Oregon’s psychiatric hospital released a short-term “stabilization plan” to improve safety and medical care after a patient died at the Salem facility last month. The three-page document calls for immediately addressing staff shortages at the hospital’s medical clinic and scrapping telework for providers who work directly with patients.
“There must be a shared responsibility for patient safety,” the plan states. “This requires an environment where people are able to speak up when they see a problem,” and consequences for staff and managers when they don’t do their jobs.
Entrance to the Oregon State Hospital in Salem, March 8, 2023.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Gov. Tina Kotek asked for the plan after she replaced the head of the Oregon State Hospital earlier this month and made the Oregon Health Authority’s Dave Baden acting superintendent.
In the past month, the hospital has risked losing federal funding and its accreditation. A federal judge is also considering whether or not to hold the facility in contempt for not admitting people quickly enough from local jails.
The 30-day plan acknowledges that the patient population has “dramatically changed over the past 10 years,” primarily treating people charged with crimes so they can return to court and aid in their own legal defense.
Staff at the hospital treat some of the most vulnerable people in the state, the plan notes.
“There are daily risks and events that do occur, but sentinel events such as major injuries, death, or severe temporary harm should not occur,” the plan states.
The document also states that punitive compliance actions and audits have caused frequent policy changes at the state hospital, and resulted in “unclear expectations, inconsistent application of policies, and no consequences for failure to follow policies.”
