Another Suspicious Death In Oregon State Hospital: MF Exclusive

[Public announcement list for Oregonians about human rights in the mental health system.]

MindFreedom Oregon News Alert - Please Forward
http://www.mindfreedom.org/oregon

      Another Suspicious Death Inside Oregon State Hospital

According to the below MindFreedom Oregon Exclusive Report, another  
psychiatric patient died inside Oregon State Hospital in Salem, Oregon  
under suspicious circumstances on Saturday, 17 October 2009.

The man -- known here as "Patient M" -- had apparently been  
complaining repeatedly for a month about chest pain, which staff had  
allegedly dismissed because of his psychiatric diagnosis. Instead of  
medical care, staff reportedly just gave him more psychiatric drugs.

After the patient died, the report says he was left undiscovered all  
day by staff who were supposed to be checking on him regularly.

The below is based on several anonymous reports from patients on ward  
50F with access to telephones, who took great risk to speak out.  
Because of a long pattern of abuse and neglect in Oregon State  
Hospital (OSH), this information is offered immediately in the public  
interest, but has not yet been investigated by authorities. Each  
allegation needs to be investigated before confirmation.

At the bottom are ways you can speak out to demand an investigation,  
and also demand support for a state-wide voice for Oregon's mental  
health consumers and psychiatric survivors.

Patients supplying this news did not ask to be anonymous but patients  
at OSH have reported retaliation for getting information out in  
public. For example, this past week a minimum security patient was  
allegedly moved, in shackles, to a more restricted area after he spoke  
with Salem reporters about his lawsuit against Oregon State Hospital.

MindFreedom calls on the Governor, the US Dept. of Justice and the  
media to immediately investigate the below allegations, especially the  
RED FLAGS marked in this report.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCLUSIVE REPORT to MindFreedom Oregon

      "The medicine is not working."

      The Passing of "Patient M" on Ward 50F in Oregon State Hospital  
(OSH)

Over one month ago, "Patient M" had a fellow patient -- "R" -- help  
him write a special letter to the ward medical officer.

In the letter Patient M complained of his chest pain, stomach pain and  
trouble breathing.

Instead of medical treatment for the chest pain, because of his  
psychiatric diagnosis Patient M was given more psychiatric drugs as  
staff felt he needed them, known in medicine as "PRN." These  
psychiatric drugs were often minor tranquilizers, usually Ativan  
(lorazepam) or Klonopin (clonazepam). The psychiatric drugs were  
administered whenever he complained of pain.

Two weeks ago, Patient M spoke directly to the Ward Medical Officer  
and said that, "The medicine is not working." He continued to complain  
of chest and stomach pain with difficulty breathing. [RED FLAG] He  
continued to be given "PRNs." He was not given a pain reliever, heart  
medication or any cardiac testing.

This past week, Patient M has told everyone on the ward who would  
listen that he was in serious pain. Other patients were already very  
worried about his health. He continued to receive tranquilizers when  
he complained.

Last Thursday and Friday -- 15th and 16th of October -- were  
particularly bad. [RED FLAG]

Patients say it's important to know that it is policy that all  
patients be checked for "location and condition every hour." For  
example, in a widely-publicized escape a month ago, staff had not been  
checking on the patient.

Saturday morning, 17 October 2009, Patient M got up for breakfast, and  
he was known as a man who never misses a meal. Some said eating seemed  
to be his greatest enjoyment, and he was always the first person to  
get his food. Because he is sloppy, he got his food delivered to him  
outside the kitchen.

At 8:30 am he was given his morning meds. He told the nurse that his  
chest hurt "really bad" and he had trouble breathing. He was given his  
usual psychiatric drug PRN.

Patient M went to lay down.

A nurse checked at 9:30 am and saw he was lying down. He seemed okay.

Patient M resided in a very over-crowded room typical of the "50  
building" at OSH. A short time later one of his roommates said his  
eyes were rolled back. "But sometimes he sleeps like that" because of  
the PRNs, said one roommate.

No staff checked his condition for the rest of the morning. [RED FLAG]

Lunch on 50F is served between 11 am and 11:30 am. Staff brought his  
tray down to his room. They called his name and there was no response,  
even though it is well known that he always eats. [RED FLAG] Staff  
left, and took his lunch back to the kitchen.

Mid-afternoon a roommate shook his foot to see if he'd wake up. There  
was no response. No staff looked in on him to check his condition all  
afternoon. [RED FLAG]

Dinner time, 4:30 pm, staff called into his room to announce the meal.  
No response. Patient M did not get up for food. Staff did not bother  
to bring a tray down for him. No staff checked him.

His roommates complained of the stench of "shit" in the room. This  
odor was probably from the natural course of a person who is lying  
dead for hours as their bowels evacuate. Staff still stayed out. [RED  
FLAG]

Finally, at 7:45 pm OSH medication staff went to his room to give him  
his evening pills. This time he was checked. He was so dead cold, no  
attempt was made at resuscitation. Some patients believe he was in or  
past rigor mortis at this point.

Between 7:45 and 8 pm, patient eye-witnesses allege several things  
happened. The room was sealed. Staff were called into what one person  
called a "bubble" to speak privately.

Based on patient reports: "It was quiet for a few minutes. Then the  
staff became very active. We could see through the nurses' station  
windows that they were handling documents, making photocopies. We  
heard one staff say, 'We'll need six more of those.' Then we could see  
staff shredding originals of documents they had just photocopied. By 8  
pm things had returned to normal. The body was carried out later."

