The final moments of a man who was turned away from a hospital despite being in the midst of an overdose have been revealed on disturbing bodycam footage released by police.
Jean-Michael DesCamps, 26, died shortly after he was discharged from Providence Milwaukie Hospital on December 12, after a doctor presumed he was "playing possum" and handed him off to police, suggesting they leave him at a bus stop if they couldn't find anywhere else to take him.
DesCamps had been admitted to the hospital after being found on Portland' TriMet MAX train, covered in feces and moving slowly. He'd told police he had used drugs and was in pain and was taken in to be assessed, where he was showered, given antibiotics for infections and a "little" Narcan for "mild opioid intoxication" but was soon deemed fit to be released.
Despite officers questioning why he was being allowed out of hospital despite not seeming medically well, staff claimed his condition was "behavioral" rather than medical.
According to a review by the Multnomah County Prosecutor's Office, via the New York Post, the hospital did not appear to order a toxicology report or drug screening for DesCamps, whom staff described to police as a "chronic problem."
The police were called back at 9.45PM to remove DesCamps from the emergency department after staff claimed he was "being difficult" and refusing to leave, claiming they'd arranged a place for him at a homeless shelter and a cab to get there, but he did not want to leave the hospital.
A staff member is heard on camera telling police: "He was pleasant and conversant the entire time until right when his discharge arrived.
"He's been evaluated medically, there's no medical problems for him. This is a chronic problem, he's not thriving chronically but there's no medical reason for him to be here anymore."
DesCamps, who police reported was "groaning and drooling", appears barely responsive as the officers gently lift him up from the bed and put him in handcuffs and into a wheelchair before transferring him to their car.
An officer is seen returning to the ward for DesCamps' discharge paperwork and questioning staff as to why he is being released.
A female staff member responds: "He's doing it electively, he walked in here."
The police officer then says: "We have no place to take him," to which a male member of staff replies: "Bus station is fine."
Despite having several warrants for his arrest for criminal mischief and unauthorized use of a vehicle, the Clackamas County Jail told police they would not accept him either if he couldn't walk or care for himself.
As the police finally go to drive off, an officer is heard calling DesCamps' name before saying to his colleague: "He doesn't look good to me."
One officer is heard saying: "Do you at all feel comfortable with anything that is going on right now?", as they loaded DesCamps into the car, to which the other responded: "No."
They made the decision to take him to another hospital around 15 minutes away, Unity Behavioral Medical Center in Portland, having called ahead to tell them that DesCamps was in "bad shape" according to the DA's report.
As they waited for staff to pick him up outside the hospital, one officer question whether DesCamps was still breathing, and another discovered he had no pulse.
The DA's office said: "When they could not confirm a pulse, the officers immediately removed DesCamps from the vehicle, uncuffed him, and performed CPR until medical took over."
Tragically, DesCamps was declared dead at 11.31PM.
An officer is heard telling the ambulance medic: "I’ve been saying for years, it’s a matter of time before they refuse to do care and make us do something.
"That guy does not need to be dead right now. Their mindset there is, 'Oh, it’s just another tweaker.'"
EMS told the officers they'd done the right thing by trying to get him further medical help by taking him to another hospital but said they should call an ambulance to transport them if they found themselves in a similar situation with another patient.
The officer added that is "p**ses [him] off" that Providence Hospital refused to treat the man, adding: "I mean he is not verbal, he is not talking, he has got an involuntary drool, and they are like, nope, there is nothing wrong with him."
The State Medical Examiner’s Office determined DesCamps died of a drug overdose and contributing natural causes, and the police officers were cleared of any criminality regarding his death, the DA's office confirmed,
The document stated: "At no point in that footage does DesCamps meaningfully respond to what’s going on around him. The footage captures the officers’ concern and the hospital’s responses - and supports the conclusion that DesCamps was only placed on a police hold and transported to Unity when it became clear that the hospital would not treat him any further."
Providence immediately opened an internal review into the incident, adding that the bodycam footage "is difficult to watch".
The facility told the New York Post in a statement: "We recognize we have a lot of work to do in building better relationships with our first responders, especially the officers in the Milwaukie Police Department.
"Police and emergency personnel have difficult, high-pressure jobs — and we commit to doing more to ease their way."
The Oregon Health Authority notified Providence Milwaukie Hospital that it was facing an "immediate jeopardy notice" meaning its federal funding could be cut, to which the hospital responded to say it was addressing the concerns by "reinforcing our existing processes for caring for and discharging patients with our Providence Milwaukie caregivers," adding that its emergency department doctors are not employed by Providence but are contracted with Oregon Emergency Physicians.