County Jobs at Risk: What's Happening and Why?

Multnomah County is facing a tough situation with its behavioral health services. Up to 21 full-time jobs might be cut, and 17 more are in danger for the next fiscal year. This is because of a big drop in funding from CareOregon, the state's largest Medicaid provider. The county's board will decide on these cuts soon. The Youth and Adult Care Coordination program will be hit the hardest. This program helps people find and use behavioral health resources. It could lose over 18 jobs. The jail care coordination program might also lose two jobs. The Behavioral Health Center could lose one more position. It's not clear how many of these jobs are already empty or how many people might lose their jobs. The county hasn't said much about it yet. There's also a plan to save 17 other jobs by using $2. 4 million from the county's budget. These jobs include care coordinators, medical records staff, and quality managers. The county's behavioral health division has about 330 employees. The future looks uncertain because the county's budget is tight. The funding from CareOregon might not come back. Health Share of Oregon, which oversees CareOregon, said it's expecting financial losses. This is because of rising healthcare costs and other factors. Other counties are also facing similar problems. Clackamas County cut 27 jobs in its behavioral and public health divisions. Around 15 of these were because of CareOregon's reductions. Washington County expects a $3. 8 million loss, impacting around 18 to 20 jobs. But they managed to reassign many of the affected staff. Only three people will be laid off at the end of the year.