Oregon State Hospital admitted dead man, held another in filthy room, leaked investigation finds
An internal investigation conducted at the Oregon State Hospital following a patient death in 2025 found a litany of problems including a filthy seclusion room, gaps in medical care and leaders ignoring staff who spoke up.
In one 2024 case, investigators found that a patient perceived to be unconscious was admitted and even had his photo taken from where he slumped in a wheelchair. It wasn’t until later that nurses discovered he was dead. In another, Kenneth Hass, the patient whose 2025 death prompted the evaluation, was reportedly told to eat food that had been contaminated by his own feces.
These are just two examples of the findings in the 61-page report, known in medical circles as a root cause analysis, that was provided to The Oregonian/OregonLive by a state employee with access to it.
Photo by Beth Nakamura
