[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6261973,"mediaKeyId","3117260-24d017a2a5c7e6db149875720f2e68e9","parentId",3117260,"title","OHA officials outline workforce investments and review of board-registered associate Medicaid billing","audioSeconds",1850,"startMs",2276000,"endMs",4126000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3117260-24d017a2a5c7e6db149875720f2e68e9&start=2276&end=4126","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3117260-24d017a2a5c7e6db149875720f2e68e9/thumbnail_2276000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6261973/Oregon/OHA-officials-outline-workforce-investments-and-review-of-board-registered-associate-Medicaid-billing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6261973-e363bfdb90cedeffaab98f2c478da65a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771107832&Signature=Vc3YeUOg4DxgGt8ORphWr7L--7gXvln~cLhZe-Q-rk7hfhlW0RbqSNjc~KpUCYg5r-jm4nVGSA~4k2BIjH-gS7pgnC0jsNUDSyILD9O775Dt-i8TLytXUmXOVjxIirzVn89GrdyZ64NSxVaI5ZXVcnEsa~njdpG7QqQKr7cdsmhjlbFmzYPAT3cvNHbAIkLxNuachfHlZQdUyYYsc6lLSxrDlnhz19SN-TIe9z97cDc6QQ8ijy0PbI1At710Jc-MqBj6MVuYBspD6B7GI-tsP~~PPm9DtkqeucS0UsEh~eWNLDlKHtiS2sMfY7o~hyfA1AhSBldpbUIfNx2ZoRzuzA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Oregon State Legislature","date","2025-04-24T00:00:00Z","article","John Collins, deputy director for the Behavioral Health Division at the Oregon Health Authority, told the Senate Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral Health that the agency is following up on feedback from a statewide listening tour and other workforce studies.

Collins summarized major workforce investments from the 2022 behavioral-health workforce bill (House Bill 4,071), saying the program directed about $80 million to a mix of strategies. “About $20,000,000 went directly towards clinical supervision,” Collins said, and the remainder supported loan repayment, tuition assistance, stipends and housing supports intended to recruit and retain workers.

Collins said loan-repayment investments have strong early retention: “90% of the folks that we were able to prepay loans for are still within the behavioral health workforce,” he said. He also said the OHA and partners helped cover fees for roughly 7,900 behavioral-health certifications to ease entry barriers. The agency highlighted targeted investments in child-and-family behavioral health training, apprenticeship programs such as United We Heal, and partnerships with community colleges and OHSU.

Collins and Risha Grinstead, Medicaid policy manager for children and families policies and programs at OHA, described a separate but related effort: a rule-review process focused on board-registered associates. Grinstead defined board-registered associates as people who have completed their education but not yet achieved full licensure; they practice under conditions of required clinical supervision. The OHA said about 1,000 such associates currently exist and that they represent roughly 10% of the behavioral-health workforce.

The OHA is exploring whether board-registered associates should be able to bill Medicaid when they are not working for an organization that holds a Certificate of Approval (COA) with OHA. Collins said the current rules allow associates to render services that are billed to Medicaid, often requiring a supervisor’s sign-off, but the agency is examining whether billing and supervision rules remain appropriate as the associate workforce grows.

Committee members pressed OHA officials for clarity about where associates can practice and what changes might mean for access. Collins and Grinstead said the agency will center community and provider engagement during the review and will not move forward in a way “to disrupt access to services, especially when it comes to culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate services.” Grinstead described a tentative timeline for community outreach and rule revisions and said OHA will post engagement opportunities on its website and provide technical assistance during implementation.

