Eastern Oregon State Hospital
| Eastern Oregon State Hospital | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1909 |
| Opened | 1913 |
| Closed | 2014 |
| Current Status | Closed |
| Building Style | Kirkbride Plan |
| Location | Pendleton, OR |
| Alternate Names |
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History
Eastern Oregon State Hospital was created by statute in 1909 and formally opened in Pendleton, Oregon in January 1913. The functions of the hospital were to diagnose mental illness, provide treatment, and release patients who had satisfactorily responded to treatment; to investigate patients admitted and their family histories to determine the cause of a person's mental illness; to provide for humane custodial care to those for whom curative treatment was ineffective; to manage social and recreational programs for patients; to utilize patients for the maintenance and upkeep of buildings and grounds; and to assist in the protection of the patient's financial and business interests.
In 1965, the hospital became the Eastern Oregon Hospital and Training Center. In 1969, their goals were the restoration of patients to mental and physical health, economic self sufficiency, and if possible, the return of the patient to the community.
With a decline in the patient population, the 1983 Legislative Assembly authorized the establishment of a three hundred and fifty bed medium security prison at the Eastern Oregon Hospital and Training Center. The facility opened in 1985 as the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution.
On January 1, 1985, the Eastern Oregon Hospital and Training Center became the Eastern Oregon Psychiatric Center (EOPC) and the Eastern Oregon Training Center (EOTC). Both centers serve the sixteen central and eastern counties, with EOPC being a sixty bed inpatient facility for mentally and emotionally disturbed people. EOTC is a ninety bed training center for developmentally disabled residents.
The Department of Corrections currently uses the Kirkbride as part of it's 1600 bed prison. The Psychiatric Center uses a smaller building on the property. Eastern Oregon Psychiatric Center/Blue Mountain Recovery Center will officially shut down on March 31 after decades of scrutiny by the Oregon Legislature and dozens of 11th-hour saves. More than half of the 117 employees have already left to take other jobs.
