Legislature negligent in Oregon State Hospital debacle

The Oregon Legislature deserves a lion's share of the blame regarding the recent health care debacle.

While the legislature allocated hundreds of millions to build new facilities, hundreds of patients currently at the Oregon State Hospital were receiving substandard care, so much so that the US Department of Justice determined that the level of care violated the rights and safety of patients.

Issues included patient-to-patient assault, repeated suicide attempts by patients who were supposed to receive one-to-one monitoring, and questionable use of restraint and seclusion to control violent or suicidal behavior.

Other problems, the report said, included improper medication and disease control procedures and inadequate planning that delayed patients' recovery and discharge.

Though key legislators and the head of the DHS were shocked, shocked to discover that conditions were poor at the state hospital, it seems clear that DHS and the Legislature were asleep at the wheel.