There have been several major incidents at the Oregon State Hospital that have put staff and our patients at risk in the last nine months, the most recent being the tragic death of a patient (“Oregon State Hospital failed to conduct hourly checks to ensure patients were ‘alive and breathing,’” June 8). Investigations into these incidents rightly pointed out procedural lapses, but these are symptoms of a much larger issue.

Our patients are among the most vulnerable in Oregon, and their safety is our utmost priority. However, consistent understaffing means we operate in crisis mode, making it challenging to provide essential care. The hospital administration’s efforts to train staff and improve protocols are steps in the right direction, but without addressing the root cause, these measures are band-aids on a gaping wound.

In just one week this month, nursing staff were mandated to work nearly 720 hours of overtime. We are stretched thin, which impacts the quality of care we can provide our clients and jeopardizes our own health and safety. I sustained a severe concussion in April 2021 that put me out of work for months. One month later, the staffing crisis became so acute that the Oregon National Guard was called in to help staff the hospital.

We need sustainable staffing solutions and better support systems to stop the constant turnover. It is not enough to fix procedures; the hospital must be adequately staffed and our staff must feel supported to carry out these protocols effectively. Our patients’ lives depend on it, and so does the well-being of the compassionate professionals who care for them.

David Lynch, Beaverton

Lynch is a mental health registered nurse at Oregon State Hospital and president of AFSCME Local 3295

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