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Earlier this month, a patient died unexpectedly at the hospital. We frequently refer to the hospital as a community, and it’s never easy to share the loss of a community member. The death of any patient – whether expected due to a chronic medical condition or unexpected – weighs on patients who have lost a peer and also those people who spend the majority of their waking moments caring for them.
In the aftermath of any death, we share what we can with our hospital community – staff and patients – and also encourage them to seek out available resources to support them in their personal grief journey.
We remain a place of healing and hope. Caring for patients and creating a safe, stable environment is our highest priority.
We also recognize that we don’t do the work of caring for people alone. Just as OSH is one division of Oregon Health Authority, it is one part of the state’s behavioral health continuum of care. Our OHA partners in the Behavioral Health and Medicaid divisions play a key role in supporting the expansion of access to behavioral health services to people throughout the state of Oregon, so our patients can continue receiving care after they leave OSH.
Starting in this issue, we’ll share the work of our OHA partners in how they support strengthening behavioral health resources in communities throughout the state.
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Oregon State Hospital staff recently relaunched a popular concert series for patients to build community and unravel unhealthy behaviors that, for some, can be tied to listening to or playing music.
It’s important to normalize community gatherings and experiences that patients may be exposed to when they return to their own communities, explained Jesse Studenberg, an OSH-Salem music therapist, who helped organize the concert series.
“The goal for me is to create a sense of community and belonging,” Studenberg said. “Music is a powerful tool. It’s sharing a human experience with people and getting people to recognize the human experience of other people. That community aspect of music is why I got into music therapy.”
The annual concert series was sidelined during the pandemic. After two successful concerts this year, the series is on pause until the summer when staff are hopeful to move the event outdoors for a festival-like feel.
It’s a popular event that intentionally features musicians from across the state who play different genres. So far, the line-up has included singer-songwriter, Nick Jaina of southern Oregon (pictured left) and Papi Fimbres, a Portland-based percussionist and flutist who performs in English and Spanish (pictured below). During the performances, the musicians connect with their audience through their music and stories about music’s impact on their own wellbeing.
“One thing I love about the arts is to be able to connect with people in one specific moment,” Jaina said during his late January performance with Junction City patients. “I love that the people in this room right now – these exact people, this exact configuration will never be this way again and it’s a really special moment to connect through music. I feel really privileged that I get to do this.”
Music changed Fimbres’ life. During his performance on the Salem campus in March, he shared how his mother encouraged him to play music at a very young age to set him on a path away from the gang culture of his older siblings in their Los Angeles community.
“I started piano at three. Drums at five and flute at seven,” he told them. "Music, for me is therapy. Music is my life. ... I'm using these instruments as a conduit and I'm trying to channel this positive energy we need in this world."
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Many patients at OSH have a dual diagnosis – a mental health diagnosis and a substance use disorder, so events like the concert also help normalize participating in events sober.
“A lot of people bring up in music therapy group when they’re singing or playing an instrument that it’s the first time they’re doing it when they weren’t drunk or high,” Studenberg said. “The music culture often has this unfair connection with substance use and abuse – there’s a long history of that, and it’s good to show people engaging with creativity sober.”
Studenberg is one of several music therapists at OSH. As a clinical and evidence-based practice, music therapy uses musical interventions – songwriting, learning a new song, playing an instrument or even just listening to and talking about music – to help patients reach their personal non-musical goals. At OSH, patients can participate in music therapy through one-on-one and group sessions. Music therapists often collaborate with colleagues from other departments as well, using music to introduce concepts related to psychology and legal understanding, which addresses the most common barriers to discharge.
Music is a bridge for many patients to engage in treatment and to process and express their emotions and experiences, Studenberg said.
“A lot of people come to the hospital totally distrustful of the judicial system and psychiatrists and medications and may not want to go to group, but I can always connect with somebody about their favorite album or the best concert they’ve gone to,” he said. “Nobody hesitates to engage in that conversation and that could be the start of them being like, ‘OK, maybe the people here aren’t so bad. Maybe I should buy in a little bit and figure out how to move forward in my life.’”
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Want to listen?
Special thanks to Nick and Papi for sharing their talents with the OSH community.
Use the buttons on the right to access clips of their performances.
