Three Oregon Hospital Systems Sue State Over Psychiatric Logjam
Lund Report – September 28, 2022
Three Oregon hospital systems have joined forces to sue the Oregon Health Authority for allegedly forcing them to give long-term care to civilly-committed mental health patients that they are not designed to provide.
Legacy Health, Providence Health & Services and PeaceHealth filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Eugene. They say the lawsuit, which names the health authority’s director, Patrick Allen, as the defendant, is intended to ensure the state fulfills its legal obligation to provide adequate mental health treatment capacity for civilly committed people.
The health authority has “failed in its responsibilities to this vulnerable population,” the suit says. “Rather than ensure and provide timely access to meaningful treatment, OHA is abandoning civilly committed patients and leaving them for extended periods of time in acute care community hospitals.”
Hospitals sue Oregon Health Authority over failure to provide mental health facilities for patients
From the Oregonian – September 28, 2022
Three of Oregon’s largest hospital systems have sued the state over its failure to provide adequate care for mentally ill patients, which they say has forced the hospital systems to house patients in need of mental health treatment for months.
Providence Health & Services, Legacy Health and PeaceHealth allege that the Oregon Health Authority has forced them to provide mental health care they’re not equipped to give, for patients who instead should be civilly committed to psychiatric institutions such as the Oregon State Hospital.
The state psychiatric hospital’s ongoing capacity crisis, along with a recent court ruling that places strict limits on who can be admitted to the facility, has left community hospitals with nowhere to send patients in need of mental health treatment. Instead, hospital representatives say they have been forced to care for those patients long-term, without the resources to do so.
A Federal Judge Has Ordered the Release of More Than 100 Patients From the State’s Locked Psychiatric Hospital. No One Is Sure What Happens Next.
There are simply not enough treatment options for people suffering from severe mental illness.
Willamette Week – September 21, 2022
The Oregon State Hospital, the state’s locked psychiatric hospital, abruptly announced three weeks ago that, in response to an order by a federal judge, it would send more than 100 patients back to their respective counties early.
Many of the facility’s patients face criminal charges and are being held until they are stable enough to stand trial.
In interviews, sources familiar with Oregon’s struggling mental health system say the new policy will not resolve the system’s long-standing shortcomings: There are simply not enough treatment options for people suffering from severe mental illness. The emergency release is the latest symptom of a system critics say is wholly inadequate for the mental health challenges Oregon faces.
Marion County may reject $6.3M intended to house Oregon State Hospital patients after release
Salem Statesman Journal – September 21, 2022
Marion County is considering rejecting $6.3 million from the state intended for housing people with behavioral health issues. That comes in response to the state announcing the impending release of more than 100 patients from the Oregon State Hospital.
In September, a federal judge ruled patients who are being held at the state hospital – a psychiatric hospital – on “aid and assist” while they are being treated to become stable enough to aid in their defense on criminal charges must be released sooner.
Under the ruling, the state must release patients on “aid and assist” accused of misdemeanors within 90 days of admission and those charged with felonies in six months. That’s a change from the previous state law of three years.
Marion County was involved in the lawsuit.
Oregon State Hospital issued $54,000 workplace safety fine
Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration says the hospital failed to investigate workplace injuries
Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed a $54,000 fine against the Oregon State Hospital for failing to investigate workplace injuries.
From January 2021 to June 2022, the hospital didn’t investigate every time workers suffered an injury or illness that caused them to miss work, according to Oregon OSHA’s two-page citation. The citation also says the hospital didn’t look at ways to prevent future injuries and illness from occurring.
The state hospital is a secure psychiatric facility that largely houses people charged with crimes, but who need mental health treatment in order to continue with their cases. In recent years, it has struggled to admit people from local jails, in violation of their constitutional rights. A long-standing federal court order requires the state hospital to admit people within seven days of being ordered into their care.
Last year, the hospital documented more than 300 cases that resulted in thousands of hours away from work, according to the citation. Oregon OSHA also notes that about 40% of the injury and illness cases this year were the result of workplace violence and most of those cases were not investigated.
Oregon State Hospital Ordered To Discharge Some Patients Sooner
Lund Report – September 1, 2022
Oregon State Hospital must limit how long it treats patients who need care before they can defend themselves against criminal charges, a federal judge has ordered this week.
The new order requires the state hospital to treat and restore patients on strict deadlines, based on the severity of the charges rather than their treatment progress.
While disability rights advocates lauded the ruling as a move that will help patients avoid additional jail time as they wait for admission to the hospital, it drew criticism from county prosecutors. Limiting treatment of these patients — in some cases to 90 days — say district attorneys, could result in premature discharges that pose a public safety risk to their communities.