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November 12, 2012 -- For the third year, the College of Pharmacy at Oregon State University and the Oregon Health Authority will sponsor “AWARE at the Square” in Portland, a health education event about antibiotic use and resistance. The event will be at Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland on Friday, Nov. 16, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. OSU pharmacy students will be available to discuss these issues, as well as help people learn ways to prevent infection and talk to their doctor about when they really need antibiotics.

November 9, 2012 -- The Oregon Health Policy Board will hold its monthly meeting November 13 in Portland. The board will hear an overview of coordinated care organization implementation and a presentation on alignment opportunities between the board and Oregon’s Early Learning Council. The board also will continue its ongoing discussion of community health initiatives. Public testimony will be heard beginning at 11:45 a.m. When: Tuesday, November 13, from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

November 8, 2012 -- Western University of Health Sciences is honoring FamilyCare Health Plans during its annual “A Tribute to Caring” gala on Nov. 10, 2012 in Anaheim, Cal. Earlier this year, FamilyCare donated $2 million to the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest (COMP-Northwest) located in Lebanon, Ore., for scholarships to support osteopathic medical students interested in primary care.

November 8, 2012 -- Multnomah County will open the first permanent safety net dental clinic in downtown Portland on Friday, Nov. 9, 2012. The new clinic is located on the third floor of the new Central City Concern building at 33 N.W. Broadway. The Billi Odegaard clinic is expected to serve up to 1,500 clients a year, many of them people who are homeless or among the most vulnerable in our community. Billi Odegaard is a retired public health nurse and Health Department director who believed in community partnerships to stretch every dollar.

OPINION – November 8, 2012 -- Earlier this week, I took part in a trial run of the user interface system for the website of the Oregon health insurance exchange—now called Cover Oregon.

November 7, 2012 -- We are incredibly pleased that Dr. Richard Popiel has joined Regence as our new Senior Vice President, Health Care Services and Chief Medical Officer for Regence Health Plans. Dr. Popiel has extensive strategic and operational experience across a diverse spectrum of health care settings. He has become well known for his ability to rethink how quality care is delivered and how to control costs - skills and experience that will positively impact the service and care our members receive. Dr. Popiel will responsible for the following in this new role:

November 8, 2012 – There’s a very high preponderance of people on the Oregon Health Plan who have a mental health or substance abuse problem, according to Mary Monnat, president and CEO of LifeWorks NW. In the Portland metropolitan area, such problems affect 70 percent of that population.

November 8, 2012 -- The fight to keep coal trains from passing through Oregon on their way to ports overseas was put in a national context at a free screening of the documentary, The Last Mountain, at Portland's Bagdad Theater last week.

November 8, 2012 -- As the state’s coordinated care organizations ramp up, healthcare experts agree that a major advance CCOs can bring to the table is the ability to custom-design healthcare priorities based on the needs of a specific community. But that won’t necessarily be easy, experts speaking at a conference last week agreed.