The longtime public health leader hired to be the next permanent superintendent of the Oregon State Hospital previously worked at, then oversaw, an even more troubled state hospital in Washington state.
Sean Murphy was an executive at Western State Hospital in Washington from June 2016 to November 2018, according to records from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. He first served as the chief operating officer, then the safety and security officer and then, for about 45 days, as the chief executive officer. He later worked for the state agency that oversaw the state’s psychiatric hospital system.
While Murphy worked at the hospital, the institution lost its federal certification and $53 million in annual federal funding due to ongoing patient safety concerns and quality assessment issues. That hospital did not come back into compliance with federal regulations during Murphy’s time at the state health department…