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OSH is a learning lab for many clinical disciplines through its partnerships with universities across the country. For nursing students, psychiatry residents and many others, the hospital provides valuable teaching experiences to help prepare the state’s behavioral health workforce.
In each Recovery Times, we’ll highlight a workforce area and share the educational journey to those careers.
For Dr. Vikas Mankala, his path to psychiatry began in medical school. He’s now in the third year of his psychiatry residency at OHSU. Last year, he completed a six-week rotation in forensic psychiatry at OSH.
What led you to choose psychiatry?
As part of our medical school training, we rotate in psychiatry, and I rotated at the VA working with inpatient veterans. It was a meaningful and humbling experience to hear veterans’ life stories and be involved in their care.
What was your experience like at OSH? Any takeaways that will guide you in your professional practice?
It was my favorite rotation by far during my second year of residency. I would say the main takeaway from my experience was that I really valued the multi-modal approach taken at the state hospital. We’d have multi-disciplinary teams for every patient and meet daily to weekly to discuss each one. I thought that was really effective for patient care.
Any common misconceptions or perceptions about OSH that were disproved during your residency?
I grew up in Salem and we’d drive by all the time as a kid. I was always curious about this place. Before I started the rotation, I recognized that there were perceptions about the state hospital and psychiatric hospitals in general. In popular culture, I think people think about One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which was filmed there. I talked to upperclassmen to learn more about what to expect, so my perception became that it was a great learning site for residents. And I ultimately found it to be a nurturing, healing and compassionate environment.
What are your plans after residency? Do you plan to stay in Oregon?
I’m still exploring that. I would like to stay in Oregon. Right now, I think I want to work in an outpatient capacity and potentially with veterans. One of the reasons I was drawn to psychiatry was the longitudinal relationship and getting to see their trajectory through a life span. I’d also like to work integrative, collaborative care environments because I find those care models to be effective.
Generally, more psychiatrists and behavioral health professionals are needed in Oregon. What do you think would help attract more behavioral health professionals to the state?
Having more training opportunities would help. I feel like most people come to do residencies where they’re interested in practicing. Our residency program recently expanded the number of incoming residents from eight to 12 people. It also would be helpful to have more opportunities for research, scholarly activity. That’s another reason I was drawn to psychiatry – there is still so much that is left to learn. We’re just scratching the surface on mental health and treatment interventions. Scholarly research could draw more talent to Oregon.
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Careers in Psychiatry at OSH
In this short video, OSH Interim Superintendent and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sara Walker and other OSH psychiatrists share about their experiences working as clinicians at the hospital.
Required education (minimum of 12 years)
- Bachelor’s degree (Typically four years)
- Medical school (Typically four years)
- Residency – Provides specialized training. Length depends on speciality. For psychiatry, typically four years.
- Fellowship – Provides additional training in a specialization. Length depends on fellowship program, though typically one to two years.
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 Since opening 10 years ago, nearly 800 people from all walks of life have received treatment at the Junction City campus of Oregon State Hospital (OSH).
The hospital continues to be a place of healing for patients who are either civilly committed or found guilty except for insanity by a judge due to their mental state. Through patient-centered treatment and support, patients receive the specific services and care needed to stabilize and build skills to return to their lives outside of the hospital.
“In the past 10 years, the campus has grown and changed, but what has remained the same is the engaged, thoughtful and professional staff who day in and day out make it their mission to care for our patients and help them return to the community,” said Sara Walker, M.D., OSH interim superintendent and chief medical officer.
The nearly 70-acre campus opened in March 2015 as part of a more than $400 million investment by the state of Oregon to replace aging buildings on the Salem campus and construct a separate site in Junction City. Staff recall lining Recovery Way – the drive that leads to the hospital – to welcome the first 53 patients who transferred to the new campus. At the time, only three of the hospital’s six units were open. Additional state funding in late 2021 enabled additional units to open. Today, the hospital’s managed capacity is 144 patients.
Patients receive treatment and support to help them develop and build skills to be successful in the community through services such as therapeutic groups, education, paid jobs on campus and volunteering with local organizations. In the past 10 years, 353 patients have held paid jobs, and patient groups have contributed thousands of service hours to local organizations like Food for Lane County.
“It’s important that patients be in community to prepare to return to community,” said Tom Anhalt, the campus’ administrator. “We’ve been fortunate to have strong partnerships from the beginning in Junction City with community organizations like Food for Lane County and Veterans Legacy who support our patients’ in their recovery journey by helping them gain valuable and practical skills that will help them when they discharge.”
