Vancouver, Wash.-based Columbia River Mental Health Services has paused many of its behavioral health services and furloughed 112 employees.
In a March 25 notice to patients, the nonprofit behavioral health provider said it had paused adult and child outpatient therapy, psychiatry and case management programs. Columba River Mental Health Service’s methadone treatment clinic will remain open, according to its website.
According to a layoff notice filed March 24, 112 of the provider’s staff have been temporarily laid off.
In a message obtained by The Lund Report, Columbia River’s chief medical officer warned other providers in the area that emergency rooms, primary care offices and other providers are “at very high, imminent risk of being overwhelmed with individuals withdrawing from their medications.”
Columbia River manages care for around 1,600 high-acuity mental health patients, according to Lund. A spokesperson for Vancouver-based PeaceHealth told the outlet system leaders were meeting to determine how to manage the influx in behavioral health needs. The spokesperson called Columbia River’s closure “very new and unexpected.”
Columbia River will notify patients as soon as it has a clear plan for reopening.