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    Nirmala Dhar, LCSW, ACSW

    Older Adult Behavioral Health Lead Strategist
    Oregon Health Authority , Behavioral Health Division
    Salem, Oregon

    Nirmala Dhar is a licensed clinical social worker with a master’s degree in social work from the Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri and Bombay University, India. She is mission driven and has a passion to work with the most vulnerable clients, often with cross sector complex care needs. Nirmala has worked for 40 years in all aspects and programs of behavioral health in the public sector in Missouri, New Jersey, and Oregon. She is a senior policy analyst and the Older Adult Behavioral Health Lead Strategist for Oregon Health Authority ‘s Division of Behavioral Health. In this position she is the Older Adult Behavioral Health Initiative Project Director, the PASRR Level II Coordinator and subject matter expert for her division. She is the Project ECHO Geriatric Behavioral Health Champion at OHA. Nirmala recently helped conceptualize, fund and establish the Center for Excellence for Behavioral Health and Aging at Portland State University – OHSU and is an active thought partner. Prior to working for OHA, she worked for Clackamas County Behavioral Health for 18 years. This included 10 years as the geriatric mental health specialist . She brings her strong social work and faith values to her work which is animated by anti-oppressive practice and feminist theory. Her career has been focused on the values of social justice and equity with a passionate focus on disability justice for individuals with serious mental illness She has provided trainings on a variety of topics over the past twenty years locally and nationally and enjoys coaching and mentoring new clinicians. Her areas of professional interest include healthy aging, social justice, workforce development, quality improvement, health metrics , bioethics, intersection of law and mental health and service delivery innovations.

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