Michelle Roberts : Oregonian
By the early 1900s, thousands of mentally ill patients had died anonymously inside Oregon State Hospital in Salem.
Today, the uncollected cremated remains of 3,490 of them are stored in corroding copper canisters. From ceiling to floor, they line dusty shelves near asbestos-abatement manuals kept in an abandoned hospital storage building.
On Thursday, Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, said such "disrespect for the dead" won't stand, and he announced the creation of a legislative work group that will locate an "appropriate resting place" for the urns.
"When you see the cans and their condition and the room they're in, it is a stark commentary on how society views people in this situation and our whole mental health system," Courtney said.
"We're trying to get better, but we have so far to go."
In October, The Oregonian published photos of the copper cans, many of which are dented and fused together from decades of neglect. The photos were part of a series of stories examining unhealthy conditions at the 122-year-old hospital, which is home to more than 740 patients.
1 comment:
It's great to know that more and more people are paying attention to other human beings, no matter what their conditions were. The way I see it, they should, for insurance purposes, just combine mental health with regular medical--it's tough to pay for constant copays for endless therapy sessions, when other ailments might cost you one or two sessions.
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