WASCO CO. — A smaller, reduced version of the Columbia Gorge Crisis resolution center is still moving forward, aiming to provide some crisis and substance use services in The Dalles, Mid-Columbia Center for Living (MCCFL) reports.
In June, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) decided the Columbia Gorge Crisis Resolution Center could not proceed as planned under their interpretation of the federal Medicaid Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) rule. The project would have included two residential mental health treatment centers, one secure; substance use disorder treatment; a crisis stabilization center; consumer drop-in; and a psychosocial rehab office.
OHA said that, to get essential Medicaid funding, the mental health treatment centers must be located on separate properties. Wasco County can’t manage that.
MCCFL, taking leadership of the project, is building what’s left: a 23-hour crisis receiving facility, and a substance use treatment facility.
“Future phases of the project were originally planned to include both a Residential Treatment Home (RTH) and a Secure Residential Treatment Facility (SRTF),” Al Barton, director of MCCFL, told Columbia Gorge News. “However, under OHA’s current interpretation of the IMD rule, these two facilities must be located on separate properties to remain eligible for Medicaid funding. In light of this constraint, we will be seeking input from the Advisory Committee to help determine which of these two projects should be prioritized for development on the current site.”
OHA told Columbia Gorge News, “We carefully reviewed plans for three proposed residential treatment facilities, one substance use disorder facility and two mental health facilities, to determine whether they would comply with federal rules. We determined that the proposed substance use treatment facility would likely be eligible for Medicaid funding under the state’s current federal Medicaid waiver for Institutions for Medical Disease (IMD). We determined that treatment services at the two proposed mental health residential treatment facilities would not likely be eligible for Medicaid funding under federal requirements.
“OHA encouraged Wasco County to consult the State Medicaid Manual or Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to assure that services at the planned facilities would be eligible for Medicaid funding,” the statement said.
Project leaders contest the legality of OHA’s position on the IMD rule, which they say contradicts federal rules and documents, according to a legal analysis they commissioned.
OHA did not grant an exception that would have allowed the full project to move forward.
Still, “We are excited to bring this much-needed service to our region — one that will allow our neighbors and community members to receive treatment close to home, rather than being sent hours away for care,” Barton said.
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