Advocates Join Hands on Oregon State Hospital Reform
To: The Honorable Theodore Kulongoski, Governor of the State of Oregon
The Honorable Peter Courtney, President of the Senate
The Honorable Jeff Merkley, Speaker of the House
Dr. Bruce Goldberg, Director, Oregon Department of Human Services
From: Mental Health America of Oregon, NAMI Oregon, and Oregon Advocacy Center
Date: January 31, 2008
RE: U.S. Department of Justice Office of Civil Rights Division CRIPA Investigation of the Oregon State Hospital
In response to the U.S. Department of Justice’s findings of the Civil Rights Division’s investigation of conditions and practices at the Salem and Portland campuses of the Oregon State Hospital, Mental Health America of Oregon, (MHA of Oregon) the National Alliance on Mental Illness Oregon (NAMI Oregon), and the Oregon Advocacy Center (OAC) unite in expressing dismay and outrage at the appalling lack of clinical care and basic safety at the Oregon State Hospital, the absence of effective and proactive state hospital management, and the lack of transparency and meaningful engagement by the Addictions & Mental Health Division with leading advocacy organizations and elected officials.
Our organizations believe the following steps will facilitate an effective framework for ensuring greater transparency and involvement of stakeholders, as well as greater accountability, oversight, and quality of care for Oregonians who reside in our state hospitals.We seek to join our state’s leaders as partners in forging real solutions and a lasting legacy of progressive and effective mental health care. To that end, we respectfully request that the Governor’s Office, Legislative Leadership, and DHS commit to rapidly and formally implementing the Department of Justice’s recommended remedial measures and resolving all identified issues in partnership with advocacy organizations and the Department of Justice.
We further request that Legislative Leadership consider the following recommendations:
1. Create an independent, legislatively-appointed Advisory Board that includes over 50 percent consumer/family/legal advocates to report and make recommendations to the State Hospital Legislative Oversight Committee.
a. MHA Oregon, NAMI Oregon, and OAC to provide nominations for appointments of consumer/family/legal advocates for consideration by the Oversight Committee;
b. Advisory Board may share concerns, information, and recommendations with the Legislative Oversight Committee;
c. Advisory Board may make recommendations for a permanent independent Advocacy d. Advisory Board for the state hospital system; and
e. Advisory Board may meet regularly with DHS to communicate and partner on implementing recommended remedial measures to address state hospital deficiencies and community mental health system investments designed to reduce the need for long-term hospitalization.
2. Hire an outside consultant with clinical expertise to staff the Oversight Committee and the Advisory Board;
a. Consultant to be an employee of the legislature and report directly to the Legislative Oversight Committee.
b. Consultant’s role will be to provide independent assessments and recommendations regarding state hospital implementation of the Department of Justice’s remedial measures and provide information and recommendations on other Oversight Committee priorities.
3. Hire a consultant with lived experience of mental health challenges to assist the hospital in moving towards recovery-based practices.
4. Ensure full state cooperation with the Department of Justice and a commitment to timely adoption of any and all recommended remedial measures to address findings.
5. Review organizational culture, structure, management, and processes within the Addictions & Mental Health Division to ensure that hospital and community mental health systems have effective management, transparency with stakeholders and legislature, and are fully integrated and on a course of continuous quality improvement that results in measurable improvements in patient health and quality of life and a focus on recovery.
6. Examine progressive models of state hospital care in the U.S. and other countries and advise hospital planning group(s) of any conclusions or recommendations.
7. Ensure that the state has a comprehensive mental health plan that addresses systemic issues raised in the Governor’s Mental Health Task Force Report.
8. Recommend investments in community services that will reduce demand on the state hospital system, promote recovery, and increase community re-integration.
9. Propose legislation, when necessary, to address systemic barriers to community treatment and re-integration.
We would like to note that an enlightened and efficient system of mental health care will require significant investment in community mental health services that are comprehensive, effective, and targeted to minimize reliance on institutional care and to maximize recovery and community inclusion.
While we recognize that the long-standing crisis in care in our state hospital system represents a daunting challenge, MHA of Oregon, NAMI Oregon, and Oregon Advocacy Center appreciate that the U.S. Department of Justice’s report has created an opportunity to forge new and mutually supportive relationships. As organizations dedicated to ensuring recovery and community inclusion of persons living with mental illness, it is our deeply held desire to engage in substantive and lasting dialogue with the Governor’s office, state agencies, and legislative leadership as true partners in bringing about a new standard of care in our state for those who enter the public mental health system.
Recent News on the Oregon State Hospital
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