County commissioner pitches new plan to ease Portland’s mental health crisis

Multnomah County Commissioner Meghan Moyer is asking the state of Oregon for $1.75 million to fund a task force dedicated to connecting people with severe mental illness to Medicaid-funded treatment. Moyer wants the county to tap into the Community First Choice Option. This option is reserved for seniors and people with disabilities who need home and community-based nursing home-style care. Once the eligibility workers screen a participant, they could come up with a care plan to connect them with services and help them through the process, Moyer said. The county’s case managers would track the progress and provide help along the way.