavioral health front.

While many assume Multnomah County has ample resources for people needing social intervention, “We don’t offer behavioral health [treatment] at all,” Moyer said.

Broader civil commitment laws are advocated by some, but not her. It costs $90,000 on average for each civil commitment case, and then most patients are turned onto the street after a brief hold, she said. That’s partly because the Oregon State Hospital is filled with criminal suspects receiving court-mandated treatment.

The county deflection program offering drug treatment as an alternative to jail isn’t working because there is no compulsion to enter, much less complete, a treatment program. Although that loophole is widely known, County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson refuses to bring the issue before the commission, Moyer said.

Things are no better at the state level. The Legislature approved another $65 million for mental/behavioral health in the last session, but “the Oregon Health Authority has almost nothing to show for it,” she said. Lawmakers say, “We gave you the money, you said you could do it, and now nothing is better.”

In sum, Moyer said the mental health care system in the state and county is “collapsing” even before further spending cuts expected from the federal government.

She generally agrees with the comprehensive reforms advanced by former County Commissioner Sharon Meieran in 2017 but believes that plan would need to be updated.