2023 Oregon Revised Statutes › Volume : 11 - Juvenile Code, Human Services › Chapter 418 - Child Welfare Services › Section 418.735 - Plan for communication among local mental health authorities regarding certain suicides; Oregon Health Authority notification; authority as resource; notice of death suspected to be suicide.

(1) As used in this section:
(a) "Cause of death" has the meaning given that term in ORS 146.003.
(b) "Local mental health authority" has the meaning given that term in ORS 430.630.
(c) "Manner of death" has the meaning given that term in ORS 146.003.
(d) "Third-party notification" means notification from a source other than a patient in a program administered by the local mental health authority during the patient’s treatment.
(e) "Urban Indian health program" means an urban Indian health program in this state that is operated by an urban Indian organization pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 1651 et seq.
(2)(a) The Oregon Health Authority shall develop a plan for communication among local mental health authorities and local systems to improve notifications and information-sharing when an individual who is 24 years of age or younger dies and the manner of death is suspected to be suicide. The plan must address community suicide response and post-intervention efforts to address loss and the potential of contagion risk. The Oregon Health Authority shall collaborate with the following entities in developing and implementing the plan:
(A) Public school districts;
(B) Public universities listed in ORS 352.002;
(C) Private post-secondary institutions of education;
(D) Any facility that provides services or resources to runaway or homeless youth;
(E) Federally recognized Oregon tribes; and
(F) Urban Indian health programs.
(b) The Oregon Health Authority shall develop a statewide post-intervention protocol to enable local mental health authorities to deploy uniform and effective post-intervention efforts. In developing the post-intervention protocol, the authority shall take into consideration the Youth Suicide Intervention and Prevention Plan developed by the Youth Suicide Intervention and Prevention Coordinator under ORS 418.731 and 418.733 and may consult with local mental health authorities, federally recognized Oregon tribes, urban Indian health programs, youth-serving entities, individuals with lived experience in suicide ideation, attempts and loss, medical examiners, colleges and universities and national experts in suicide post-intervention.
(3) No later than 72 hours after receiving a third-party notification, including notice under ORS 146.100, of the death of an individual described in subsection (2)(a) of this section, if the deceased individual was not domiciled in the county where the death occurred, the local mental health authority shall provide notice of the death to the local mental health authority in the county where the deceased individual was domiciled.
(4)(a) The local mental health authority in the county where an individual described in subsection (2)(a) of this section was domiciled may notify the local mental health authority in any other county in which the deceased individual had significant contacts, as described by the Oregon Health Authority by rule.
(b) The local mental health authority in the county where an individual described in subsection (2)(a) of this section was domiciled shall provide notice of the death to the following local systems that had contact with the deceased individual:
(A) The principal or superintendent of relevant area public schools, the principal of relevant area private schools or any public university listed in ORS 352.002 or private post-secondary institution of education the individual was attending at the time of the individual’s death;
(B) The juvenile department;
(C) Community developmental disabilities programs;
(D) Local child welfare agencies;
(E) Local substance use disorder programs;
(F) Urban Indian health programs; or
(G) Any other organization or person identified by the local mental health authority as necessary to receive notice to preserve the public health.
(c) No later than seven days after receiving notice of the death of an individual described in subsection (2)(a) of this section, each local mental health authority in a county in which the deceased individual had significant contacts, as described by the Oregon Health Authority by rule, and any public school district, public university listed in ORS 352.002 or private post-secondary institution of education the individual was attending at the time of the individual’s death shall inform the Oregon Health Authority, in a manner and in a format determined by the authority, of activities implemented to support local entities and individuals affected by the suicide and to prevent the risk of contagion. The authority shall serve as a resource to the local mental health authorities and any public school district, public university listed in ORS 352.002 or private post-secondary institution of education the individual was attending at the time of the individual’s death as needed by the community.
(5) The notifications described in subsections (3) and (4) of this section must contain the following information regarding the deceased individual to enable the local systems to deploy effective post-intervention efforts:
(a) The name of the deceased individual;
(b) The birth date of the deceased individual;
(c) The date of death of the deceased individual;
(d) The suspected manner of death;
(e) A description of the cause of death; and
(f) Any other information that the local mental health authority determines is necessary to preserve the public health and that is not otherwise protected from public disclosure by state or federal law. [2015 c.296 §1; 2019 c.178 §1; 2019 c.471 §1; 2021 c.185 §2]
Note:
418.735 was enacted into law by the Legislative Assembly but was not added to or made a part of ORS chapter 418 or any series therein by legislative action. See Preface to Oregon Revised Statutes for further explanation.