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Hillsboro Medical Center is shuttering one of the Portland area’s only geriatric psychiatry units, meaning there will be soon fewer health care options for older adults with acute mental health disorders.
The Lund Report first covered the news of the closure, which Hillsboro Medical Center says will take effect Sept. 4. The hospital, which is affiliated with Oregon Health & Science University, describes its 21-bed Center for Geriatric Psychiatry as one of only three acute psychiatric centers in Oregon that specialize in treating older adults.
Touting its access to OHSU specialists, the Hillsboro Medical Center website says the unit treats patients 50 years and older for depression, anxiety, psychosis and self-destructive or threatening behavior tied to a psychiatric illness.
Hillsboro Medical Center leaders blamed staffing shortages and low patient volumes for the move. “We recognize that closing our geriatric psychiatry unit program raises important concerns about access to behavioral health care for older adults, and we do not take those concerns lightly,” a spokesperson told WW in a written statement. “However, persistent staffing shortages, unsuccessful recruitment efforts sustained over multiple years, and consistently low patient volumes have made it increasingly difficult to sustain a stable, high-quality program, making a transition to other care options the most responsible path forward.”
Still, regulatory filings suggest the unit was far from empty not long ago. In documents submitted in 2024 to the Oregon Health Authority, Hillsboro Medical Center said its geriatric unit on the hospital’s third floor had an average census of 14 patients per day, with an average stay length of 17 days. It said at the time it averaged 25 admissions and 25 discharges per month.
There are limited local alternatives for older adults in search of psychiatric care. The other geriatric psychiatry units in the area are at Providence Milwaukie Hospital, and Willamette Valley Medical Center, in McMinnville.
The Hillsboro Medical Center spokesperson said the hospital is “doing everything we can to make the transition as seamless as possible for our patients,” and that “most patients will be able to complete their care with us prior to discontinuing our geriatric psychiatry services.” She added, “We will continue to operate until all patients have been placed in a safe, clinically appropriate setting.”