Several committee members said concerns had been raised publicly about possible access barriers from any rule changes. OHA officials acknowledged those concerns and said the rule-review process is intended to identify equity impacts and implementation mitigations before any change is adopted.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Committee On Early Childhood and Behavioral Health 04/24/2025 1:15 PM","oneSentenceSummary","Oregon Health Authority deputies briefed the Senate committee on workforce investments made since 2022 and described a planned rule review of board-registered associates and Medicaid billing to assess quality and access impacts for pre-licensure clinicians.","taxTitle","Early Childhood and Behavioral Health, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Oregon","taxId",78276,"location","Oregon","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6261978,"Credentialing board describes rapid growth in unlicensed behavioral-health workforce, new Spanish-language exams and supervision training",203,1600000,1803000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3117260-24d017a2a5c7e6db149875720f2e68e9&start=1600&end=1803","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3117260-24d017a2a5c7e6db149875720f2e68e9/thumbnail_1600000.jpg","/articles/6261978/Oregon/Credentialing-board-describes-rapid-growth-in-unlicensed-behavioral-health-workforce-new-Spanish-language-exams-and-supervision-training","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6261978-b35be0e02ed7d81f702ab2591f5f7f3f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771107832&Signature=mUpPMtHHfCIzAnNhFGj7h6mHxCuN1jTCeECRwP0PKF1AMZ8F7gBJHmQ6ctBomkDbGh7YfRdKy4jPdmzO5hBxXvsR9BGE6C02cBPK1Gi0gBBXJI2VR~0JC0jdaf~QegI2-K2e2boD9wzB0FiCw7HoDvbLAjh0EAM3~S4TTRHGPVpqyRKehBmBBJLf8Q63MfKtmR7zIw9CAF2Y~D~4t~FeZuJc2GVJliqejdvfpvVK9mwYuZRB9wRNSuJxeO2Qn32GeYigavuAOdvw5L~hnyeHMjnov7Ogfd82l6ysofznJVfqFo1B4jxpeSG~ohWP8rnRCZ1EUWfH1laLTfJ-eDIspQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Christy McKinney, director of credentialing, compliance and testing at the board commonly referred to in testimony as MACBO, told the Senate Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral Health that the organization has grown from roughly 3,000 certified members to 17,000 and now manages about 21,000 active credentials.

McKinney described the board’s role as certifying unlicensed behavioral-health workers — including addiction counselors, peer mentors and mental-health associates — and said the board recently focused on Spanish-language exams and applications because “22% of the Medicaid population is Hispanic, and only 8% of our counselors and clinicians are Spanish speaking or from that culture.” She said the board arranged to have every exam available in Spanish and developed a Spanish-language certified peer-mentor training through Instituto Latino.

McKinney told the committee the board now certifies roughly 12,000 mental-health workers and that it is partnering with about 11 community colleges to create a clearer career ladder from entry-level credentials (Qualified Mental Health Associate) to higher credentials and degrees. She said the board is piloting a 12-hour training to improve clinical supervision for addictions counselors; successful completion will lead to a national exam and an endorsement for supervisors. McKinney summarized workforce retention as the board’s central challenge and said the biggest reasons for turnover are lack of career advancement and poor supervision.

She also said the board helped cover fees for 7,900 behavioral-health certifications through a partnership with the Oregon Health Authority and noted it operates with six staff managing 21,000 credentials. McKinney said the board has worked with other states to form a first unlicensed national board and is exploring reciprocity and recognition across jurisdictions.

Committee members asked whether better supervision translates to career advancement and living wages for workers with varying degrees; McKinney said average entry-level wages have increased over time and that a master’s-level licensed clinician typically earns more but that “master’s level, that’s not tons of money.”

McKinney’s overview was presented as an informational item; it did not include a committee vote but was used to contextualize ongoing workforce and licensing discussions.","Christy McKinney, director of credentialing, told the Senate committee that the unlicensed behavioral-health certification board has grown sharply, added Spanish-language exams and is piloting supervision training to improve retention and career ladders.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6261983,"Senate committee hears testimony on HB 2387 to tighten rules and broaden clinical participation in Oregon psilocybin program",1548,34000,1582000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3117260-24d017a2a5c7e6db149875720f2e68e9&start=34&end=1582","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3117260-24d017a2a5c7e6db149875720f2e68e9/thumbnail_34000.jpg","/articles/6261983/Oregon/Senate-committee-hears-testimony-on-HB-2387-to-tighten-rules-and-broaden-clinical-participation-in-Oregon-psilocybin-program","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6261983-e0c4d055dde9251dd492e04a2c575ca8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771107832&Signature=LVRGRhHZD2yqFwvdfb1phSCqp7sI8Xku3UcmCFajt~bFOgry6mxmDQiN0VC9lRrMMUD6BtVVPG~y85r0Yo3Sxs-b~9QTHABG8NrqzAH~E5~Q~unwVw1DHtQUBrQnDn1zdFdCHNS6blCovHIeRcvICdGfWqrL3RIktgM1ie~gingHJyPgo3hd1NYJU-tTTTyf1m~TtfHqB4WBldtvMROFjjJAuTpEMjulx8orf85cCsCVeiLDxPEYAmFTWtggPdwu3VTl1WzgkUY3MpxpUW9ih8BtrhWP0YRutWJVrQZxOjMBb7ky4beRZ9kaJg4oxEKJr5VEQ1buWAfUgY9-ltxyzg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral Health opened a public hearing on House Bill 2387 on April 2025 to consider changes to the Oregon Psilocybin Services Program, sponsor State Representative Dacia Graber told the committee.

