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Oregon’s Legislatively Mandated Workforce Report
In 2023 the Oregon legislature declared a state of emergency in its behavioral health system based, in part, on severe workforce shortages. In January of 2025, a legislatively mandated workgroup released its report on that workforce crisis, titled Stabilizing Oregon’s Public Behavioral Health System. This document captures seven key findings and organizes recommendations across eight key themes. The report is designed to provide stakeholder input into and support for Oregon’s 2024-2027 strategic plan on transforming behavioral health and eliminating health disparities.
The workgroup was comprised of providers from diverse disciplines, peer mentors, supervisors, agency directors, associations representing behavioral health employees and providers agencies, and mental health and substance use consumer organizations. Recommendations were organized under seven areas: recruitment, retention, administrative burden, reimbursement rates and pay, reducing workload and burnout, equity, and workforce development. The latter category, for example, contains recommendations on state-funded scholarships, the creation of regional behavioral health consortiums to address workforce challenges, and funding of a behavioral health Career Technical Education (CTE) pathway in Oregon high schools. Each area of the report provides a statement of the problem, the recommendation, workgroup “insights”, and information on context and supporting research.
To learn more:
• Download the full report.
• Examine Oregon’s Behavioral Health Workforce Incentives program.
• Access the Oregon Health Authority’s Strategic Plan.