PORTLAND, Ore. — Dr. Sejal Hathi took over as the leader for one of the state's biggest and most important agencies in January. On this week's episode of Straight Talk, she discusses how the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is going to deal with some of the state's biggest challenges from widespread drug abuse to the behavioral health system — and lack of access to treatment.
The Oregon Health Authority oversees the Oregon Health Plan, the state's Medicaid program, public health systems and the Oregon State Hospital. Recently, four of Oregon's largest hospital systems have filed a lawsuit against the Oregon Health Authority for a system that "neglects" people with severe mental illness who haven't committed a crime.
Prior to becoming, one of Oregon Health Authority's youngest director's at 32-years-old, Hathi held a number of high profile positions, including a being an advisor for the UN Secretary General on health care policies during the pandemic.
Here are some of the key points discussed in this week's episode:
- Oregon has some of the highest incidents of mental illness and has consistently ranked at the bottom of list when it comes to access treatment. How long will it take turn things around?
- One of the biggest challenges in expanding access to treatment is having an adequate behavioral health care workforce. How will OHA better recruit and retain behavioral health professionals?
- The number of teenagers killed by overdose in Oregon is growing faster than any other state. How is OHA going to address the needs of the state's youngest residents?
- One of the big reasons that many people say Measure 110 failed is due to a lack of treatment options. Now that, House Bill 4002 has been signed into law, which recriminalizes drug possession. What role will OHA have in truing to make sure that access to treatment is available under this new law?
Straight Talk airs Saturday and Sunday at 6:30 p.m., and Monday at 7 p.m. Straight Talk is also available as a podcast.