No worries, they're having meetings
Not many would dispute the fact that the public health, and especially the public mental health, of the State of Oregon is abysmally bad. But cheer up! You'll be pleased to know that the bureaucrats in the state health department have reshuffled their organizational chart, with the help of a $21.5 million consultant! It should all go better now.
Ebony Clarke, a little over a year into her tenure as the state’s director of behavioral health, announced a shake-up in her office at this week’s meeting of the Oregon Health Policy Board. Clarke said the Oregon Health Authority, which the board oversees, brought in a consulting firm to “do an organizational assessment to really help us understand what the strengths and weaknesses were.” (OHA has signed and extended a long-standing, $21.5 million consulting contract with Deloitte to audit behavioral health and other services.) “How do we make sure that we’re not doing this work in silos?” Clarke asked. The answer: eliminate OHA’s umbrella Health Systems Division and elevate a new Behavioral Health Division and Medicaid Division.
That oughta do it. Happy days are here again.
Meanwhile, in Portland, if you have gone into cardiac arrest, your odds of surviving it aren't so hot. It's probably because Chevy Vega and the rest of the geniuses in county government can't get you an ambulance in time. But fear not! As readers here know, another consulting contract has been drawn up to remedy that problem, or at least "research" it, at a bargain-basement price of only $165,000 (so far, at least).
Here's a piece of consulting advice, which I'll offer for free: This place is completely off its rocker. The brainlessness of the electorate is killing people now, literally.
They should just merge the Health Department with the Lottery Commission.
ReplyDeleteOr they could have a game show called “Will They Live, Or Will They Die?” where contestants win prizes if they guess correctly. Something to pick up where Portlandia left off.
DeleteI'm game- here's my 2 cents
DeleteCompetence was once the primary credential for hiring people. I wish we could return to that concept. Maybe we’d be able to eliminate the consulting fees.
ReplyDeleteNow, we gotta find the executive at OHA who has a spouse/side-piece/kid working a Deloitte.
ReplyDeleteIf you have to hire consultants to be told you folks are way, way too stupid and mentally ill to solve any problems and in fact are making things far, far worse. Of course consultants, being paid by the host will NEVER be that clear and straightforward. So another circle jerk of spike protein (which has now replaced most sperm in men). Good times.
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked for a big US Govt contractor, there was always a lot of cracks about consultants because it seemed that managers would rather pay someone from far away $200/hour (that's how long ago it was) than hear the exact same advice from the people already on payroll. We used to say that consultants are people who you pay to borrow your watch to tell you what time it is and "Consulting: If you're not part of the solution, there's good money to be made prolonging the problem."
ReplyDeleteWhen I went into consulting, I finally figured out that if the clients had a watch but for whatever reason still didn't know what time it was, the consulting fee was earned, so long as you did it as efficiently as possible.
Perfect
DeleteIf we have to pay a consultant, then why are we paying you to do the job? I've worked for both Deloitte as well as client firms.
DeleteBelieve me, the only value added here is to Deloitte's bottom line.
Clean and sober myself for 38 years. I have known people go through treatment 9+ times or more. That is expensive. It probably rivals or exceeds the dough spent on the carceral alternative.
ReplyDeleteMy personal experience is that one does dope and alcohol until one cannot do it anymore, until one has had enough. What prompted me to change? The squalid degradation of my life and a real clear shot at the state penitentiary.
The state of Idaho could not, would not give me a bunk. Nor in-patient. Root hog or die. While some help was extended, I had to bother myself. Being a dope fiend is rightfully stigmatized as they are parasites who daily choose to damage any community with which they are in contact or inhabit.
Keep government and school officials out of kids' undergarments. Good god, let young people move into adulthood without the freakazoid rubbish that prevails concerning race and sexuality in schools and society.
I'm not saying put a bounty on them put do use work camps based on the old CCC model. Open bunkrooms, regular hours, at least teach basic skills, and pass along universal rules for adults (if you've got to ask you aren't going to understand).
Make sure that they know how to add, subtract, and divide. Read. Teach them the most honest version of history you can: don’t disguise what the “settler” nations of the Comancheria, Iroquois federation, the Aztec, Inca, and Mayan peoples did to survive, expand, exploit and worship. The 1619 Project and the Courageous Conversations are bullshit every bit as toxic as dope addiction.
Shape the nation, insofar as it can be shaped by government policy, so that intact families are the chief beneficiaries of government largesse. Encourage civics and civic participation Teach the structure of the American government and the theories that underpin it.
For chrissake quit burning churches and harassing Christians. Nearly any religion is better that the savage secular fatuity that prevails, and the Christian faith though shot through it may be with criminals and frauds is far less villainous than any system or whimsey they currently prevails in society.
Finally, act like men: take responsibility, right wrong with vigor, reward the good and do not subsidize evil. Aid the weak and provide charity starting with the family that you raise.
Truth.
DeleteSalem has been having the same Ambulance response problems as Portland, but the Salem Fire Chief has had enough. Salem Fire is taking over EMS service and response as of July 1. 2025 when private operator Falck Ambulance’s contract is up. Portland Fire should do the same.
ReplyDelete