Senator urges review of DHS leadership after report on death of youth in custody

Senator Rachel Gelser Blouin on the Senate floor said she was "deeply concerned" by a report released the same morning by Disability Rights Oregon and reported by OPB reporter Lauren Dake, and she urged the Senate to consider whether Oregon needs new leadership at the Department of Human Services.

Gelser Blouin said the report, titled "Cover Up: The Life and Death of an Oregon Son" in the version she cited, documented that a critical incident review about the death of a youth who died by suicide in August while in DHS custody left out contemporaneous records and obscured key information. The senator said the department then used the review and the youth's death to support legislation that, she said, rolled back safety standards for children.

"Is that the right answer or is it time for a new director of the Oregon Department of Human Services?" Gelser Blouin asked on the floor, noting that the director must approve the certificates at issue. She said the Senate should discuss possible change at the agency's top.

Gelser Blouin said she had personally contacted DHS multiple times about the youth before his death and that she found the report and the department's subsequent actions to be a betrayal of the individual's memory. She urged colleagues to read the Disability Rights Oregon report and the OPB coverage.

Senate President Wagner recognized the remonstrance and allowed additional members to speak in that portion of the session. No formal motion to require DHS action or to remove the director was made on the floor during the session; Gelser Blouin framed her remarks as a request to open discussion about leadership and oversight.

The report and Gelser Blouin's floor statement may prompt committee-level follow-up or requests for briefings from DHS, but no specific committee referral or staff direction was recorded in the session minutes provided.