The new Citizen Advisory Board for the Oregon State Hospital met for the first time yesterday.
The Board was created by the legislature this summer to oversee the troubled state mental hospital in Salem.
The hospital has made the news this month for the death of a patient that wasn’t discovered until hours later and the dismissal of a patient’s lawsuit on technical grounds.
In two thousand eight, a federal investigation found that conditions at the hospital compromised patients care and safety.
Activists hope that the oversight of the sixteen member Advisory Board will help to improve conditions at the hospital.