Josephine County authorizes submission of OHA readiness assessment, seeks $1.33 million to expand jail medical services

Josephine County commissioners voted Tuesday to authorize submission of a letter of intent and a readiness assessment to the Oregon Health Authority for funding under an 1115 waiver program, seeking $1,330,000 to expand medical and behavioral-health services inside juvenile custodial facilities.

County officials said the readiness assessment and letter of intent must be submitted immediately — the application deadline was moved forward to Friday — and that the requested funds could be dispersed as early as May. “These funds have to be expended by September of 2027,” Justin Bridal, Community Justice director, told the board.

The money would be used for hiring, training, and infrastructure to deliver health care in custody, officials said. The proposal lists items such as an electronic health record system, staff to perform intake and triage, training, and other set-up costs. Bridal said the county expects to fully operate the program by June 2026 and structured the budget so contracts and personnel could be phased in; contract terms under consideration would run roughly 15 months from the program’s operational start date.

Bridal said the program is intended to fix a gap in the continuum of care that arises when people covered by the Oregon Health Plan lose coverage after being detained, leaving local facilities to absorb medical costs. He described the 1115-waiver funding as an opportunity to hire or reimburse staff and to purchase certified electronic health-record systems appropriate for custodial settings.

County staff described the statewide context: there are about 11 juvenile custodial facilities in Oregon and roughly seven with residential programs. Bridal said the state set aside what he understands to be up to $1.5 million per custodial facility; Josephine County’s application seeks $1,330,000 based on the county’s assessment of realistic needs. “We honestly can’t figure out how to spend that money” beyond the $1.33 million without inventing programs, Bridal said, explaining why the request is smaller than the per-facility maximum.

Board discussion covered staffing and oversight. Bridal said the program might not require new full-time hires immediately because the county already contracts with public-health nurses and local providers; the primary new position in the budget is a program facilitator to triage youth, identify needs, and coordinate referrals. Commissioners asked that any hiring follow standard board protocols and said staffing proposals would be brought back to the board for approval.

Commissioners recorded the motion to execute the letter of intent and submit the readiness assessment. Roll call was: Commissioner Smith — yes; Commissioner Barnett — excused; Commissioner Bleck — yes. The motion carried 2 to 0.

Next steps: county staff will submit the letter of intent to OHA by the Friday deadline, continue dialogue with OHA on the readiness assessment as a working document, and return to the board with any hiring proposals or contract terms required to implement the program.