Over the weekend Patient M's soiled bed and personal area were left as  
is in the crowded room. "The smell was unbelievable," said one witness.

On Monday morning, 19 October 2009, two days after the death, at the  
ward meeting, patients complained about the unsanitary conditions in  
this room. Staff took out the bed, bedding and sanitized the area. As  
of that evening there was no counseling about the death, and no extra  
help provided to other patients on that ward.

No memorial was suggested until patients brought it up at the ward  
meeting.

Patients were questioned at the meeting about "What do you know?" and  
"What will you report?" One patient referred to the meeting as an  
"inquisition."

Patients around the hospital heard about the death only by word of  
mouth.

Many are reportedly saddened.

Because of the request by patients, a memorial is planned.

- end -

~~~~~~~~~~

    ACTIONS * ACTIONS * ACTIONS

Please forward this alert to others who support human rights in mental  
health.

The Governor has not responded to e-mails. Please telephone.

PHONE GOVERNOR TED KULONGOSKI AT (503) 378-3111

In a civil but strong way, in your own words:

1) Ask the Governor to personally investigate suspicious deaths at  
Oregon State Hospital.

2) Ask the Governor to support the state-wide voice of mental health  
consumers and psychiatric survivors.

~~~~~~~~~~

BACKGROUND on OSH & MORTALITY:

Oregon State Hospital has a long history of suspicious deaths.

OSH is nationally famous when its secret discolored copper canisters  
were revealed that contain the ashes of some 5,121 patients who died  
between 1913 and 1971. The identification of many of the patients is  
lost.

See the Time Magazine article on Jan. 2009 about OSH ash cans here:

    http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1869177,00.html

For more photos of the canisters go to this web site from July 2009:

    http://thephotobook.wordpress.com/2009/07/06/david-maisel-library-of-dust/

or use this link:

    http://bit.ly/osh-ashes

Mortality and people in the mental health system continues to be a  
national controversy today in the USA.

A major study by the National Association of State Mental Health  
Program Directors showed that people who use the US public mental  
health system die about 25 years earlier than the general public:

    http://www.mindfreedom.org/kb/psychiatric-drugs/death

One possible reason provided in the study is the over-use of  
psychiatric drugs, including multiple prescriptions, but this factor  
is often omitted or downplayed by those in the mental health system  
discussing these deaths.

Instead, the mental health system today is promoting "integration" of  
physical and mental health as the answer to this mortality rate.  
"Integration" is now a major buzz word in mental health.

Sound good?

Unfortunately, there's no definition of this "integration." Is this  
the "integration" of psychiatric institutions into the community, as  
mandated by the Olmstead Supreme Court decision? A draft of Oregon's  
plan to implement Olmstead does not emphasize the importance of  
supporting the voice of mental health consumers and psychiatric  
survivors.

In some places this "integration" buzz word has simply meant increased  
prescription rates of psychiatric drugs in clinics that had previously  
focused on physical health. Sad about your heart condition? There may  
be a psychiatric drug prescription waiting for you, too.

People with psychiatric labels continue to be among the most  
disempowered Oregonians.

How can this "power imbalance" change without a voice?

Since the exact month Governor Ted Kulongoski took office, Oregon  
became one of the few USA states to provide zero -- 0 -- funding for  
the state-wide voice of mental health consumers and psychiatric  
survivors.  For more than seven years, there has been zero state  
funding for any of those activities -- a newsletter, conference,  
office of mental health consumer affairs.

Nothing.

During tough times, people with psychiatric labels are supposedly hit  
hardest. That's when we should be supporting the voice of mental  
health consumers and psychiatric survivors the most.

However, apparently based on advice from his closest staff, Governor  
Kulongoski continues to recommend zero for this state-wide voice each  
budget.

You can read about the Governor's legacy of "zero" for mental health  
consumers and psychiatric survivors here:

    http://www.mindfreedom.org/zero

~~~~~~~~~~

TWO ACTIONS:

1) PLEASE forward this covered-up news to all interested people.

2) PHONE GOVERNOR TED KULONGOSKI AT (503) 378-3111

Be civil and strong, ask for investigation of deaths at OSH, and for  
his support of a state-wide voice for mental health consumers and  
psychiatric survivors.

~~~~~~~~~~

ADDITIONAL ACTIONS:

US Department of Justice (DOJ) is supposed to be investigating Oregon  
State Hospital.

In your own words, ask that all appropriate results of investigations  
by DOJ of OSH be made public, and also be provided to you.

You can e-mail DOJ here:

    AskDOJ at usdoj.gov

Or for more DOJ contact info, go here:

    http://www.usdoj.gov/contact-us.html

You can also e-mail or postal mail Governor Kulongoski, contact info  
is here:

    http://governor.oregon.gov/Gov/contact_us.shtml

Please also bring this to the attention of any interested media.

If you did not receive this alert directly from mindfreedom-oregon  
news service, you can get on this free, public alert system here:

    http://www.intenex.net/lists/listinfo/mindfreedom-oregon-news

For more info about MindFreedom Oregon go here:

    http://www.mindfreedom.org/oregon

A clickable version with photo of above alert is here:

    http://www.mindfreedom.org/as/act/us/or/osh-death

You may join MindFreedom as a member here:

    http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate

- end of alert -