Internal Chatter - Richard Ott: Inpatient Psychiatric Care, Law Enforcement and the Unhoused Juggernaut - 01/19/23

Richard Ott joins the chat to talk about glasses, getting older, and fighting fires as an office worker.  In addition, he stops by to discuss the intersection of mental health services and the unhoused.  Richard has worked in the healthcare field for over 25 years, with 16 years of that time being spent working in acute, inpatient psychiatric care at Oregon State Hospital (OSH).  At OSH he worked as a direct service provider (clinician) and held administrative level positions.  Currently, Richard works as a Compliance Officer, Privacy Officer, Risk Manager, and Safety Officer for The Portland Clinic.  In addition, for more than a decade, in his off-work time, he also volunteered as a firefighter/EMT and saw firsthand the pernicious impacts mental health and addiction related issues have had on individuals, families and communities.  Welcome, Richard!

It should be noted, that while Richard is super knowledgeable about the mental health system, he is not speaking in an official capacity, and doesn’t represent the views of either his current or former employer.