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A slow-motion catastrophe is unfolding at the Oregon State Hospital, which doesn’t have enough room to accept the severely mentally ill patients who need beds. To create that space, a federal judge ordered the locked psychiatric hospital to fix the backlog by releasing patients facing criminal charges (“Balloon Effect,” WW, Sept. 21). But the counties where patients are being sent don’t have enough capacity to treat them, and some will end up back on the streets. Here’s what our readers had to say:
Dubious, via wweek.com: “So much of what is wrong in Oregon, and especially the metro area, is directly attributable to the persistent failure of the state to establish and manage an effective behavioral health system.”
Scrappymutt, via wweek.com: “Whether you’re a NIMBY conservative that wants to end street camping or an activist for homeless rights that wants to protect the unhoused, it’s tough to see how releasing a bunch of dangerous people with untreated mental illness into the community is anything but a colossal step in the wrong direction.”
LDiabloRobotico, via Reddit: “Conservatives: We need to do something about these crazy homeless people! “Society: How about we tax the ultra0rich at the same rate they were 50 to 60 years ago to pay for better mental health services? “Also conservatives: No, we’ve tried nothing and we’re all out of ideas.”
Crowsby, via Reddit: “Probably good to bear in mind that meth is the core reason hospitals have become overcrowded, though the word doesn’t appear anywhere in the WW story.”
Sophlady, via wweek.com: “This is a problem that can be partly solved with bricks and mortar. There needs to be more than one facility in Oregon that can treat the severely mentally ill. It would be helpful if smaller hospitals were opened in other cities, including Portland. Being closer to family and social services workers would enhance improving the psychological stability of the patients. “I believe holding people, many charged with misdemeanors, for three years is too long. Judge Mosman made a pragmatic decision in this regard. However, there needs to be viable housing and treatment for those released.”
sionnachrealta, via Reddit: “Hi, disabled mental health practitioner here! More funding for programs would be great, and it also needs to come with more housing assistance without the requirement of being free of addiction to attain it. In addition, we desperately need that funding to cover the programs with higher staff salaries. I can barely keep a roof over my own head, let alone help others, and we’re in a SERIOUS staffing crisis due to the ridiculous expectations that come from being understaffed, underpaid, and overwhelmed with clients in crisis. “We need programs for adults, and we also need programs that focus on helping folks as they’re entering adulthood to make sure they don’t end up in desperate situations to begin with. Another thing that would make a huge, positive impact would be Universal Health Care. Folks don’t end up in those kinds of facilities the first time they face mental health challenges. That comes after years of being neglected economically and denied access to care. “Most disabled folks are barely scraping by. Disability is extremely difficult to access, and it also doesn’t provide enough to live off of, especially if you’re married. Even if folks could access housing, odds are they won’t be able to hold down a full-time job to afford it long term…as if a full-time job paid enough in the first place. We’re all being slowly bled dry, and it tends to hit those of us struggling with health challenges, and those of us who help them, harder than most.”
LETTERS to the editor must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to: PO Box 10770, Portland OR, 97296 Email: mzusman@wweek.com