Policy Workgroup

Thanks for being interested in the work of the Mental Health Alliance Policy Workgroup. Our current work is preparation for advocacy around the conduits in and out of the Oregon State Hospital, focusing on the Mink Order. The Workgroup meets weekly via Zoom to hear from expert guests and learn the case. Contact us if you’re interested in visiting the group.


Our Purpose ~

  • We advocate to improve policies, practices, and procedures at the intersection of mental illness and law from the point of view of persons with lived experience of mental illness – in jails, prisons, and state hospitals, about involuntary hospitalizations, and within the judicial system.
  • Our aim is to improve the care, health and safety outcomes for people caught in these intersections and reduce the number of holes in the system where Oregonians fall through the safety net.
  • Our interest is in the plight of those accused of misdemeanors and who are unable to represent themselves in court, who are released from to “community care.”

Review the website links, documents and recordings below to get a start on understanding the Mink Order.

All court pleadings via PACER

History of OAC v Mink also called Bowman v Mink, from Disability Rights Oregon

Relatively CURRENT status of the case – Bowman v Mink

Administrators gave this training on Aid & Assist Processes and Procedures Training to Oregon State Hospital staff in March 2023

Slidedeck for training above, from March 2023

Oregon State Hospital Mink-Bowman Order Compliance – current data dashboard for the hospital

SECOND AMENDED ORDER TO
IMPLEMENT NEUTRAL EXPERT’S RECOMMENDATIONS
– July 3,2023

Documents and articles related to the consulting work by Dr. Debra A. Pinals, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Director of Law, Psychiatry and Ethics at Oregon State Hospital, 2021 – 2022

Neutral Expert First Report of Mink v Bowman – Pinals 2 2022

Neutral Expert Second Report of Mink v Bowman – Pinals May 2022

Neutral Expert THIRD Report of Mink v Bowman – Pinals September 2022

Neutral Expert Fifth Report of Mink v Bowman – Pinals April 2023

Regarding the Consolidated Mink and Bowman Cases – Pinals February 2022

OSH Update Presented to House Behavioral Health Committee, February 17, 2022 by Dolly Matteucci, OSH Superintendent

Oregon State Hospital needs to comply with court order, report says – Oregon Capital Chronicle June 2022
The Oregon Health Authority, which oversees the hospital, agreed with the recommendations

Mosman Ruling Frequently Asked Questions – created by OHA 9 2022

Oregon State Hospital overcrowding could be eased with these improvements, mental health expert says – Oregonian February 2023

Proposed fixes for Oregon State Hospital stall in Legislature – Lund Report May 2023
Spending measures and legislation to address long-running litigation over the state’s behavioral health system face an uncertain future

The Oregon State Workforce Crisis – SEIU Local 503, May 2023

Referred From OSH 2018 – 2022

Number of hospital patients in Outpatient Services 2018 – 2022

Number of hospital patients in Services 2018 – 2022

A Mixed Methods Study of Competency Restoration in Oregon – Submitted to Health Services Division, Office of Behavioral Health, Oregon Health Authority – September 2023

Unopposed Motion to Extend Remedial Order – December 2023

Neutral Expert Eighth Report of Mink v Bowman – Pinals December 2023

Neutral Expert Ninth Report of Mink v Bowman – Pinals May 2024