Free Ricardo Aurello Sanchez from Providence Hospital in Portland Oregon!

For original Shield alert, scroll down to 5/19/25

6/3/25

Update: Shield alert for Ricardo Sanchez 

Some of you may know that staff at Providence hospital confiscated Ricardo’s phone and MFI is now limited to communicating with him using the public phone on the ward. They said that he violated the terms of an agreement involving the use of his personal phone, but it is more likely an act of retaliation for his Shield alert.

Ricardo shared earlier this week that he thought he might be discharged this week. We were cautiously optimistic that the Shield might be making a positive difference! Today, staff informed Ricardo that he will be charged $300,000 for his unwanted two month psychiatric incarceration at Providence hospital! Ricardo was informed that a lien could be placed on his future wages! This is very scary news and kills hope. Staff at Providence have placed a huge weight  on a twenty-three years old.

Staff led Ricardo into a ‘quiet room’ to administer a forced injection of Haldol. Nearly in tears, he described that he was led into this room by security guards for this ‘treatment’.

This is not ‘therapeutic” or ‘treatment!’  This is control and punishment!

Using fear based tactics, staff is mounting pressure on Ricardo to enroll in the Oregon Health Plan so that they can move him to a less expensive ‘step down’ facility in Eastern Oregon which bills Medicaid. He doesn’t want to go to a ‘step down’ facility even if it relieves him of financial liability for future unwanted ‘treatment’. He wants to go home. He wants staff to stop subjecting him to Haldol injections. MFI encouraged Ricardo to call the customer service of the Oregon Health Plan to get more information before making a decision about whether to enroll in Medicaid.

Don’t let up. If you have not taken action, please do so today!

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5/25/23

Update:

Staff at Providence took away Ricardo’s personal phone after his Shield alert was published on our website. His social worker asked that we remove her personal email address from the public alert which we did. When taking away Ricardo’s phone, staff claimed that Ricardo used it to take a selfie for this Shield alert, which is a violation of the existing phone policy.

A Shield member who is a member of a Portland based church spoke to her pastor, who in turn,, called the chaplain at Providence Hospital where Ricardo is incarcerated. The chaplain is reportedly very sympathetic and will visit Ricardo soon.

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5/19/25

Free Ricardo Aurello Sanchez from Providence Hospital in Portland, Oregon!

Ricardo states, “If I am mentally ill, then every Gen Z person should be locked up with me!”

Currently, Ricardo Aurello Sanchez, a Hermiston, Oregon resident 24, is being held against his will at Providence Hospital in Portland, while being subjected to powerful psychotropic drugs.

in early April, Ricardo asked his mother for a ride to help a friend in distress. After his mother refused, Ricardo lost his temper and slammed the car door several times. His mother called the police and according to Ricardo, every available sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to the scene. Ricardo was handcuffed and a flotilla of police vehicles, every available law enforcement office in Hermiston County, according to Ricardo, accompanied him to Shepherd Hospital in Hermiston where he was psychiatrically incarcerated for three days and civilly committed. Later, he was transported  to Providence Hospital in Portland, Oregon, which is 185 miles from where he lives.

Staff at Providence initially injected him with Haloperidol (Haldol) which has many dangerous side effects, one of which is a movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia. It also impairs cognition. Haldol is classified as a neuroleptic drug. Between 1-3% of individuals receiving neuroleptic drugs are also at risk of ‘malignant neuroleptic syndrome’ which is life threatening.

Ricardo’s side effects were noticeable enough for staff to prescribe Cogentin (the brand name for benztropine, an anticholinergic medication) to counter some of these side effects. According to Ricardo, he could barely walk under the influence of Haldol. Being unable to walk, talk, or defend oneself in a vulnerable state is dehumanizing and traumatizing.

Currently, staff at Providence are continuing to coerce him to take another powerful neuroleptic called Invega (the brand name for a generic drug called paliperidone) by mouth, on a daily basis, with the threat that should he refuse, he will be subjected to Invega Sustenna (the brand name for the long-acting injectable neuroleptic drug called paliperidone palmitate).

Coercing someone to take pills orally by threatening them with an injectable drug that is potentially disabling, even lethal, is not ‘therapeutic’. This is abusive, threatening, and controlling.

Providence Portland Medical Center is a private, not-for-profit hospital. It is part of the larger Providence Health & Services network, a Catholic healthcare system. Ricardo has been psychiatrically incarcerated since April 3rd.

Notably, the staff at Providence are pressuring Ricardo to enroll in the Oregon Health Plan. (Medicare in Oregon) To date, Ricardo has refused to sign the enrollment forms. Currently, his psychiatric incarceration is being paid for by his mother’s private, medical insurance.

If Ricardo’s insurance coverage plan limits in-patient care to thirty calendar days per year, as most private insurance plans do, its no wonder that staff at Providence Hospital wants Ricardo to enroll in Medicare. That way, the taxpayer, not the hospital, will have to pick up the tab for Ricardo’s unwanted, institutionalization.

Take action right away by following the instructions below or scroll below to read additional information before taking action.

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Call to Action

1) Write to Mr. Sanchez’ psychiatrist

Alex.Jenkins@providence.org

2) Write to Ricardo Sanchez’ social worker

Rachel.Younger@providence.org

Demand the full restoration of Ricardo Sanchez’ civil liberties!

Release Ricardo from psychiatric incarceration immediately with no conditions.

Cease coercing Ricardo Sanchez to take powerful psychotropic drugs.