Retiring Oregon State Hospital Superintendent Dolly Matteucci reflects on 6 challenging years

Clarifications and Corrections: This story was updated for the correct last day of the superintendent.

Oregon State Hospital Superintendent Dolores "Dolly" Matteucci's last day overseeing the state's psychiatric hospitals in Junction City and Salem is Friday. Matteucci announced her retirement in March after six turbulent years at the hospital.

Chief Medical Officer Sara Walker will serve as acting superintendent while a new superintendent is hired.

Matteucci oversaw the hospital through the COVID-19 pandemic, staffing shortages, a federal court order and workplace safety concerns.

“I believe I am leaving OSH with structures in place to support and sustain quality work that better positions patients and staff for success and better realizes our mission, vision and values," Matteucci told the Statesman Journal.

"There are dedicated and talented staff across the hospital who will carry out the work underway and identify ongoing opportunities for organizational growth," she said. "I know the hospital will thrive and successfully manage future challenges."

What the OHA is looking for in next superintendent

Dr. Sejal Hathi, the director of Oregon Health Authority, said she is looking for someone who exemplifies many of Matteucci’s characteristics as she looks for a new superintendent.

“Her passion, her dedication to her patients and her staff is truly unparalleled," Hathi said. "She invests her whole heart and soul.”

Hathi said she also is looking for someone who has experience running a forensic hospital — a hospital primarily serving psychiatric patients with criminal charges or convictions.

She said the new superintendent must be able to relate to the burnout many behavioral health workers are experiencing due to the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and physical and emotional trauma sustained from working with the hospital’s “rapidly evolving patient population .”

It is important, Hathi said, they can understand, support and inspire state hospital workers.

Another priority is finding someone who can comfortably manage the political conversations the hospital is involved in, she said.

A 2022 federal court order to help get patients in and out of the state hospital more quickly has sparked controversy between counties and the state about who should care for defendants unable to aid in their defense because of a behavioral health condition.

Hathi said the next superintendent needs to be able to “center the patient voice and the patient experience, despite the political specters that may say other stories.”

Matteucci reflects on challenges, accomplishments

Matteucci began her career in 1987 as a registered dietitian at California Department of State Hospitals — Napa. She moved up the ranks, working at several California hospitals, before serving eight years as executive director.

She was named superintendent of the Oregon State Hospital in 2018 by former OHA Director Patrick Allen.

Matteucci spoke to many challenges she faced during her tenure, namely, the changing patient population, responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the controversy around the Mosman order and responding to workplace safety citations.

She said hospital staff are still grieving the loss of what it once was before its patient population evolved to largely consist of those on aid and assist orders.

“We miss serving individuals and helping them reach their highest potential. Less patients are able to participate in many of our enriching programs,” Matteucci said.

Matteucci said one thing she is most proud of is the hospital’s COVID-19 response. To date, there have been no patient deaths or hospitalizations due to COVID-19.

“OSH worked diligently throughout the pandemic to keep both patients and staff safe,” Matteucci said in an email to the Statesman Journal.

The pandemic created a sense of isolation amongst staff, management and patients, she said. It caused “fatigue and prolonged uncertainty.”

The pandemic also increased workforce shortages at the hospital, and they are still struggling to compensate for those losses, Matteucci said.

She said she also is proud of the hospitals' guidance on how to respond when patients direct racists comments toward staff. A workgroup addresses concerns and provides staff with tools to mitigate racist behaviors in real time.

During Matteucci's tenure, the hospital regained compliance for the first time with a 2002 federal order to decrease lengthy wait times for admission to the state hospital. The Mink order said defendants unable to aid in their defense cannot spend more than seven days waiting in jail to be admitted to the state hospitals.

U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mosman’s 2022 order was intended to help bring the hospital into compliance with the Mink order.

“This means people are spending less time in jail waiting for the appropriate care, treatment and restorative services,” Matteucci said.

She said she is proud of the hospital’s success in gaining compliance with the Mink order, but the controversy around the order resulted in backlash from county courts, behavioral health systems and district attorneys.

“It is hard to be in the spotlight as the perceived cause of a large, complex problem,” Matteucci said.

Beginning in 2020, the hospital underwent a series of workplace safety investigations conducted by the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Investigators found hospital employees were facing daily violent altercations with patients and frequently were injured.

The hospital was cited for three workplace safety violations and fined more than $54,000.

Last year, the hospital corrected the violations by working with OSHA to create and implement an improvement plan.

Some staff have expressed ongoing concerns about their safety, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services last year cited the state hospital for more workplace safety concerns after an “extremely dangerous” patient escaped in a state-owned van.

The hospital’s improved plan for secure patient transport was approved in February.

Matteucci said she was proud of the improvements the hospital continues to make to promote staff and patient safety.

“It is never easy to have findings, and to quickly develop and implement the necessary changes,” Matteucci said. “Overall, we are better for it. We are better positioned to identify issues so we can respond earlier and more effectively.”

Sydney Wyatt covers healthcare inequities in the Mid-Willamette Valley for the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions, and tips to her at SWyatt@gannett.com , (503) 399-6613, or on Twitter @sydney_elise44

The Statesman Journal’s coverage of health care inequities is funded in part by the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust , which seeks to strengthen the cultural, social, educational, and spiritual base of the Pacific Northwest through capacity-building investments in the nonprofit sector.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Retiring Oregon State Hospital Superintendent Dolly Matteucci reflects on 6 challenging years