1. (1) Except as limited in these rules, all patients at OSH must have the right to communicate freely by sending and receiving sealed mail.
2. (2) All journalist mail, legal mail, official mail, or other mail may be sent or delivered by hand or via any parcel delivery service.
3. (3) To aid OSH in identifying the type of patient mail, incoming and outgoing legal, journalist, or official mail must be clearly labeled on the outside of the envelope as legal, journalist, or official mail, and set apart from the return and mailing addresses for ease of recognition, and must be verifiable as legal, journalist, or official mail.
4. (4) Patients may not receive unauthorized packages.
5. (5) For safety and security reasons, patients, family members or friends who are visitors as defined in chapter 309, division 106 may only purchase items through the OSH Market, except the patient may purchase printer paper at cost from OSH. OSH will not profit from the sales from the OSH Market.

6. (6) Except as otherwise provided in these rules, OSH must not:

   1. (a) Read or censor any patient’s incoming or outgoing journalist mail, legal mail or official mail.
   2. (b) Prevent, obstruct or delay a patient’s outgoing journalist mail, legal mail, official mail, mail or packages from being promptly mailed; or
   3. (c) Prevent, obstruct or delay a patient’s incoming journalist mail, legal mail, official mail or mail from being promptly delivered to the patient.
7. (7) Except as required for treatment reasons, safety, or security reasons, or when mail is addressed to OSH, OSH staff having read or examined a patient’s journalist, legal, official or other mail must protect the patient’s confidentiality by refraining from discussions regarding it.
8. (8) OSH may place a limit on the patient’s right to send or receive journalist mail, mail, or authorized packages if the limitation and the reasons for the limitation are stated in the patient’s written treatment care plan. OSH must inform the patient of that limitation.
9. (9) At a patient’s request, OSH staff may assist the patient in reading their incoming or sending their outgoing mail, journalist, legal or official mail. The patient’s need for this assistance must first be documented in the patient’s treatment care plan.
10. (10) OSH must provide patients with a reasonable amount of writing material. OSH must make stamps available for purchase by patients with funds. OSH will provide a reasonable number of stamps to patients without funds.
11. (11) The exchange of electronic mail is an earned privilege and is related to the patient’s recent behaviors, current level of care and other privileges.

Statutory/Other Authority

ORS 179.040, 413.042 & ORS 179.360

Statutes/Other Implemented

ORS 179.360 & 426.385

History

BHS 27-2024, amend filed 11/13/2024, effective 01/19/2025
BHS 21-2024, temporary amend filed 07/24/2024, effective 07/24/2024 through 01/19/2025
BHS 4-2024, amend filed 03/20/2024, effective 03/20/2024
BHS 40-2023, temporary amend filed 10/09/2023, effective 10/09/2023 through 04/05/2024
BHS 29-2022, amend filed 12/23/2022, effective 12/23/2022
BHS 11-2022, temporary amend filed 07/05/2022, effective 07/05/2022 through 12/31/2022
MHS 1-2012, f. & cert. ef. 2-9-12
MHS 8-2011(Temp), f. & cert. ef. 10-27-11 thru 4-20-12
MHS 5-2011, f. & cert. ef. 8-3-11