My heart goes out to Kenneth Hass, who died at Oregon State Hospital, and to his family. How he died at the hospital hit me hard, as I have family members with mental illness through generations. My favorite cousin, who helped her 4-year-old daughter navigate and survive leukemia, years later became psychotic and homeless, roaming the streets. She eventually got effective care — but not in Oregon.

Another relative who, despite having private health insurance, could not get consistent mental healthcare in Oregon and became psychotic after life-altering events. The terrifying voices he heard told him to leave the state. He did. In his new location, wise, mindful and kind care by hospital staff changed my relative’s course for the good. The trajectory could have been quite different if he remained in Oregon.

In the Springfield area, we have an opportunity to change the course of many with mental illness and help the infrastructure of the area. At a recent Springfield City Council meeting, the city attorney said that multiple emails written to the council supporting the Timber Springs behavioral health hospital and the adjacent stabilization center were “personal” and did not give answers to the specific concerns before them.

Yes, mental illness is personal. It affects patients and families, but also the infrastructure of the area — the police and the courts. People with mental illness who receive inadequate care (which is common in Oregon) fall to the streets and cannot function lawfully at times.

From my understanding, the main concerns are related to public safety and traffic impacts, as the proposed behavioral health facilities would be in an area designated as “campus industrial.” Unfortunately, this is not a heyday for getting companies fitting that description into our area. But despite that, we can do good in so many ways by bringing the behavioral health facilities to the property in question.

Public safety is always an issue with any hospital, but PeaceHealth manages this effectively. In terms of traffic, this could happen even if companies under campus industrial designation locate there. We have an opportunity to meet an urgent health need, work collaboratively with several entities to address public concerns (including the existing land designation), and be responsive to the community in so many ways. Foremost, we can change the stories of people affected — like Kenneth Hass, my loved ones and countless others.

Fran Munkenbeck, M.D.
Eugene