Already reeling from budgets slashed by the Legislative Emergency Board in November, state mental health and addiction services could face a knock-out punch, and be forced to delay treatment to people in crisis situations, if Measure 28 fails.
Without funding from the $313-million tax package this biennium, the Oregon Department of Human Services estimates 10,400 adults and 3,500 children seeking treatment and medication will see their services cut. In addition, there will be a statewide reduction of 164 day treatment slots for minors in time of psychiatric crisis, and a reduction of 237 beds for adults needing mental health and alcohol and drug treatment.
Jerry Fuller, financing and policy analysis administrator with the Oregon Department of Human Services, said the cuts would save $12.6 million over the next five months, and $49.3 million over the next biennium.
Fuller said such reductions will cause patients confined in the Oregon State Hospital — the primary state-run psychiatric facility for both adults and children — to wait longer than necessary for a bed in transitional facilities.
“Cuts in treatment programs are not problems faced just by Oregon, but are part of a much larger issue felt across the country,” Fuller said.
Not everyone, however, thinks the cuts will be so severe.
Jason D. Williams of the Taxpayer Association of Oregon opposes income tax increases under Measure 28 and said lawmakers are choosing to make cuts in places most visible to the public.
“It’s a scare tactic,” Williams said. “They said people would die if Measure 5 passed and no one died, and now they’re saying the same thing about Measure 28.”
Locally, many treatment centers are scrambling to find alternative sources of funding and volunteers to maintain services.
In Lane County, proposed budget cuts translate into a loss of 52 beds at adult mental health facilities and 18 beds at alcohol and drug treatment centers.
White Bird Clinic coordinator Robert Dritz said 40 percent of his clients won’t be able to get treatment if Measure 28 fails.
“People are pretty resilient, but once they get knocked down a couple times, they have a hard time getting back up,” Dritz said. “Our capacity to help goes down, but the lines just get longer.”
The University’s Crisis Center, which provides a crisis line for students and the public, remains unaffected by state budget cuts. Counseling and psychology doctoral student George Hanawahine said student volunteers receive about 100 calls a month from people in crisis situations. Hanawahine said cuts to community crisis centers means more people may turn to the University’s 24-Hour Student Crisis Line for help.
Developmental Director of Willamette Family Treatment Services Pat Skipper said cuts to alcohol and drug treatment programs have already crippled services. Skipper said funds raised by Measure 28’s passage would help stop the reduction of services and keep people off the streets. Willamette will lose 11 beds if the Measure 28 fails, Skipper added.
“We see so much that goes on because of addiction — not just crime, but domestic violence and child abuse,” Skipper said. “Without beds, we won’t be able to treat people.”