Health
State audit calls on health authority to fix problems with Measure 110 addiction program
Oregon’s first-in-the-nation initiative to address the state’s drug addiction crisis with treatment instead of jail had a rocky start, but it’s too soon to gauge whether the program will be successful, state auditors found. The Secretary of State audit, released Thursday, said more time is needed to determine whether Measure 110, which voters approved in […]
Lawmaker concerned about ‘dangerous’ conditions at OHSU primate center
A state lawmaker is calling for more transparency and accountability at the Oregon National Primate Research Center, which conducts medical research for human benefits and has thousands of primates in its care. Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, is backing a proposal that would require the center, run by Oregon Health & Science University in Beaverton, to […]
Oregon hospital industry group floats alternatives to nurse staffing bill
The Oregon hospital industry wants the Legislature to increase the number of nurses – in part by using state money for incentive programs to help hospitals hire and train nurses. The Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, which represents the state’s 62 hospitals, on Wednesday released details of its proposals for addressing the nursing […]
Oregon Legislature will consider hospital nurse staffing levels
Oregon’s largest nurses union and the hospital industry are gearing up for a push – and potential fight – in the Legislature to bolster the ranks of nurses that have dwindled over the past three years. COVID-19 pushed hospitals into a crisis, with nurses reaching a breaking point as the pandemic dragged on. They also […]
Rural seniors benefit from pandemic-driven remote fitness boom
MALMO, Minn. — Eight women, all 73 or older, paced the fellowship hall at Malmo Evangelical Free Church to a rendition of Daniel O’Donnell’s “Rivers of Babylon” as they warmed up for an hourlong fitness class. The women, who live near or on the eastern shore of Mille Lacs Lake, had a variety of reasons […]
2023 Oregon legislative preview: What you need to know
The Oregon Legislature begins its 2023 work in earnest on Tuesday, with just more than five months to pass a budget and tackle pressing issues including homelessness, addiction and a public defender shortage that has left hundreds of people without their constitutionally guaranteed right to an attorney. The 90-member Legislature must end its work by […]
Oregon Health Authority slow to help thousands in northeast Oregon with polluted drinking water
Three years ago, eight environmental groups asked the federal Environmental Protection Agency to do something about nitrate contamination in drinking water in northeast Oregon. In a Jan. 16, 2020 petition, they said that for more than 30 years the state had failed to stop nitrate pollution from farm fertilizers, animal manure and industrial wastewater from […]
U.S. House Republicans push through two anti-abortion measures in first work week
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Wednesday approved its first abortion-related measures under a new Republican majority, eliciting strong support from GOP members and opposition from Democrats, who rejected the legislation as misleading and incomplete. Republicans, who secured a four-seat majority during the November midterm elections, said the bill setting medical standards on a national […]
Time is running out to sign up for health care coverage
If you don’t have health insurance – or just want to explore your options – go to healthcare.gov on or before Jan. 15 to get covered with affordable health insurance. Having and keeping good quality affordable health care is personal for me. The Affordable Care Act saved my life. In 2017, I walked into a […]
Oregon State Hospital largely passed recent inspection but violations remain
Oregon State Hospital largely passed its latest federal inspection but fell short of requirements for cleanliness, food storage and safety and following up on patient grievances, inspectors said in a report. The 39-page December report, which the Capital Chronicle obtained in a records request, was part of a follow-up to serious violations found earlier in […]
Next Oregon behavioral health director seen as collaborative, ‘truth-teller’
Ebony Clarke, who has family experience with addiction, plans to take a collaborative approach to a high-profile job: tackling Oregon’s crisis of mental health and substance abuse. Gov.-elect Tina Kotek on Friday announced the appointment of Clarke, director of the Multnomah County Health Department, to lead the behavioral health division in the Oregon Health Authority. […]
Four Oregon districts get $20 million to hire school mental health staff
Three Oregon school districts and an education service district have received $20 million from the U.S. Department of Education to hire more mental health staff. The Douglas Education Service District, which serves 13 school districts in Douglas County in southwest Oregon, will get more than $6.8 million, the largest of the grants. Portland Public Schools, […]