Oregon State Hospital Will Stop Giving Condoms to Patients
Willamette Week, May 3, 2024
“I don’t know why they’re handing out condoms,” Gov. Tina Kotek said in response to a question at a press conference Friday afternoon. “That particular footnote was a surprise, and we’re going to be talking to them.”
Safety lapses contributed to patient assaults at Oregon State Hospital, federal investigators find
Associated Press – May 3, 2024
Safety lapses at the Oregon State Hospital contributed to recent patient-on-patient assaults, a federal report on the state’s most secure inpatient psychiatric facility has found.
The investigation by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that staff didn’t always adequately supervise their patients and that the hospital didn’t fully investigate acts of aggression, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
The federal agency opened the probe after receiving four complaints. Its findings were published following an unannounced, onsite survey conducted at the Salem hospital earlier this year.
Feds Say Oregon State Hospital Fails to Protect Patients From Violence and Sexual Assaults
Willamette Week, May 1, 2024
Inspectors working on behalf of the federal agency that administers Medicaid have concluded that Oregon’s state-run psychiatric hospital is failing to keep its patients safe from violence and sexual assaults.
The Oregon Health Authority announced it had received an inspectors’ report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, but offered few details about what they found. WW obtained a copy of the report shortly thereafter.
Feds raise concerns about Oregon State Hospital disorganization on emergency medical care
Oregon Capital Chronicle, April 30, 2024
Federal inspectors found disorganized emergency medical supplies at Oregon State Hospital’s admissions area when they visited the state-run psychiatric residential facility in Salem after a patient’s unexpected death this spring, public records show.
The failure to keep the supplies all in one place could cause staff to lose valuable time in cases of medical emergencies, they said, placing the Oregon State Hospital in “immediate jeopardy” status. That means the hospital could become ineligible to receive federal Medicaid and Medicare funding through the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
READ – STATEMENT OF DEFICIENCIES AND PLAN OF CORRECTION
Oregon State Hospital receives ‘statement of deficiencies’ from federal agency
KTVL.com, April 2024
Oregon State Hospital (OSH) has received a statement of deficiencies from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), following a survey which occurred in February and March 2024, Oregon Health Authority reports.
The survey was prompted by a “serious incident of patient-to-patient aggression” in February 2024, OHA said.
After a patient dies, federal inspectors put Oregon State Hospital on notice over reimbursements
Oregon State Hospital officials say they will make changes to fix problems flagged in an inspection after a patient died
Oregon Capital Chronicle, April 2024
Federal inspectors found disorganized emergency medical supplies at Oregon State Hospital’s admissions area when they visited the state-run psychiatric residential facility in Salem after a patient’s unexpected death this spring, public records show.
The failure to keep the supplies all in one place could cause staff to lose valuable time in cases of medical emergencies, they said, placing the Oregon State Hospital in “immediate jeopardy” status. That means the hospital could become ineligible to receive federal Medicaid and Medicare funding through the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The state hospital has about 680 patients and most of them are patients who needed treatment in order to face pending criminal charges and aid in their defense. Relatively few are on Medicaid, making the federal reimbursements only a fraction of the hospital’s funding.
Nearly all of Oregon State Hospital’s beds go to criminal patients, all but ending civil commitment in Oregon
Four of Oregon’s largest hospital systems are suing the state over a system that “neglects” people with severe mental illness who haven’t committed a crime.
KGW.com, Continuing Series – April 2024
In Oregon, there are two ways that a person with severe mental illness can be compelled to get treatment and care.
The first path is through a process called “civil commitment” — where doctors and a judge can order involuntary treatment if they find a person to be a danger to themselves or others, at imminent risk.
The second path is through the criminal justice system. A person may commit a crime, get arrested, and is then evaluated and transferred from a jail to a facility like the Oregon State Hospital for mandatory treatment and potential restoration if they’re deemed unable to aid and assist in their own defense.
Over the last five years, the “civil” route — the preventative care route — has all but vanished in Oregon.
Regulators approve Oregon State Hospital’s plan to prevent repeat of patient’s 2023 escape
Oregonian, April 2024
Federal regulators on Tuesday approved the Oregon State Hospital’s plan for securely transporting patients, closing for now an investigation that began after a dramatic escape last year.
The approval means the state’s largest psychiatric hospital will keep a large chunk of its federal funding. The money was at risk after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found the hospital’s lapses before the escape put patients in “immediate jeopardy” of harm.
Last September, patient Christopher Lee Pray stole a hospital van and led police on a brief high-speed freeway chase before ditching the van and running away. Pray, who had been charged with attempted murder and recently admitted to the state hospital, was found a day and a half later stuck in a North Portland pond.
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Federal judge blasts Marion County in a scathing Oregon State Hospital ruling
OPB.org, April 2024
An obviously angered federal judge ruled this week that a criminal defendant in Marion County cannot return to the Oregon State Hospital, months after efforts to treat the person’s mental illness at the psychiatric facility failed.
Judge Michael Mosman took exception with Marion County’s efforts to return a defendant to the state hospital, because those efforts violated the temporary admission standards state health officials, several district attorneys, disability advocates and county leaders — including those in Marion — all reaffirmed just four months ago.
“Marion County is a little like someone showing up to a delivery truck where they are handing out free loaves of bread to people in need,” Mosman wrote in the order. “When he first arrives, it looks like everyone will get a loaf to themselves. But then unexpectedly, a lot more people show up, and so now the loaves will need to be divided to feed everyone. But Marion County insists that it get its whole loaf, regardless of what that means to others.”
Oregon State Hospital superintendent announces her retirement
Dolly Matteucci will leave in March, creating a high-profile opening at the Oregon Health Authority
Oregon Capital Chronicle, April 2024
Oregon State Hospital Superintendent Dolores “Dolly” Matteucci announced on Monday her plans to retire from her post leading the state’s residential psychiatric facility.
During her tenure, the state hospital has faced the weight of the pandemic and struggled to accommodate patients who enter the state hospital under court orders so they can get treatment to defend themselves in criminal cases. The average daily population of patients under court orders for treatment in criminal cases soared from 228 in 2018 to 385 in 2023.
Marion County, crime victims ask new judge for more say on Oregon State Hospital case
Federal case managing the state psychiatric institution draws new motions citing public safety concerns
Lawyers for Marion County and a group of crime victims have filed briefs seeking more clout in a federal case overseeing the Oregon State Hospital, arguing that a judge’s order limiting stays there is endangering the public.
In December, U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman extended for another year a controversial order setting discharge deadlines for most state hospital patients. The order has meant more people with mental illness who are accused of crimes receive treatment instead of jail. However, critics say the order has created additional public safety and health challenges that local governments are struggling to address.
Marion County has struggled to gain legal traction in litigation over the state hospital. Last year, Mosman denied the county’s request for intervenor status and issued a withering rebuke after it attempted to extend a patient’s commitment to the state hospital.
Now, a different judge will consider the arguments from the county and the crime victims groups. Last month, Mosman was reassigned from the case as part of the court’s case management plan. U.S. District Court Judge Adrienne Nelson is now overseeing the case.