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The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) are deeply saddened to announce the passing of a 17-year-old in foster care. The child died by suicide on Aug. 3.
“Our hearts go out the child’s family, loved ones and community during this incredibly difficult time,” said Fariborz Pakseresht, ODHS Director. “Words cannot express the sorrow we feel for this devastating loss.”
The child had been in temporary lodging, an emergency stop-gap measure in which a child stays in a hotel with ODHS employees until an appropriate placement can be found. ODHS, OHA and local behavioral health professionals had been working together for an extended period of time to connect the child with appropriate services and supports.
Both agencies are dedicated to conducting a thorough review to understand the circumstances surrounding this heartbreaking death; as well as intensifying efforts to ensure all children have access to appropriate behavioral health services.
“Any time a young person dies by suicide, there are waves and ripples of hurt and trauma. We have much work to do to ensure a robust prevention system is in place for all people in our state, and we need to attend to the hurt and grief many are feeling in the wake of this tragedy,” said OHA Director Sejal Hathi, MD, MBA.
County and state supports have been mobilized to offer resources to those known to be most impacted by this death. This includes activating OHA’s Suicide Rapid Response program to provide rapid support and resources as they are identified.
ODHS and OHA have initiated the following reviews and investigations that are statutorily required when a child fatality occurs:
- ODHS initiated a Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), to review the incident. The CIRT process is defined in Oregon law and is focused on preventing future fatalities.
- The ODHS Office of Training, Investigations, and Safety (OTIS) initiated an investigation into the incident. OTIS licenses child-caring agencies and is also responsible for investigating allegations of non-familial child abuse and neglect.
- OHA’s Behavioral Health Division Licensing & Certification team will conduct a review to determine if the involved behavioral health care providers were in compliance with state law as it relates to the incident.
- The State Child Death Review Team, co-facilitated by ODHS and OHA, will review the county prevention recommendations from the county child death review team.
More information will be available once these reviews are complete. We ask for patience from the community and respect for privacy of the individual while these reviews are in process.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family and everyone affected by this devastating loss,” said Aprille Flint-Gerner, ODHS Child Welfare Director. “We also acknowledge the grief felt by state staff and other professionals who worked tirelessly to provide care to this youth.”
An additional note to media:
The way media report on suicide deaths matters, particularly for youth suicide death. We ask that you review safe media guidelines prior to reporting on this information. Following these guidelines can decrease suicide risk for other young people in Oregon.
OHA has suicide prevention programming and training available statewide in Oregon and recommends the Question, Persuade, Refer training for those who are interested in learning more about how to recognize signs of suicide. This training is free and available virtually.
Oregon Department of Human Services
503-877-0170
https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/
Oregon Health Authority
971-239-6499
https://oregon.gov/oha
