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Unsupervised outings beneficial and problematic for behavioral health hospitals

Healthcare Security Weekly, April 24, 2006

Behavioral health patients who are permitted unsupervised trips to town get a breath of hope, or an opportunity to escape, the Statesmen Journal reports. Though unsupervised passes can help prepare patients for life on the outside, 28 of them have failed to return to Oregon State Hospital (OSH) since Marvin Fickle became superintendent two years ago. Before that, OSH had the lowest escape rate in the country-essentially zero.

Community outings play a key role in preparing patients for life after the institution, Fickle said. "To get people to where they can actually go out in the community and be discharged, you've got to give them opportunities to participate in a variety of things."

Most escapees are returned to the hospital in a couple of days. No escapees have been linked to crimes during Fickle's tenure.

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