On a warm summer afternoon years ago, I was a young patrol officer dispatched to the area near Sacred Heart Hospital in Eugene. Hospital staff had reported that a woman, distraught and threatening suicide, had fled the emergency department. I soon found her walking along the sidewalk. As I approached to offer help, I saw she was holding a straight razor in her hand and warning that if I came any closer, she would harm herself.
As we spoke, she suddenly swept her long hair back with one hand, exposed her neck and, without hesitation, drew the razor across it. The blade fell to the ground, and I immediately called for an ambulance. She was rushed back into the emergency room and quickly admitted. I expected she would be transferred to the Johnson Unit, the secure psychiatric ward, given how evident it was that she posed a danger to herself. To my surprise, however, she was released not long afterward.
That moment stayed with me. Not only because of the trauma she endured, but because of what it revealed about our behavioral health system. Even then, it was under strain.
Today, many parts of Oregon face a scarcity of behavioral health resources. There is a shortage of mental health professionals, limited crisis response services and, relative to the need, very few psychiatric beds. For many, care is inconveniently hours away, if it’s available at all.
The result is a system that often relies on public safety, emergency departments and community-based nonprofits to fill the gaps. Many people in crisis cycle through homeless shelters, jails, emergency departments and life on the street, rarely receiving the sustained care they need.
And yet, due to the persistent efforts of determined community members and public service leaders, there is tangible progress.
A promising step is the planned Timber Springs Behavioral Health Hospital. PeaceHealth will replace its current 35-bed psychiatric unit at the University District campus with a new 96-bed facility. This will nearly triple its capacity to care for people in crisis. It will also serve adolescents, adults and seniors, offering both inpatient care and intensive outpatient programs.
Timber Springs will be built in Springfield, which is close to PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend and next to the future Lane County Crisis Stabilization Center. The hospital is planned to open in late 2027 or early 2028. The stabilization center, funded by county, state and federal dollars, is forecast to open in late 2028.
Another bright spot is the Eugene Police Department initiative that pairs mental health professionals with officers for certain calls. Through this initiative, police calls and contacts may include a qualified mental health provider. The provider can assess needs on the spot, start care planning and connect people to services.
The state has also taken steps to address these challenges. In the most recent legislative session, House Bill 2024 established a grant program to strengthen the behavioral health workforce through enhanced training, recruitment, and retention efforts. House Bill 2059 builds on that foundation by expanding Oregon’s capacity for residential behavioral health treatment, including new facilities for withdrawal management, residential care and psychiatric inpatient services. Together, these measures aim to increase treatment capacity while also stabilizing the workforce that makes such care possible.
None of these efforts will resolve our behavioral health challenges overnight, but they point to a growing recognition that the system must change. This change must be strategic and coordinated. The best solutions, evident in these examples, ensure that community nonprofits, hospitals, public safety, local government and the Legislature work in concert.
The woman I met that day years ago survived, but many don’t. Her story, and countless others like it, reminds us why this work matters.
We can’t fix the system all at once, but we can build it better, brick by brick. Timber Springs, Eugene police’s embedded behavioral health teams, and the recent legislative investments are proof that progress is possible. The challenge is great, but so is the determination of those working to close the gap.
The projects and initiatives underway in Oregon represent a great deal of hope. And for the thousands of Oregonians living with mental illness, hope is something worth building.