Senator raises concerns about Oregon DHS oversight of memory care, out-of-state placements for children

Senator Gelser Bluhin outlined testimony heard in a Senate Human Services Committee hearing that, she said, revealed prolonged lapses in in-person monitoring of memory care and long-term care facilities by the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS).

"We heard directly from employees, managers at the Oregon Department of Human Services that for years, they have been insufficiently monitoring memory care and long term care agencies," Gelser Bluhin said on the Senate floor. She said the committee learned that sometimes one or two years can pass after a facility opens before DHS conducts an in-person visit.

Gelser Bluhin pointed to a high-profile death at Mount Hood Senior Living on Dec. 25, 2023, and questioned why the department had not sought legislative action earlier. "How did it happen that there was not a bill before the legislature from the department until after a well publicized death at Mount Hood Senior Living on Christmas Day of 2023?" she asked.

The senator also warned lawmakers about proposals to resume sending children to out-of-state providers. "Colleagues, we are being asked this session to trust that leadership, to start sending children out of state again," Gelser Bluhin said, noting concerns about the department's ability to monitor facilities and ensure background checks and other safeguards are in place.

She urged colleagues to scrutinize requests to waive restrictions on out-of-state placements and to demand assurances about licensing and monitoring if such placements are to proceed.

No formal floor action on departmental oversight was recorded during the session; Gelser Bluhin's remarks were presented as a call for attention and further legislative scrutiny.