Rep. Dacia Graber, chief sponsor of HB 2387, said the bill makes “technical changes to the Oregon Psilocybin Services Program that are widely supported by the communities impacted and the service providers who deliver these critical mental health services.” She described provisions to allow health-care providers to discuss psilocybin with patients, require fingerprinting for license applications, and permit application denials after a failed criminal background check. “I encourage you as community leaders and as my colleagues to support these technical improvements,” Graber said.

The hearing included prepared testimony from program implementers and clinicians. Heidi Pendergast, Oregon director of the Healing Advocacy Fund, said HB 2387 would “ensure safety and access through technical program changes and bridges the gap between psilocybin services and behavioral health.” Pendergast summarized the program’s three-step model — preparation, administration at a licensed service center, and optional integration — and provided program counts she said came from OHA: 28 licensed service centers, about 370 trained facilitators and “over 10,000 clients served.” She also cited the program’s reported adverse-event rate as “one tenth of 1 percent” as defined by OHA (calls to emergency services).

Testifying as a clinician, Dr. Arianne Sarprast, a board-certified psychiatrist who works at Oregon Health & Science University but said her testimony reflected her personal professional views, said HB 2387 would “meaningfully strengthen public health safeguards and improve access to safe, effective psilocybin services.” She highlighted two provisions: allowing clinicians to speak openly with patients about psilocybin without fear of disciplinary action for discussing it, and permitting dually licensed professionals to bring their full clinical skill set to pre- and post-session care.

Providers offering services in rural Oregon also testified. Amanda Gao, co-founder and executive director of Bendable Therapy in Bend, said an informal survey of her clients showed 68% found their psilocybin session “extremely effective.” Gao said some health professionals decline to discuss psilocybin for fear of professional discipline, limiting informed consent and continuity of care for people with complex mental-health histories.

A Marine Corps veteran, Lauren Connolly, described participating in a veteran cohort and urged protections so licensed therapists, psychiatrists and doctors can discuss psilocybin care with patients. Testimony from multiple speakers urged clearer confidentiality for complaint investigations and closer coordination between licensing boards and the psilocybin program.

Speakers described several specific statutory and technical changes in HB 2387: adding veteran status to program demographics collected; requiring labels and pre-treatment discussion of psilocin (which Pendergast said is about 40% more potent than psilocybin); and creating confidentiality for OHA investigatory processes “in a manner similar to all the other licensing boards in the state,” to encourage reporting of misconduct. A staff presenter also summarized earlier draft language saying the bill “restricts the Oregon Health Authority from sharing certain kinds of information obtained in an investigation of a psilocybin training program licensee or applicant,” requires fingerprint submission for applicants and allows OHA to deny applications after failed criminal-background checks.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about the production and supply chain for the psilocybin product, whether facilitators touch the product, and the economics of services. Witnesses said licensed manufacturers supply service centers, facilitators typically do not handle the product during an administration session, and that facilitators’ time rather than the product itself represents the bulk of the service cost. One witness said the maximum allowed psilocybin analyte dose under current rules is 50 micrograms (as stated in testimony).

No formal action or vote on HB 2387 occurred during the hearing. The committee closed the public hearing segment and moved to scheduled informational presentations later in the meeting. The committee’s agenda materials indicated a more technical presentation by OHA would follow the sponsor and provider testimony.","State lawmakers heard proponents describe House Bill 2387 as a technical “program improvement” bill for Oregon’s psilocybin services program, proposing confidentiality for investigations, clearer roles for licensed health professionals, new labeling requirements and collection of veteran status data.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

OHA officials outline workforce investments and review of board-registered associate Medicaid billing

Credentialing board describes rapid growth in unlicensed behavioral-health workforce, new Spanish-language exams and supervision training

Senate committee hears testimony on HB 2387 to tighten rules and broaden clinical participation in Oregon psilocybin program