Patrick Allen, the Oregon Health Authority director and one of the state’s top officials overseeing Oregon’s response to the novel coronavirus, was hospitalized early Sunday morning after what the agency described as “a serious fall.”
Allen does not have COVID-19, the authority said. The authority did not describe the circumstances surrounding Allen’s fall or the extent of his injuries.
Allen, 59, is being evaluated for “subsequent heart issues” and will be discharged soon, the authority said in a news release Tuesday.
The incident happened early Sunday morning, at around 12:42 a.m. Emergency operators categorized the call as a cardiac arrest.
A 911 caller reported a male who was unconscious and not breathing after falling down the stairs at Allen’s Sherwood address, according to dispatch calls. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was in progress, a dispatcher said.
Two Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue units responded to the call, including an engine followed by an ambulance, spokesperson Rio Espinoza said. They were on scene at 12:48 a.m. and 12:55 a.m., respectively.
Espinoza said he couldn’t provide any additional details on the incident due to privacy issues. In general, he said, a code 99 -- which was referenced in the dispatch call to Allen’s home -- is “potentially someone experiencing cardiac arrest.”
Allen was transported by ambulance to Oregon Health & Science University Hospital, Espinoza said.
Sherwood police responded to the incident to assist Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue and did not write a report, Chief Ty Hanlon said.
Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday praised Allen’s contributions to managing the pandemic response. “He is in my thoughts,” Brown said in the news release, “and I wish him a very speedy recovery.”
Allen has been director of the Oregon Health Authority, an agency with 5,000 employees and a $15 billion budget, since 2017. It oversees the Oregon Health Plan, which provides insurance to one in three Oregonians, and it operates two behavioral health hospitals, the state’s public health programs and regulates the state’s health system.
For the past two years Allen has become one of the state’s most recognizable officials, frequently appearing at news conferences with Brown to provide public updates on the pandemic. Before being appointed to his position at OHA, he was a director and manger at several state agencies, including the Department of Consumer and Business Services, the Building Codes Division, the office of regulatory streamlining, and the state economic development department.
Kris Kautz, the health authority’s deputy director, will temporarily oversee the department “for at least this week” while Allen is out, the authority said.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct Allen’s age. He is 59, not 58.
— Rob Davis
503.294.7657; @robwdavis
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