COVID-19
Oregon pausing new applications for mortgage assistance program
Oregon’s housing agency will pause accepting new applications for its homeowner assistance program. The pause, which starts at 11 a.m. Wednesday, will allow the Housing and Community Services agency to process current applications, complete system maintenance and tally the federal funds available for homeowners. The program helps Oregonians who’ve fallen behind on mortgage payments during […]
More than $37 billion in disaster aid under scrutiny in congressional lame duck
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration wants Congress to approve more than $37 billion to help communities throughout the country recover from various natural disasters, including Hurricanes Ian, which battered Florida and the Southeast U.S. in late September, and Fiona, which hit Puerto Rico. The supplemental funding request comes on top of a $9 billion COVID-19 […]
Sick children and adult patients jam Oregon’s hospitals
The number of patients needing hospital care for the flu is rising, fueling the demand for beds by hundreds of children with a respiratory illness and adults suffering from COVID-19. According to the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, about 220 hospitalized patients had COVID in mid-November. That shot up to about 375 people […]
Oregon Health Authority director, behavioral health director are stepping down
The Oregon Health Authority’s director, Patrick Allen, told the agency on Thursday morning that he will step down in early January, when Gov. Kate Brown’s term ends. Hours later, he said that Steve Allen, the 66-year-old behavioral health director, is also leaving. The two are not related. Patrick Allen, who’s 59 and earns $253,308 a […]
Free program allows Oregonians to obtain COVID medication at home
Oregonians at risk for a severe COVID infection now have access to free online health care visits thanks to a new state program. The Oregon Health Authority announced Tuesday that a California-based health care company, Color Health, will offer telehealth sessions online or on the phone to Oregonians who at risk of developing a severe […]
Oregon prepares for a potential surge of Covid-19 cases and other viral infections
Oregon public health officials are keeping an eye on a trifecta of illnesses as winter approaches and Oregonians spend more time indoors: Covid-19, a respiratory virus that’s affecting children and influenza. This will not be a respiratory illness season like the last two, when the focus was on Covid-19, a virus that primarily affects adults. […]
Oregon Nurses Association pushes for stricter hospital staffing law
The Oregon Nurses Association is pushing for minimum standards that establish how many nurses hospitals need to operate and meet patients’ needs effectively. The union, which represents 15,000 nurses, on Wednesday released details of legislation it plans to pursue in the 2023 session. Oregon already has a law that requires hospitals and nurses to develop […]
Millions of workers are dealing with long Covid. Advocates call for expanding social safety net.
Emily Withnall caught Covid-19 from her teenager in July 2020. In the more than two years since, the 40-year-old has suffered from debilitating fatigue, spinal pain and heart palpitations. In addition to her primary care doctor, she regularly sees a cardiologist and says her acupuncturist and craniosacral therapy help relieve her pain and the trouble […]
Health care system must build trust to reduce inequities, Oregon Health Authority director says
Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen said Tuesday at a health care conference in Portland that the agency made missteps in trying to end health inequities during the pandemic. He said Oregon health care providers, insurers and other health officials must build trust with racial and ethnic communities to eradicate health care inequities that affect […]
Despite last year’s lessons, Northwest schools scramble to find staff
As waves of Covid swelled last year, short-handed schools across the Northwest struggled to stay operational. Principals stepped onto the playground to monitor recess or into the cafeteria to help serve lunches. Districts hired community members holding emergency substitute licenses, often with no teaching experience, to ensure classrooms had adequate supervision. In the most extreme […]
Is Covid ‘under control’ in the US? Experts Say Yes.
Promise: “I’m never going to raise the white flag and surrender. We’re going to beat this virus. We’re going to get it under control, I promise you.” President Joe Biden caused a stir in a “60 Minutes” interview on Sept. 18 when he declared that the Covid-19 pandemic is over. “We still have a problem […]
Lack of staff in hospitals leads to patient deaths, health officials say
People in Oregon are dying as a result of the state’s hospital staffing shortage. Patrick Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, told a state legislative committee on Thursday that people in need of intensive care often have to wait for admission because hospitals lack staff. And that, he said, can lead to the worst […]