For referral partners
Referral Partners
This page is for hospitals, county mental health programs, and other organizations that may refer adults to our residential treatment home in Portland. It explains how referrals will work, what we will need, and where we are in the licensing process.
We are not accepting referrals until Melrose Residential is licensed.
Melrose Residential is in the licensing process with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to operate as a Residential Treatment Home. We are not accepting residents or referrals at this time, and we plan to open in Summer of 2027. Please do not send referrals or client information yet.
Referral sources
Who can refer
Oregon's rules for residential treatment homes list the sources a home must accept referrals from. Once we are licensed, we will accept and process referrals from:
- The Oregon Health Authority or its designee
- Hospitals
- County mental health programs
- Licensed residential facilities and homes
- Licensed adult foster homes
A case manager, discharge planner, or social worker who works for one of these organizations can usually refer through it. Individual case managers and family members are not named in the rule, and a formal referral needs records that a family member alone often cannot supply. They are welcome to send us a question through the contact form below, and we can explain how to work with a referring organization. Any contract we hold with OHA may also limit which sources we can accept referrals from, and we will update this page if it does.
Admission
Admission criteria
OHA sets minimum criteria for admission to a residential treatment home. A person must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a mental health condition, or be suspected of having one
- Not need continuous nursing care, with limited exceptions that OHA must approve
- Be able to evacuate the building, consistent with the home's occupancy classification
Melrose Residential has five beds and serves adults with serious mental illness who need the level of support a residential treatment home provides. We will publish a summary of any additional admission criteria here before we begin accepting referrals. Until then, our page on who this home is for covers general fit.
The process
How referrals will work
Admission follows six steps. Each step is also on our admissions page.
Step 1: Reach out.
The referring organization contacts our admissions contact.
Step 2: Share information.
The organization sends the referral packet, described below.
Step 3: Screening.
Every referred person is offered a screening interview before we accept or deny. We contact the referring organization to schedule it promptly after receiving the packet, and we hold the screening within the timeline OHA requires. It is held at the home, unless weather prevents travel or the person asks for a phone screening or one where they are staying. The person, their representative, and our Administrator take part, and family or others may join with the person's consent.
Step 4: Our decision.
We decide based on the packet, the screening, and the admission criteria, and we tell the person, their representative, and the referring organization within the timeline OHA requires after the screening. If we cannot accept someone, we send a written notice that explains why and describes the right to appeal. If we accept someone, the notice gives an estimated admission date, or their place on the waitlist.
Step 5: Review the agreement.
The person or their representative reviews the agreement and gives informed consent to services before admission.
Step 6: Move in.
The person moves in, and their service plan is written with them.
The packet
The referral packet
OHA requires a screening packet with each referral. It must include at least:
- Written documentation that the person has, or is suspected of having, a mental health condition
- Background information, including a current mental health assessment
- Medical information, including a brief history of health conditions
- Documents on guardianship, conservatorship, commitment status, and advance directives
- The person's most recent mental health treatment plan
- Documentation of the person's ability to evacuate a building
We also need a signed release of information so records can be shared with us. A referring organization usually assembles the packet, since a family member alone often cannot supply all of it. We will list what our packet includes, and make it available to download, on the referral packet page.
Availability
Openings and waitlist
With five beds, there may be times when no bed is open. When that happens, referred people may be placed on a waitlist. OHA's rules set how a waitlist is kept and who has priority, and we follow them. We stay in touch with people on the waitlist and their referring organizations.
Payment
Payer and authorization
Melrose Residential is funded through the Oregon Health Plan (OHP), Oregon's Medicaid program. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) pays a daily rate for each resident's personal care and daily living support, and the rate depends on the level of support the person needs. Before admission, OHA or its contracted Independent and Qualified Agent reviews the request and decides whether to authorize it. Residents pay room and board from their own Social Security benefits, and the details are on our cost and payment page.
Contact
Reaching our admissions contact
A direct admissions contact will be listed here before we open. Until then, you can send a question through our contact form for referral partners. Please do not include client names or health information in the form.
Each step toward licensure is posted on our updates page.
Related Information
Referral packet
What the packet is for and where the download will be.
How admission works
The six steps from first contact to move-in, and who does what.
Who this home is for
Who qualifies, and what to do if this home is not the right fit.
