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Dozens of companies that defied Covid mandates are fighting nearly $1 million in fines
Though most pandemic restrictions in Oregon are gone, several dozen businesses cited by state safety officials for violating Covid mandates still owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines to the state. More than 200 companies were fined between March 2020 and March 2022 for violating state mask, capacity, physical distancing and closure mandates. The […]
Overtime pay for Oregon’s farmworkers will start phasing in next year
Farmworkers in Oregon will get overtime pay next year with the adoption of the contentious farmworker bill. Gov. Kate Brown signed House Bill 4002 without any fanfare on Friday. Instead of holding a media event, as she has with other high-profile bills, she notified legislative leaders that she was signing it and called on them […]
Oregon’s psilocybin program stands on thousands of years of indigenous experience
As the first state nationwide to develop a psilocybin treatment program, Oregon is standing on the shoulders of thousands of years of expertise among indigenous people from Mexico to South America. A new paper recently published in the journal Fungal Biology summarizes centuries of psilocybin use among shamans and guides who treated people for a […]
Two state representatives create PAC to back working women running for office
Two legislators retiring from state service are focused on influencing voters to put more working women in the Legislature. State Reps. Rachel Prusak of Tualatin and Anna Williams of Hood River, Democrats and each chairing a House committee, announced on Tuesday that they’ve formed a political action committee to support reform-minded working women who are […]
State marks first step towards keeping tens of thousands on health care coverage
State officials have taken the first step towards crafting a new health care plan to ensure medical care for tens of thousands of low-income Oregonians. Gov. Kate Brown announced Monday the appointment of 13 people to a new task force that will develop a plan by September. The appointees have expertise in health equity, health […]
Study says state failed farmworkers during Covid; OSHA denies findings
The past two years have been difficult for everyone, but some 87,000 farmworkers in Oregon have faced some of the worst hardships, with state officials sometimes failing to protect them, according to a report published Tuesday. The Covid-19 Farmworker Study involved in-depth interviews with 48 farmworkers from 11 counties statewide, from Marion to Malheur to […]
Thousands of low-income residents seeking state aid wait longer than they should
A state online enrollment system that was launched a year ago continues to make thousands of people wait longer than they should for state help buying food, caring for children and paying for medical care. As of March 18, the state had failed to meet federal deadlines in processing more than 8,000 applications. Nearly 5,500 […]
Report: Harney County has highest Covid-19 death rate on West Coast
Harney County had the highest Covid death rate on the West Coast, according to a report published on Monday. A Poor People’s Pandemic Report 2022 shows that 36 people died in Harney County between February 2020 and this February, giving the county a death rate of 487 per 100,000 people. That’s higher than any other […]
About half of Covid-19 cases are in people who’ve been vaccinated
Just under half of the latest Covid-19 cases in Oregon involve people who’ve had at least one vaccine dose, according to the latest Oregon Health Authority report. The most recent breakthrough case report, which details instances of people testing positive for the virus at least 14 days after vaccination, shows that almost 750 of the […]
Regional leader for the federal health and human services agency meets with Oregon officials
A top federal health and human services official is visiting Oregon for the first time on Thursday and Friday, checking on the state’s response to the pandemic, behavioral health care and workforce shortages in hospitals and clinics. Ingrid Ulrey, a regional director for the federal Department of Health and Human Services based in Seattle, is […]
Oregon has plenty of vaccine to give second boosters to elderly, immunocompromised
The Oregon Health Authority said Wednesday that the state has enough vaccine doses to accommodate hundreds of thousands of residents who now qualify for a second Covid booster shot. On Tuesday, federal officials approved a second booster for those at least 50 years old or residents between 12 and 49 who are immunocompromised. Federal approval […]
State seeks individuals to outline new health insurance plan for low-income Oregonians
The Oregon Health Authority is looking for people with a range of experience to help design a new health care plan to cover up to 300,000 low-income Oregonians. The plan will mark a major shift in health care insurance in Oregon by extending taxpayer assisted coverage to low-income Oregonians who earn just a bit too […]