Chronology of children's mental health services in Oregon

January 1996

1961 — Legislative grant-in-aid for community mental health programs. 1967 — Legislative approval to pilot a program for diagnostic evaluation and treatment for children with mental disorders.

1968 — Edgefield Grange Home is first Child Diagnostic Center contracted by MHDDSD.

1971 — MHDDSD develops Children's Mental Health Plan based on Taylor and Greenleigh reports.

1971 — HB 1869 creates DHR and naming Children's Services Division (now State Office for Services to Children and Families-SCF) as administrative agency for all children's services including mental health. MHDDSD Child Study and Treatment Unit and Edgefield transferred to SCF.

1972 — Purchase of Care contracts for 6 DARTS programs operated by private non-profit agencies (SOCSTC, Pacific, Poyama, Grande Ronde, The Child Center, Mid-Columbia) based on a Executive Department decision that these facilities should not be state-operated.

1976 — Opened the Child and Adolescent Treatment Services (CATS) Program at Oregon State Hospital as inpatient back-up for the DARTS Program.

1976 — All children's mental health services transferred back to MHDDSD.

1976 — SCF started Target Problem Child Committee (now known as Target Planning and Consultation Committee) to fund individual plans for children who would otherwise be sent out of state for treatment.

1981 — HB 2404 establishes a priority system mandate for MHDDSD clients including children.

1981 — Children's mental health programs except outpatient and the state hospital unit transferred back to SCF.

1985 — MacLaren, Hillcrest downsizing.

1988 — National Institute of Mental Health CASSP state level systems grant awarded to MHDDSD to develop a system of care for children with mental disorders.

1989 — Children's mental health crisis projects funded to provide local level crisis services to reduce overcrowding at the CATS Program at OSH.

1990 — RWJF development grant awarded to Oregon to design the Multnomah County Partners Project. Back to top

1990 — States notified to implement the requirements of federal OBRA 1989 to provide medically necessary EPSDT services including mental health for all Medicaid eligible children.

1990 — Legal Aid law suit brought to assure access to mental health services for Medicaid eligible children resulted in $18 million in new funds to MHDDSD. Strengthens service capacity and system of care for children.

1991 — Legislatively approved transfer of DARTS and JCAHO programs from SCF to MHDDSD. Broadens system of care for children.

1991 — RWJF Partners Project funded for 4 years.

1992 — OMAP/MHDDSD implement local acute inpatient care for children.

1993 — HB 2004 establishes Commission on Services to Children and Families.

1993 — SCF/MHDDSD develop an array of joint funded, co-managed services for SCF children including mental health treatment in residential facilities (RES-MED), Treatment Foster Care, Therapeutic Group Homes and added additional JCAHO residential psychiatric treatment capacity for Target Planning and Consultation Committee children. Expands system of care capacity. Major program initiatives are independently evaluated.

1994 — EPSDT mandate results in over expenditures of $12 m. MHDDSD implements management actions to control unchecked Medicaid growth. Medicaid Authorization Specialists required to authorize high cost services.

1995 — Partners Project ends. PSU evaluates project. Continuation through state/local cooperation.

1995 — MHDDSD implements performance measures for all services including level of functioning, client satisfaction, progress toward treatment goals.

1995 — Legislative restructuring of SCF to give funds and service responsibility to State and Local Commissions on Children and Families and to partially fund the Oregon Youth Authority established under SB 1.

1996 — MHDDSD implements the Oregon Health Plan Demonstration for outpatient and acute inpatient care for 25% of Medicaid population.

1996 — Multnomah County contracts to implement a children's mental health capitation project, Multnomah CAPCare. Back to top