Oregon State Police are investigating the flow of illicit drugs into Oregon State Hospital after two patients at the state-run psychiatric facility tested positive for drugs that hospital officials suspect arrived in the mail.
Dr. Sara Walker, interim superintendent of Oregon State Hospital, notified staff on Friday that preliminary drug screens for “multiple patients” found amphetamines and buprenorphine in their systems after concerned staff noticed changes in their behavior. In tests, one patient tested positive for suboxone and another tested positive for methamphetamines. Suboxone contains buprenorphine, which is an opioid that’s used to treat an opioid addiction but also can be abused.
Oregon State Police are investigating the flow of illicit drugs into Oregon State Hospital, shown in this 2019 file photo, after two patients at the state-run psychiatric facility tested positive for drugs that hospital officials suspect arrived in the mail.
Courtesy of Oregon State Hospital
“Further tests have been sent out for confirmation and drug verification,” Walker, also the hospital’s chief medical officer, said in the email, obtained by the Capital Chronicle. “We should get results next week. This is an active Oregon State Police investigation.”
Hospital officials declined to say how many tests are pending.
The drug case follows the May 24 death of a patient at the state hospital of a suspected fentanyl overdose, which Oregon State Police also are investigating. The Salem hospital, which can hold nearly 600 patients, has had other incidents in the past year as well. They include the April 18 death of a patient shortly after he arrived and staff failed to immediately check his vitals, federal inspectors finding security concerns and condoms in the hospital and a patient escape that led police on a high-speed chase.
Buprenorphine is tightly regulated by the Drug Enforcement Agency as a schedule III drug, which means besides it has a potential for abuse. Methamphetamine is listed as a schedule II stimulant, which means it has a higher potential for abuse than buprenorphine. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug, often sold illegally as a pill or powder and gives users an intense high through the release of dopamine into the areas of the brain that regulate pleasure, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Agency.
Oregon State Police Capt. Kyle Kennedy declined to comment on the investigation, saying the agency plays a role in investigating such matters to enhance the hospital’s safety.
In her email, Walker said the evidence suggests the drugs “may have come in through the mail.” As a result, the hospital is holding the mail of the patients involved, Walker said.
Oregon State Hospital staff can open mail when they believe it may contain contraband, according to hospital policy. Staff are to open most mail in front of patients when they do so, according to a 2023 directive. Under hospital policy, staff otherwise aren’t allowed to censor, read or delay a patient’s mail.
The hospital didn’t immediately have more information about its mail handling policies.
At this point, it’s unclear what changes, if any, the hospital will make to its overall mail handling policy. In an email, hospital spokesperson Amber Shoebridge said the hospital is looking this week at options.
“The intent is not to obstruct patients getting mail, and we also need to ensure that what they receive is safe,” Shoebridge said.
Walker said the hospital plans random drug tests in the days ahead on multiple units to determine how widespread the issue is. She commended staff who flagged concerns about patients and urged employees to notify their supervisors if they notice a change in patients.
“You may be saving someone’s life,” Walker said.
Visitor policy changes
Oregon State Hospital halted in-person visits after the suspected fentanyl overdose so it could review policies and look for potential changes to keep patients safer.
Shoebridge said the hospital hasn’t reinstated in-person visits but is making plans to do so. She didn’t say when.
Beforehand, hospital staff will make several changes, including to its screening protocols for visitors and patients before and after visits, how staff monitor visits and requirements for visitor conduct at the hospital. There also will be security staff training.
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