Prison Health

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SHUTTERSTOCK

Clackamas jail care failures led to man’s death, suit claims

Suit’s allegations trace how Robert Hight III went from cooperatively requesting medical attention in jail to lying unresponsive on his cell’s floor due to a massive “brain bleed”

Sep 11, 2025
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Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem is a maximum-security prison. | COURTESY OF OREGON DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS.

Oregon’s ‘disorganized’ prison health system needs major overhaul, analysts say

The Department of Corrections hired Falcon to assess its health care system after a whistleblower complaint and an independent investigation revealed serious problems, including delays in lifesaving care

Jul 29, 2025
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Oregon State Hospital in Salem. | OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY

Oregon health officials will appeal federal contempt-of-court finding

Critics say Oregon has had plenty of time to invest in fixes to ensure prompt care of mentally ill people housed in jail, but the state officials say a new ruling levying hefty fines was unfair and unfounded

Jun 19, 2025
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PIXABAY

Consultant vows to ‘zero in’ on Oregon prison care denials in wake of blistering report

A consultant hired by Oregon prison officials to look into a scathing outside review said his firm will operate with transparency and objectivity. An attorney specializing in representing people denied care said a pattern of outrageous decisions in recent years calls for a more in-depth review.

Feb 4, 2025
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Portland, Oregon. | SHUTTERSTOCK

Shortages of funds but not of issues marked Oregon health care in 2024

With health care undergoing rapid transformation, officials and lawmakers have struggled to keep up as ripple effects hit patients, providers and members of the public

Dec 31, 2024
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DEER RIDGE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION./PHOTO COURTESY OF PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP

State prison docs waited three years before fixing broken wrist, suit says

Federal lawsuit accuses the Oregon Department of Corrections of a consistent practice of denying or delaying care to people in custody, saying that “slow-playing” care causes “unnecessary pain and suffering” in violation of the U.S. Constitution

Aug 8, 2024
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EMILIANO BAR/UNSPLASH

State funds $13 million to improve medication-assisted treatment at Oregon's jails

New treatment providers around the state will be funded to combat opioid use disorder, including at jails, clinics and hospitals, with help from Oregon Health & Science University

Jul 23, 2024
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INSIDE MULTNOMAH COUNTY JAIL/PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP

Multnomah County corrections health employees demand managers' removal

New letter cites low pay, surge of deaths, mismanagement after employees overwhelmingly approve a vote of no-confidence

Apr 25, 2024

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Dean Kienholz in his office at Columbia River Correctional Institution in Portland, Ore. on July 19, 2023. Kienholz is a prisoner who became a certified alcohol and drug counselor while incarcerated. | EMILY GREEN/THE LUND REPORT

A prison pipeline that could help meet Oregon’s behavioral health workforce needs

The state corrections department is expanding a program that certifies prisoners to be drug and alcohol counselors and mentors — and it couldn’t happen at a better time

Aug 25, 2023