By Noelle Crombie
oregonlive.com
PORTLAND, Ore. — A former top Oregon Department of Corrections administrator who was fired after an outside review criticized his leadership has sued the agency, three of its executives and the consultant who wrote the scathing assessment.
Joe Bugher is seeking $6.9 million and alleges corrections officials retaliated against him after he reported problems with the prison medical system, including what his claim describes as substandard care and misuse of public funds.
As assistant director of health services, Bugher oversaw medical services for Oregon’s roughly 12,000 prisoners. He was paid a salary of about $241,176.
Corrections Director Michael Reese fired Bugher and Dr. Warren Roberts, who served as the prison system’s chief medical officer, after an outside report painted a health care system in crisis.
The report, commissioned by the Corrections Department and written by attorney Jill Goldsmith, raised questions about Roberts’ clinical skills, decision-making and management. Goldsmith called out Bugher for both his awareness of the concerns about Roberts and his failure to adequately respond to them.
Goldsmith interviewed Roberts and Bugher and delivered blunt assessments of their overall honesty. She wrote that she did not find Roberts to be credible and that Bugher “obfuscated, deflected and attempted to confuse me.”
Bugher’s lawsuit contends that he repeatedly flagged concerns about poor medical care, delayed treatment and backlogs of medical visits due to transportation problems.
The suit says the Corrections Department responded by authorizing what he claims was a biased investigation, placing him on paid leave and spreading “false and stigmatizing allegations” about his honesty and professionalism.
The suit also claims he identified more than $50 million in cost savings related to the agency’s pharmacy practices but he was told “not to disclose that information” to the Legislature. Those savings were ultimately not reported to lawmakers, he says, and were quietly “diverted to other purposes not budgeted for while medical services remained understaffed.”
Bugher began his career as a corrections officer in eastern Oregon in 2004 and rose through the ranks to become assistant director of health services. He oversaw more than 600 employees.
He now serves as chief administrative officer at Fora Health in Portland. Fora provides substance use treatment and recovery services.
The lawsuit names Reese, Deputy Corrections Director Heidi Steward, Assistant Director of Employee Services Gail Levario and Goldsmith as defendants. Goldsmith declined to comment.
A corrections spokesperson declined to comment and released a statement saying the agency expects “all employees to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and conduct in their employment with us.”
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