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Just one month into his tenure, the Oregon State Hospital’s superintendent has been removed from his post, the state health authority said Wednesday, an abrupt shakeup at a vital psychiatric institution that has churned through leaders in recent years.
The Oregon Health Authority had announced Sean Murphy’s appointment to the superintendent post in June, with the agency’s then-chief Sejal Hathi citing Murphy’s “deep experience in behavioral health, state hospital operations, civil commitment systems, correctional health, and large-scale public sector transformations.”
But Hathi resigned her own job as the state’s health chief soon after. She was replaced in an interim capacity by former Oregon Department of Human Services director Fariborz Pakseresht.
The OHA has said Murphy, a former Washington State health official, would start his new position leading the state hospital on July 13.
He didn’t last long.
“Sean Murphy will no longer be serving as superintendent,” Pakseresht said in a 12:04 pm email to OSH staff reviewed by WW, adding that the change was effective immediately.
The email referred staff to a press release the agency sent out around the same time, which said that “after careful consideration,” Pakseresht had decided to “not move forward with Sean Murphy’s trial-service period.”
The announcement of Murphy’s hiring in June had made no mention of a trial-service period, though it did say Murphy, during his first four weeks at the helm, would be accompanied by the previous interim superintendent Jim Diegel.
Now, the state says Diegel has returned to this interim superintendent role while it once again seeks a new permanent leader.
The public statement noted that the Oregon State Hospital is a “uniquely complex and important institution. It requires strong, trusted, accountable leadership, particularly given the needs of patients, families, employees, and the public. Because of this, superintendents are held to the highest standards possible. OHA’s focus is on ensuring that an institution as important as the Oregon State Hospital has the leadership it needs to fulfill its mission and serve patients safely and effectively.”
