Nurses say patients at the Oregon State Hospital in Salem still at risk

The Oregon State Hospital in Salem, the state’s only public psychiatric hospital, is facing multiple lawsuits alleging retaliation against those who have formally raised serious issues about the way it is treating — or failing to treat — its patients.

OSH has been out of compliance with federal standards in recent years, and it has been found in contempt of court for not admitting mentally ill criminal defendants quickly enough.

Last year, Lindsey Sande, the deputy chief nursing officer at OHS was so concerned she made a formal complaint. But she says nothing was done, and the patient died 9 days later. She says she was demoted shortly thereafter, along with two other whistleblowers.

We’ll talk with Lillian Mongeau Hughes who covers homelessness and mental health for The Oregonian/Oregonlive.com. And we hear directly from Sande about how she sees OSH patients being cared for and how employees who speak up are being retaliated against.

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