06:15 PM PDT on Tuesday, September 21, 2004

By JIM PARKER, kgw.com Staff

SALEM -- Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski called for a review Tuesday of practices and policies at the Oregon State Hospital to determine whether the facility has responded appropriately to allegations of child abuse and patient mistreatment dating back to 1992.

"Clearly, the state must have zero tolerance for abuse or neglect of individuals at the Oregon State Hospital," Kulongoski said in a letter to the director of the Department of Human Services, which runs the facility in Salem.

The governor's action comes after an investigation by The Oregonian newspaper found that psychiatric aides have raped, fondled or otherwise sexually abused at least a dozen mentally ill children sent for treatment to the hospital's mental health ward.

The published account on Sunday said the abuse was revealed in hospital records, court documents and police reports showing not only that the abuse occurred, but that the hospital did little to stop the problem.

While Kulongoski's requested review will examine cases going back to 1992, some of the cases of abused children cited in the published report actually date back further.

Supervisors and others in Ward 40 of the hospital failed to report the incidents in a timely manner when they were discovered, allowing the alleged perpetrators to continue, and failed to alert law enforcement as required by law, The Oregonian reported.

The hospital did not begin conducting background checks on hospital staff until 1991 -- more than a decade after the first case of abuse occurred. The ward has yet to install surveillance cameras, considered standard in facilities elsewhere.

State officials said that their records identified only three patients that were abused in Ward 40. The Oregonian, however, found nine other abuse victims in police records, court documents and through interviews with eyewitness accounts.

In his letter, Kulongoski asked for a report back from DHS officials within a month. The governor said that report will be reviewed by his staff along with experts in public safety and mental health services to determine whether changes are needed at the State Hospital.

"If we find that change is needed, I intend to ensure that it is implemented quickly and thoroughly," said Kulongoski, who expects the entire review process will be completed by December.

(The AP contributed background to this report.)