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 In each Recovery Times, we'll share stories of OHA's work to strengthen the behavioral health continuum throughout Oregon.
OHA program supports state’s goal to enhance and expand behavioral health access to children and teens
Access to school-based mental health services not only improves students’ physical and psychological safety. It also reduces costly negative outcomes from disciplinary incidents and dropping out to substance use and other risky behaviors, including suicidal thoughts.
Learn more about the impact of school-based mental health services from a Clatsop County teen, OHA staff and community partners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imJkL9kvTlU.
New opioid treatment center enhances access to services in Central Oregon, supports Oregon’s efforts to reduce opioid deaths
A new medication assisted treatment center for those recovering from substance use disorder opened in March in Redmond, enhancing access to services in Central Oregon and supporting Oregon’s efforts to reduce opioid deaths statewide.
"This new location makes it easier for current patients who are traveling to Bend to juggle work and family commitments with treatment,” said Matt Owen, Managing Director of Oregon Recovery and Treatment Centers. “In our experience, for every person who travels over 30 minutes for treatment, there are one to two more who want help but don’t have the time or means to make the trip."
The new Redmond Treatment Center in Redmond is the result of a $1.25 million allocation by the Opioid Settlement Prevention, Treatment & Recovery Board (Settlement Board) that expanded and strengthened Central Oregon’s access to substance use disorder treatment and services through opioid treatment programs (OTPs) and jails.
The Redmond Treatment Center is one way Oregon is expanding treatment access through an integrated, coordinated and culturally responsive approach, which is a core goal of OHA’s 2024-2027 Strategic Plan.
OHA’s Strategic Plan supports transforming behavioral health by building a behavioral health system that works for every child, teen, adult and family experiencing mental illness or harmful substance use by expanding integrated, coordinated and culturally responsive behavioral health services when and where people need them.
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Knit for Mental Fitness
The museum has partnered with the Salem Millstream Knitting Guild and Wild Knits in Salem for its "Knit for Mental Fitness" knitting drive to raise awareness of mental wellbeing and commemorate the 50th anniversary of the movie, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."
Knitters are invited to craft "watch cap" style hats, similar to the one worn by Jack Nicholson's character, Randle "Mac" McMurphy in the movie. The book of the same name was written by Ken Kesey and filmed at OSH's Salem campus. Donated caps will be sold in the museum's gift shop to support museum operations and Project ABLE, a peer support services organization in Salem. Learn more at https://oshmuseum.org/.
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Mind Matters newsletter
Did you know that the OSH Museum of Mental Health has its own newsletter?
Mind Matters is a monthly publication that includes information about upcoming exhibits and events. Sign up for Mind Matters online here: https://oshmuseum.org/archived-blog/.
Museum extends Saturday hours
The museum has extended its hours on Saturdays and is now open until 5 p.m. Hours are now:
- Thursday and Friday, noon to 4 p.m.
- Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.
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OSH invites anyone who thinks they may have a family member who passed away at OSH, Oregon State Tuberculosis Hospital, Mid-Columbia Hospital, Dammasch State Hospital, Oregon State Penitentiary or Fairview Training Center to check the online directory.
Families who identify relatives on this list and want to claim the cremains should complete and submit the “Request for Cremated Remains” form. Questions regarding the cremains can be directed to the OSH Health Information Department at 503-945-2976 or at osh.cremains@odhsoha.oregon.gov.
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The Oregon State Hospital Advisory Board includes community members, patients and staff and its work supports patient care, safety and security. As part of its role, the board may review state and federal laws related to OSH policies and procedures and make recommendations to the OSH superintendent, Oregon Health Authority and Legislature.
The board’s upcoming 2025 meetings are at 1 p.m. May 15, July 17, Sept. 18 and Nov. 20.
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The Recovery Times is a quarterly publication that shares stories about the people and programs of Oregon State Hospital in support of OSH’s vision of hope, safety and recovery for all.
OSH serves a patient population that is traditionally marginalized, stigmatized and underserved, including many people with co-occurring disorders and those impacted by structural racism, and disproportionally represented in the criminal justice system.
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If you need mental health support for any reason, help is out there. |
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