Oregon State Hospital sued in federal court, plans to add beds Monday
In the latest escalation over admissions delays, the Oregon State Hospital is facing a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of two people ordered into state care months ago, but who have still not been able to access the facility.
The men have been stuck inside the Multnomah County Jail for half the year or longer, where their mental health has declined. According to attorneys representing the men, one is on suicide watch and the other got into a fight because he was not receiving proper treatment for his mental illness.
An attorney for the men is asking a federal judge to intervene and force the state’s psychiatric hospital to admit the men for the mental health treatment the state courts have determined they need. In March and May, the men were found guilty except for insanity for crimes, and ordered to the state hospital to serve their sentences.
As of late last month, 26 people statewide found guilty except for insanity were waiting in jails for admission to the hospital, according to an Oct. 27 record filed by the state in a separate federal court case. At that time, 19 people had been waiting for more than 100 days. One person in Jackson County had been waiting 283 days, according to the document.
Aria Seligmann, a spokeswoman for the state hospital, declined to comment on the pending litigation. Starting Monday, the hospital plans to open 24 long-awaited beds at its Junction City campus for patients found guilty except for insanity. An additional 24 beds in Junction City are expected to be available next year.