Background
In Oregon, there are now as many older adults as there are people under the age of 18, and the workforce in Oregon is unequipped to support the older adult population – particularly those with behavioral health needs such as problem gambling, substance use disorders, and serious mental illness. Oregon’s Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health and Aging (OCEBHA) is a collaboration between Portland State University and Oregon Health & Science University. OCEBHA, funded by the Oregon Health Authority, was established in 2024 to support older adults with behavioral health needs by training the existing behavioral health and aging workforce and priming the next pipeline of behavioral health and aging professionals.
While OCEBHA has developed and leveraged mechanisms for training the existing behavioral health workforce, we also focus on providing students in multiple fields with the necessary knowledge and skills to support this population, as well as raise awareness among students about the importance of supporting older adults with behavioral health needs. This Oregon Council on Problem Gambling (OCPG) supported gap analysis is the first step to identifying what needs to be added to Oregon’s higher education curriculum, so students are equipped to support the older adult and behavioral health population.