In a statement Friday, the Oregon Health Authority said a surveyor from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found the state hospital鈥檚 secure transportation policies are lacking. If the hospital doesn鈥檛 make changes, it risks losing money through Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements 鈥� a loss that would amount to millions of dollars each year.
鈥淲e appreciate the findings the investigator provided us,鈥� Dolly Matteucci, the State Hospital superintendent, said in a written statement. 鈥淲e are taking steps right away to reduce the possibility that an unauthorized leave could occur during transport and potentially put themselves, staff or members of the community at risk.鈥�
Matteucci does not cite specific incidents or concerns that led to the federal review, but it comes just two weeks after 39-year-old Christopher Lee Pray managed to steal a state van from hospital employees who had taken him for medical care on Aug. 31. He then drove that van on a high speed chase along Interstate 5. While Pray managed to escape police in that chase, he was arrested the next day, after he attempted to swim across a shallow body of water in North Portland and .
The Oregon State Hospital is a state-run psychiatric hospital that houses people in the criminal justice system who need treatment for mental illness, as well as other Oregonians who are committed involuntarily.
Friday鈥檚 finding is not the first time Oregon鈥檚 State Hospital system has faced federal scrutiny. In 2021, a patient receiving care after an arson conviction . That facility faced decertification in 2022 after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found staff had , and generally lacked adequate training on how to handle dangerous situations that can arise.
Until March, the Marion County Sheriff鈥檚 Office had provided some assistance transporting patients for State Hospital staff. That agreement fell apart due to a deepening rift between the county and federal U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman, . Mosman has previously ruled that some State Hospital patients need to be released from custody within certain time limits if their criminal cases do not move forward. Some Oregon district attorneys, including Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson, have staunchly disagreed with Mosman鈥檚 view on the backlog for psychiatric care at the Oregon State Hospital.
State Hospital administrators said they plan to provide a corrective action plan related to the secure transportation issue early next week. The hospital would be subject to a random inspection later if that plan receives approval.
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