Health
Oregon Youth Authority settles 2 wrongful death lawsuits in two months
The Oregon Youth Authority settled two wrongful death lawsuits within the last two months involving teenagers who died while in the agency’s custody, records obtained by the Capital Chronicle show. The settlements with the families totaled nearly $2.6 million, and one will lead to some policy changes at a provider that contracts with the youth […]
Kotek names interim director for the Oregon Health Authority
Gov.-elect Tina Kotek will appoint a 20-year health care veteran to lead the Oregon Health Authority in early January, at least temporarily. In a statement on Tuesday, she said that James Schroeder, currently the CEO of the state’s largest Medicaid insurer, Health Share of Oregon, will serve as interim director. “James brings over 20 years […]
Oregon reaches $173 million settlement with pharmacy companies in opioid lawsuit
Oregon will receive as much as $173 million to prevent and treat addiction and substance use disorder as part of three national settlements with pharmacy chains involved in the opioid epidemic, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said Monday. Oregon’s share comes from $13.7 billion in three national settlements Rosenblum and other attorneys general have reached […]
Oregon State Hospital faces challenges in push to discharge patients sooner
The Oregon State Hospital – and the state’s wider mental health system – is failing and unable to stop the cycle of people who repeatedly don’t get help until they are arrested, state lawmakers heard Thursday. The challenges are myriad: People often cannot access care they need until after they are arrested and sent to […]
Oregon hospitals face ‘dire’ situation involving large numbers of sick children and adults
For nearly three years, Oregon’s hospitals have faced surge after surge of patients sick with COVID-19. They filled hospital rooms, overflowed into hallways on gurneys and jammed emergency rooms, with hours-long waits. But the current crisis involving a disease called RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, that primarily affects children along with influenza, other diseases and […]
Oregon workgroup recommends stronger legal protections for abortion doctors
Oregon needs to strengthen its laws to protect doctors who provide abortions or gender-affirming care from prosecution and lawsuits, a legislative work group recommended Wednesday. That’s among several recommendations from the Reproductive Health and Access to Care workgroup, which House Speaker Dan Rayfield convened this summer after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade […]
Oregon Health Authority bringing in dozens of contract nurses for children’s hospitals
The Oregon Health Authority is bringing in 112 out-of-state registered nurses and respiratory therapists to help the state’s two largest children’s hospitals. Oregon Health & Science University’s Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and Legacy Health’s Randall Children’s Hospital, which are both in Portland, asked the authority for help to cope with a surge of patients sickened by […]
Oregon faces spike in monkeypox infections
Monkeypox infections in Oregon have suddenly spiked, prompting health officials to urge those most susceptible to the virus to get vaccinated. The Oregon Health Authority said on Tuesday that the epidemic had appeared to have peaked in August from about 10 to 15 cases a week previously to two to three. But 19 new infections […]
It’s time to extend low-cost health coverage to all
In this month’s election in Oregon, pro-health care legislators won up and down the ballot, and Measure 111 passed, guaranteeing all Oregonians access to cost-effective and affordable health care as a right within the state constitution. But what does that mean for people like you and me, and where do we go from here? Oregon is […]
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 […]
Congress passes proposal to make it easier to research benefits, effects of marijuana
Although marijuana is legalized in several dozen states and easily obtainable even in areas where it’s illegal, scientists have faced big bureaucratic barriers to conduct research on the drug. A new, bipartisan bill just passed by Congress aims to snip away some of that red tape. The Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act does […]
Long-running case involving defendants and the Oregon State Hospital back in court
Oregon State Hospital operations continue to be at the center of a federal case over timely admissions to ensure people are treated before facing criminal charges. The long-running case was back in U.S. District Court in Portland on Monday, with a judge hearing from attorneys representing hospitals, district attorneys and Disability Rights Oregon over a […]