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Behavioral Health Court

Contact Information

Union County Behavioral Health Coordinator
Kara Rudd
541-962-9500 ext 34

Address
Union County Treatment Court
1105 K Ave
La Grande, OR 97850

Hearing Times
Every Monday afternoon



​The mission of the Union County Behavioral Health Court Program is to enhance public safety by providing a judicially supervised regime of appropriate treatment services and support to criminal justice involved Veterans and individuals with mental health symptoms with the goal of reducing police contact, increased and sustained engagement with treatment and stability in the community with improved quality of life for all participants.​

  1. Reduce police contact for participants.
  2. Increase and sustain engagement with treatment.​​​
  3. ​Stability in the community for all participants.​
  4. Improve the lives of participants with mental health issues in the criminal justice system through the integration of intensive supervision, alcohol and drug treatment, mental health services, alcohol and drug testing, and case management services with criminal justice system processing.​​

​The Union County Behavioral Health Court targets men and women who are 18 years or older, live in Union County and have serious and persistent mental health diagnosis and/or are past or present members of the armed forces and have been charged with a crime and agree to participate in the program.


SPMI defined by the Oregon Administrative Rules: “Serious and Persistent Mental Illness” means the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders diagnostic criteria for at least one of the following conditions as a primary diagnosis for an adult age 18 or older:

  • ​​Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders;
  • Major depressive disorder;
  • Bipolar disorder;
  • Anxiety disorders limited to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD);
  • Schizotypal personality disorder; or
  • Borderline personality disorder​​​


​The Union County Behavioral Health Court Program began in June 2020 and has a maximum capacity of 10 participants.  The program is structure is based on the 10 Key Components of Drug Courts that are outlined in the Oregon Specialty Court Standards, with a focus on mental health and co-occurring (mental health & Substance Use Disorder) treatment.​

​The multi-disciplinary team is made up of representatives and professionals from various community partners and treatment agencies including:

  • Union County Circuit Court
  • Union County Community Corrections
  • Center for Human Development
  • Grande Ronde Hospital, La Grande Police Department
  • Union County Sheriff’s Office
  • Union County District Attorney’s Office and Public Defense​