BEND — St. Charles Health System joined other Oregon hospitals on Tuesday in a lawsuit asking state health officials to care for long-term committed mental health patients.

In September, three of the state’s largest health systems — Legacy Health, Providence Health & Services and PeaceHealth — filed a lawsuit against the Oregon Health Authority alleging the state violates the rights of acute mental health patients who are committed because they are not getting the long-term care they need at acute care hospitals.

These patients who pose immediate danger of harming themselves and others require long-term treatment. Their rights are being violated because the state isn’t taking responsibility for these patients and placing them in care facilities dedicated to treating their persistent mental illnesses, like the Oregon State Hospital, according to the lawsuit.

“The real concern is that there can be a mismatch of care that the patients need,” said Dr. Shane Coleman, St. Charles Health System clinical division director of psychiatry and behavioral health. “The care we can provide is not well matched for long-term committed folks that need weeks or months or years of treatment. We’re more suited for a days or weeks treatment timeline.”

Under Oregon law, individuals who are deemed to be a danger to themselves or others may be committed by the state for involuntary treatment for up to 180 days, according to St. Charles. Hospitals are often the front-line defense for patients requiring urgent care.

But once the patients are stabilized, they need to be moved to longer-term psychiatric facilities like the Oregon State Hospital, said Coleman. The state hospital has been at capacity and has been mainly accommodating patients accused of crimes, or found guilty except for insanity.

Instead patients are being confined to the hospitals that initially treated them, Coleman said.

“The Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon State Hospital work to help people on their recovery journey,” said Amber Shoebridge, Oregon State Hospital strategic communications officer. “The goal is to support people who are often at the lowest point in their lives and help them discover a new path forward. The hospital’s primary focus is the care of patients.”

The hospitals maintain that long-term treatment requires a calm atmosphere that is less restrictive than a hospital, according to the lawsuit. Each year more than 500 people with severe mental illnesses are committed to the health authority for treatment.

By leaving the patients in community hospitals indefinitely, they cannot recover meaningfully, the lawsuit alleges.

The situation began in 2019, Coleman said. Overall, the patient population at St. Charles is not large, but the hospital is not geared to care for patients long term. In addition, since the pandemic, it’s been difficult to fill vacant behavioral health positions, Coleman said.

St. Charles Bend has a five-bed secure psychiatric services unit and a 15-bed acute care behavioral health unit, according to the lawsuit.

“Things like this exacerbate the workforce issue,” Coleman said. “This kind of mismatched system stresses our staff and our health system and affects others community members who would otherwise be admitted and cared for.”