The Oregon State Hospital was in the news again recently. Hospital superintendent Roy Orr‘s resignation April 2 coincided with the release of a report (pdf) on the investigation into the death of a patient at the mental hospital last October. Richard Harris, head of the Addiction and Mental Health Division at DHS, asked for Orr’s resignation. He told the [Salem] Statesman Journal, “it was time to make a change in leadership.”
The Oregon State Hospital has been under scrutiny in the past and an ongoing federal investigation has resulted in harsh criticisms of the facility. The hospital has demonstrated a reduction in violent incidents and is currently expanding to create more space for patients, but advocacy organizations say they want to see more improvements on a faster timeline.
Do you have experience at the Oregon State Hospital as an employee or as a patient? What would you like to see new leadership bring to the facility? Have you experienced mental health care in another state’s mental hospital? What was that experience like?
GUESTS:
* Richard Harris: Head of the Addictions and Mental Health division of the Oregon Department of Human Services
* Nena Strickland: Acting superintendent of the Oregon State Hospital
* Chris Bouneff: Executive director of NAMI Oregon
DOWNLOAD – The State of the Oregon State Hospital (22.4 MB)