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September 25, 2003 Contact: Jim Sellers (503) 945-5738 Program contact: Bob Nikkel (503) 945-9704 Oregon State Hospital psychiatrist named interim chief medical officer The Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) has named David Jobe, M.D., of Salem, as interim chief medical officer at Oregon State Hospital, effective immediately. Jobe, 58, has been a unit psychiatrist since 1990 at the hospital, where he also has served as president of the medical staff. As chief medical officer, Jobe succeeds Steven Fritz, M.D., who resigned the position to work as a staff psychiatrist on one of the hospital's wards. Jobe earned his medical degree in 1975 from Creighton University in Omaha, where he also completed a doctoral degree in anatomy in 1972. He completed his psychiatric residence at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland and, before joining the state hospital's medical staff, he was in private practice and worked as medical director for a community mental health program in Missouri. "I am very pleased that Dr. Jobe has agreed to step forward and help with medical leadership at the state hospital," said Bob Nikkel, administrator of the DHS Office of Mental Health and Addiction Services. "Dr. Jobe brings many years of experience as both a staff physician and as a medical director that will be invaluable to Oregon's changes in state hospital services." Nikkel said Jobe brings to the job expertise in community and in-patient psychiatry and in neuroscience. A panel of experts, a majority of whom are from outside DHS, is currently reviewing operations at the state hospital, which is moving toward strengthening its focus on patient recovery from mental illness as well as its ties to community psychiatric resources. As chief medical officer, Jobe will join David Freed, Ph.D., who was named last week as the hospital's interim superintendent, effective Oct. 1, succeeding Stan Mazur-Hart, Ph.D., who will move to other responsibilities after serving as the hospital's superintendent since 1991. The state hospital has campuses in Salem and Portland. "This is both a challenging and exciting time for Oregon State Hospital," Nikkel said. |
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