Families in Bethany, Cedar Mill and Oak Hills caring for aging relatives with psychiatric needs will lose their closest specialized treatment option when Hillsboro Medical Center shuts down its 21-bed geriatric psychiatry unit on Friday, Sept. 4.

The closure eliminates one of only three acute inpatient psychiatric programs in Oregon dedicated to adults 50 and older. Oregon's statewide total of geriatric psychiatric beds will drop from 50 to 29, a 42% reduction, according to The Oregonian. No replacement is planned.

The remaining programs at Providence Milwaukie Hospital (19 beds) and Willamette Valley Medical Center in McMinnville (10 beds) are frequently at or near capacity, the Oregon Nurses Association said. For Washington County residents, the next-nearest option would be Providence Milwaukie, across the Portland metro area.

Nurses push back

The Oregon Nurses Association launched a petition opposing the closure that had gathered 1,570 signatures as of Thursday, Aug. 6, according to the Beaverton Valley Times. The union contends the unit's declining patient numbers resulted from restrictive admission criteria, not a lack of demand.

Nurse James Scholz told the Hillsboro City Council that employees and patients were "blindsided" by the closure announcement and criticized what he described as a lack of transparency.

The petition called the decision profit-motivated and harmful, adding that the union is deeply concerned about where displaced patients will receive care.

Hospital cites staffing, low volume

Hospital spokesperson Katie Koehler Reed said persistent staffing shortages, failed physician recruitment over multiple years and low patient volumes made the unit unsustainable.

The hospital reported the unit now serves fewer than 10 patients on average and relies heavily on temporary contract physicians. Nationally, only about 80 physicians enter the geriatric psychiatry specialty each year, the hospital noted.

Yet the hospital's own 2024 filings with the Oregon Health Authority showed the unit averaged 14 patients per day, with 25 admissions and 25 discharges per month, Willamette Week reported.

The closure announcement came after the nurses' union contract expired June 30. The hospital is also closing a separate emergency observation unit. Between the two closures, 28 registered nurses are affected; 17 of them worked in the geriatric psychiatry unit. The hospital said it has already placed 15 into new positions.

What it means locally

The geriatric psychiatry unit treats patients for depression, anxiety, psychosis and self-destructive behavior tied to psychiatric illness. Many patients have dementia, multiple chronic conditions or complex medication regimens that make general psychiatric units a poor substitute.

When specialized beds are unavailable, patients can spend days waiting in emergency departments while hospitals search for placement.

Washington County residents experiencing a mental health crisis can call the county's 24/7 Crisis Line at 503-291-9111 or the Behavioral Health Support Team at 503-846-4528.

No public hearing or community meeting on the closure has been announced. The hospital said the unit will continue operating until all current patients are discharged or transferred to a safe setting.