Court-appointed expert tells Oregon to limit hospital stays and expand community options to meet the seven-day rule
Dr. Debra Pinals, a psychiatrist who works on similar cases in other states, said the hospital had about 750 licensed beds with nearly 710 occupied, roughly 560 in Salem and 145 in Junction City. As of May 1, about 70 aid-and-assist patients were waiting for admission, with an average wait of 16 days.
Her recommendations included discharging aid-and-assist patients when they are ready, starting a community navigator pilot by December, reaching the seven-day deadline by February, capping aid-and-assist stays at six months, which she estimated could serve about 130 additional patients a year, and expanding community services and housing. OHA director Patrick Allen called the recommendations reasonable and achievable.
The report fed directly into the federal court order on stay limits later that summer.
Source: Oregon State Hospital needs to comply with court order, report says — Oregon Capital Chronicle, by Lynne Terry
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