Health
U.S. senators criticize federal health officials for lagging monkeypox response
WASHINGTON — Congress held its first hearing on monkeypox this week, with lawmakers rebuking federal public health officials for their slow response to the outbreak, even though the hearing came four months after the first U.S. case was diagnosed. “By any measure, in fact by every measure, the response from the Biden administration on the […]
Experts tell state lawmakers Oregon’s novel approach to drug addiction has holes
A day after the Oregon Health Authority declared a new era in the state’s approach to drug addiction had begun, experts warned legislators that the state’s drug epidemic is worsening while its new approach lacks crucial elements to stem the crisis. Keith Humphreys, director of the Stanford Network on Addiction Policy, based at Stanford University […]
Oregon’s novel approach to drugs hits ‘milestone’
A year behind schedule, Oregon’s novel approach to drug addiction has reached primetime. In November 2020, voters overwhelmingly approved Measure 110, making Oregon the first state nationwide to decriminalize the possession of small quantities of drugs and establish service centers to help people tackle their mental health and addiction problems. The centers were supposed to […]
‘Crisis pregnancy centers’ that oppose abortion questioned by U.S. Senate Democrats
Seven U.S. Senate Democrats questioned a leading Ohio-based antiabortion group Tuesday about its practice of collecting personal information from patients seeking abortions. So-called crisis pregnancy centers—facilities that often mirror abortion provider aesthetics but actually provide services to discourage abortion—collect sensitive data from patients. That presents troubling new complications as states move to increase penalties for […]
Survey: Oregonians still support Measure 110 despite flawed rollout
Despite a much-criticized rollout, Oregonians still support a 2020 law that decriminalized possession of small amounts of hard drugs and allocated millions of dollars towards addiction services, according to a recent poll by a progressive think tank. The survey by Data for Progress found that 85% of Democrats, 58% of independent voters and 33% of […]
Eastern Oregon likely to get fraction of money requested from state for drinking water emergency
Eastern Oregon is likely to get one-quarter of the money it wanted from the state this year in emergency aid for clean drinking water. In an Aug. 11 email, Morrow County Commissioner Jim Doherty asked state Rep. Greg Smith, a Republican who represents the area, to submit a letter requesting for $4 million to the […]
Oregon, other U.S. senators push for privacy for women seeking reproductive health care
Nearly 30 U.S. senators, including Oregon’s Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, asked the federal government Tuesday to ensure that the identities of women seeking reproductive health care remain private. Their letter to the head of the U.S. Department of Human Services, Xavier Becerra, said that the U.S. faces a reproductive health care crisis with states […]
U.S. Senate Republicans shy away from proposed 15-week national abortion ban
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans are skeptical about a 15-week nationwide abortion ban that GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced Tuesday, with some saying they want to leave the issue to state lawmakers instead of taking it up in Congress. “I think most of the members of my conference prefer that this be dealt with at […]
Legacy Health plans free monkeypox vaccine clinic in Portland on Saturday
Legacy Health is offering a free vaccine clinic on Saturday for people who’ve been exposed to monkeypox or risk exposure. The event will take place at its offices in Northwest Portland between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Legacy has enough vaccine doses for 160 people, and the clinic is by appointment only, spokeswoman Sarah Ericksen […]
With cases falling, Oregon Health Authority shifts attention away from Covid-19
With Covid-19 no longer posing a public health crisis, state health officials announced Wednesday they are shifting resources away from tracking the disease toward other priorities, including monkeypox. Officials from the Oregon Health Authority said they will no longer publish daily Covid data, and they indicated the virus is likely to become “endemic” like the […]
New Covid booster shots arrive in Oregon
Tens of thousands of Covid-19 booster doses are arriving in Oregon this week as state health officials, pharmacies and providers plan vaccine clinics and schedule shots. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the new booster doses by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech on Thursday and a West Coast scientific group representing Oregon, Washington, California […]
Covid-19 vaccine may become annual, like flu shot
WASHINGTON — Covid-19 boosters shots are on track to become as frequent as the annual flu shot, though high-risk people may need more than one dose per year, Biden administration officials said Tuesday. “For a large majority of Americans, we are moving to a point where a single annual Covid shot should provide a high […]