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March 11, 2024
Media Contact: Amber Shoebridge, amber.shoebridge@oha.oregon.gov, 503-931-9586
Oregon State Hospital Superintendent Announces Retirement
(Salem, OR) Oregon State Hospital (OSH) Superintendent Dolly Matteucci has announced her retirement after 36 years of service to state hospitals in Oregon and California. Her last day on campus will be Friday, March 29.
“A major life decision like this is never easy and required a great deal of thought to get here,” said Matteucci. “Over the years I have learned that in our world, change is always afoot, challenges will always exist, and opportunities to grow and improve are endless. There will never be the perfect time to say goodbye, and my time is now.”
Matteucci started her career in 1987 as a registered dietitian at California Department of State Hospitals – Napa. She spent the majority of her professional career there, culminating in eight years of service as its executive director (California’s version of Oregon’s superintendent position) before joining OSH in 2018.
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"Dolly Matteucci has done an amazing job leading the Oregon State Hospital during an incredibly complex and challenging period in the hospital's history,” said OHA Director Sejal Hathi, MD, MBA. “Dolly’s devotion to the safety of patients and staff during the COVID pandemic and beyond will be felt for years to come. While I am sad to see her go, I respect her decision and wish her only the very best in her retirement.”
Under Matteucci’s leadership, OSH experienced no patient deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic – nor did any of its patients require hospitalization for the virus. While COVID-19 tore through other congregate settings across the nation and Oregon – from nursing homes to state correctional facilities – OSH did not record a single positive patient case until eight months into the pandemic.
During her six years, OSH has transitioned to a primarily forensic facility. The average daily population of patients under aid and assist orders increased from 228 in 2018 to 385 in 2023. The hospital reached an interim settlement agreement reached in 2021 with Disability Rights Oregon and Metropolitan Public Defenders that has moved issues out of the courtroom and into a collaborative space to better address OSH and community behavioral health service capacity.
This work has had an effect on OSH treatment and operations, as well as on the hospital’s partners in the behavioral health continuum, courts and communities. The hospital regained compliance with a court order to admit patients under aid and assist and GEI orders within seven days beginning July 20, 2023 and remained so through Dec. 22, 2023. OSH has been back in compliance as of Jan. 24, 2024.
OSH Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Sara Walker, MD will serve as interim superintendent beginning March 30 while continuing to maintain her CMO responsibilities. She began at OSH in September 2006 as a unit psychiatrist and served as Chief of Psychiatry from 2014 to 2020, when she was named CMO.
OHA will lead a national recruitment effort to identify OSH’s next superintendent.
About OSH
Oregon State Hospital (OSH), a division of Oregon Health Authority (OHA), provides patient-centered psychiatric treatment for adults with mental illness from throughout the state. The hospital’s primary goal is to help patients achieve a level of functioning that allows them to successfully transition back to the community. With two campuses, one in Salem and one in Junction City, OSH employs more than 2,700 people and served more than 1,800 unique patients in 2023.
OSH must follow federal and state hospital licensing laws. OSH is certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and is accredited by The Joint Commission. OSH provides the highest level of care in the most restrictive environment within the behavioral health continuum of care for persons committed from across Oregon’s 36 counties. OSH serves a broad patient population, including many people with co-occurring disorders, those impacted by structural racism and social injustice, and disproportionally represented in the criminal justice system.
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