Health
Health officials urge Oregonians to get vaccinated against COVID, flu, RSV
As the latest COVID boosters dribble into Oregon, state health officials urged residents to get vaccinated to protect themselves against an expected rise in respiratory infections in the months ahead. Dr. Paul Cieslak of the Oregon Health Authority and Dr. Katie Sharff of Kaiser Permanente Northwest urged residents to protect themselves in a news conference […]
Oregon auditors flag millions in misspent money in state agencies
Oregon Secretary of State auditors unearthed millions of misappropriated dollars and a lack of oversight and accountability in four state agencies, according to an audit released Wednesday. In all, state auditors flagged $35.2 million of questionable spending within the Oregon Department of Human Services, Oregon Health Authority, Oregon Housing and Community Services and Higher Education […]
Oregon State Hospital will keep vehicle keys secure, add barriers to prevent escapes
The state’s psychiatric hospital changed its patient transportation policies after a federal inspector ordered “immediate” fixes following the escape of a dangerous patient. More than two weeks ago, an “extremely dangerous” patient facing felony charges escaped from Oregon State Hospital and careened down Interstate 5 in a state-owned van – all on his first day […]
Hospitals plead with Congress to avert $8 billion in cuts in Medicaid funding
WASHINGTON — Health care representatives from across the United States are urging Congress to halt cuts to funding that helps hospitals care for uninsured or low-income patients who rely on Medicaid. More than 250 hospitals and health systems appealed to House and Senate leadership in a letter, asking the lawmakers to avert or delay a forthcoming […]
Push to change Measure 110 gains momentum and money
A coalition funded by prominent Oregonians, including retired Nike co-founder Phil Knight, plans to ask Oregon voters in 2024 to roll back some of Measure 110, the voter-passed law that decriminalized the use of hard drugs. The group, the Coalition to Fix and Improve Ballot Measure 110, announced Monday it had filed two ballot initiatives […]
University of Montana working on vaccine for fentanyl, heroin overdose
A vaccine to prevent overdosing on fentanyl and one for heroin are in the works at the University of Montana and partner institutions. Human trials are expected to start in early 2024 for both vaccines, according to UM. UM researcher Jay Evans, who leads a campus center working on the vaccines and co-founded university corporate […]
Oregon looks to struggling Portugal for answers on drug addiction
Oregon leaders hope Portugal will help them successfully transform the state’s approach to illegal drugs and addiction so that treatment and prevention – not the police – are at the center of the solution. A group of Oregon legislators, advocates and others will travel in October to Portugal, which decriminalized drug possession in 2001 and […]
Federal officials order Oregon State Hospital to make ‘immediate’ changes following escape
Two weeks after an “extremely dangerous” man facing felony charges escaped from the Oregon State Hospital in a state-owned van, federal health authorities ordered immediate changes to ensure the secure transport of patients, especially those involved in the criminal justice system. Late Friday, the Oregon Health Authority, which oversees the hospital, issued a brief news […]
A men’s movement takes reins in a nationwide quest to end abortion
Wendell Shrock doesn’t believe in condoms. “We should leave the uterus to God,” the street preacher from Tennessee tells States Newsroom, in front of an abortion clinic outside of Atlanta, in late July. Sweat drips from his cowboy hat into his salt-and-pepper beard that stretches halfway down his red-plaid shirt. The retired police officer is […]
Drug decriminalization stumbled in Oregon. Other states are taking note.
Just before Portland’s City Council approved a ban on public drug use last week, Mayor Ted Wheeler described what he’d observed on his way to work that afternoon: “The last time I saw somebody consuming what I believe to be fentanyl publicly on our streets was less than five minutes ago, three blocks from City […]
Women with serious pregnancy complications sue over state abortion bans
Women and physicians in Idaho and Tennessee have sued their home states after they say they were denied abortion care despite being diagnosed with serious, life-threatening medical conditions while pregnant. The lawsuits are led by the Center for Reproductive Rights, an advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., which also helped a patient in Oklahoma file […]
Oregon advocates call for state to follow ‘roadmap’ to address addiction crisis
Oregon recovery advocates want state leaders to take decisive action to combat a growing drug and alcohol addiction crisis that is killing Oregonians every day. Oregon Recovers, a Portland-based advocacy group, on Wednesday released a 12-step proposal to end the state’s addiction crisis through a variety of actions, such as expanding treatment, growing the workforce […]