Injuries from patients spiked in 2018 at the Oregon State Hospital in Salem as workers struggled to admit court-ordered patients within required deadlines, according to an article on the Statesman Journal website.
Worker injuries from patient-related incidents at the state-run psychiatric hospital rose to a five year high in 2018, worker compensation data show.
Employees at the hospital filed 307 worker's compensation claims for injuries tied to patient assaults or patient control incidents in 2018. That's nearly a twofold increase from 2017.
The hospital also faces a shortage of beds, which hampers its ability to admit patients who are facing criminal charges within court-ordered deadlines.