Health

Salinas urges House to eliminate anti-LGBTQ, anti-abortion parts of defense budget bill

BY: - September 13, 2023

U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas of Oregon told the Republican House leadership that anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ parts of the proposed defense appropriations bill are jeopardizing the passage of more than $1 billion in the bill to fight the opioid crisis.  The Democratic congresswoman, who represents Oregon’s 6th District, sent a letter Wednesday to Republican House Speaker […]

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, speaks during a news conference following a closed-door lunch meeting with Senate Democrats at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 6, 2023 in Washington, D.C. At left is U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat and chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Battles over spending, farm bill, Ukraine and yet more loom over a divided Congress

BY: , , and - September 13, 2023

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House and Senate are both back in D.C. following a long summer recess, facing an overwhelming agenda of unfinished work — funding the federal government and reauthorizing major programs set to expire at the end of the month. Congressional leaders and President Joe Biden have only a few weeks to broker […]

CMS study sabotages efforts to bolster nursing home staffing, advocates say

BY: - September 13, 2023

The Biden administration last year promised to establish minimum staffing levels for the nation’s roughly 15,000 nursing homes. It was the centerpiece of an agenda to overhaul an industry the government said was rife with substandard care and failures to follow federal quality rules. But a research study the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services […]

New round of COVID-19 booster shots on the way after CDC recommendation

BY: - September 12, 2023

WASHINGTON — Americans older than 6 months should get an updated COVID-19 booster this fall, according to a recommendation the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued Tuesday. The vaccine should be available by later this week, the CDC said in a statement. “We have more tools than ever to prevent the worst outcomes from […]

Judge rules against Marion County over Oregon State Hospital patients, but county fights back

BY: - September 12, 2023

Marion County judges have tried to bypass a federal court order in a dispute about treating suspects in the Oregon State Hospital. But on Monday, the federal judge involved in the case lashed back, saying that, according to the U.S. Constitution, federal courts are higher than local courts and thus their orders can’t be ignored.  […]

opioid pills have been overprescribed in the past

Rosenblum announces pending $40 million opioid settlement for Oregon 

BY: - September 11, 2023

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum expects the state to receive $40 million from Kroger when states finalize a settlement agreement with the national grocery chain. The tentative agreement is part of a $1.37 billion payout the company will make to states nationwide for its role in dispensing opioids and contributing to the deadly opioid addiction […]

Orlyn Grace, a registered nurse, administers a COVID-19 booster vaccination to Jeanie Merriman at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic on April 06, 202, in San Rafael, California.

Food and Drug Administration approves COVID boosters for upcoming season

BY: - September 11, 2023

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the latest round of COVID-19 boosters, as public health officials brace for another cold and flu season. An advisory panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is scheduled to vote on recommendations Tuesday, the final step in the process before people will […]

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Multnomah County judge in center of Oregon’s mental health crisis

BY: - September 11, 2023

Multnomah County Circuit Judge Nan Waller once had an unorthodox request from a man in her courtroom. He begged her tearfully to put him in jail. The Portland streets were bitter cold and he had nowhere to turn. She arranged for him to sleep on a conference room floor until her staff could find a […]

Timing, cost of new vaccines vary by virus and health insurance

BY: - September 10, 2023

As summer edges toward fall, thoughts turn to, well, vaccines. Yes, inevitably, it’s time to think about the usual suspects — influenza and covid-19 shots — but also the new kid in town: recently approved vaccines for RSV, short for respiratory syncytial virus. But who should get the various vaccines, and when? “For the eligible […]

Scientist Carson Bruns’ laboratory at the University of Colorado-Boulder makes tattoo ink.

Nanoengineer and Rihanna’s tattoo artist plan to sell smart tattoo ink

BY: - September 9, 2023

BOULDER, Colo. — Mad-scientist kind of moments happen fairly often for nanoengineer Carson Bruns. A few months ago in his lab at the University of Colorado-Boulder, he tested his latest invention on his own arm and asked a colleague for help. “We were like, ‘OK, we’re going to tattoo ourselves. Can you help us today?’” […]

The Department of Justice is asking the Supreme Court to weigh in on conflicting lower court decisions on access to a popular abortion medication. (Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)

U.S. Justice Department asks Supreme Court to take up abortion pill case

BY: - September 8, 2023

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday asked the Supreme Court to decide whether the abortion pill should remain on the market after two lower courts issued differing opinions about its use. The case, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will likely be the second time the conservative-leaning Supreme […]

Spending on health care in Oregon soars 40% in eight years, report says

BY: - September 7, 2023

The cost of health care continues to increase in Oregon, forcing residents to dig into their savings, forgo care and rack up medical debt, according to a state report. The state spent about $31 billion on health care in 2021, according to a study released Thursday by the Oregon Health Authority. That averages out to […]