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OONA TEMPEST/KFF HEALTH NEWS

Depressed? Anxious? Air pollution may be a factor

New research shows how air pollution goes directly into the brain through the air we breathe — and has serious impacts

Apr 27, 2023

SABINE VAN ERP/PIXABAY

Meals on Wheels as a climate-relief model

Multnomah County's program distributing food for the elderly is being cited to show how volunteers can address heat strokes and other health concerns in times of need

Apr 27, 2023

GERD ALTMANN/PIXABAY

Viable male birth control options could be on the horizon

One organization with a single donor is trying to lead the way in a lonely health care frontier

Apr 27, 2023

large white hospital building bears the word "BayCare"

BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel opened in March and as early as 2025 is slated to be among three general hospitals in Wesley Chapel, a Tampa suburb. The three hospitals will be within a five-minute drive of one another. | PHIL GALEWITZ, KFF HEALTH NEWS

How a 2019 Florida law catalyzed a hospital-building boom

About two-thirds of states, including Oregon, require government approval to build a hospital; in Florida dropping that rule has spawned dozens of new hospitals to serve the affluent that critics say will drive up health care costs and hurt quality

Apr 27, 2023

The west plaza at Oregon State Hospital in Salem. | COURTESY OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY

Hospitals' lawsuit over psychiatric admissions faces scrutiny in court

Oregon hospital systems say they’re saddled with patients who should be in the state hospital, but a federal judge questions the validity of their argument

Apr 26, 2023
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House passes bill to boost Oregon hospitals’ charity care

Reports of tax-exempt hospitals hounding poor patients for payment prompted lawmakers to consider toughening Oregon’s charity care requirements

Apr 25, 2023
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U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland in 2016. | SHUTTERSTOCK

Wyden on court rulings and the battle over access to abortion drug mifepristone

A conversation with U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, who has been advocating for protecting access to mifepristone for Americans

Apr 25, 2023

SHUTTERSTOCK

With Oregon Health Plan review underway, hundreds of callers a day give up on state’s helpline

State officials acknowledge call takers need more training, with at least one telling a member the wrong information — twice

Apr 25, 2023

Yadira Martinez of Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Institute is one of the first dental therapists approved to treat cavities in Oregon. Lawmakers approved the profession in 2021 to save money and combat inequities, but pilot programs set up for training are slated to go away in less than two years. | COURTESY VIRGINIA GARCIA

They were supposed to fix dental shortages, but Oregon has only a handful

Two years ago, state lawmakers approved a new profession to combat inequities and save money. But a narrow licensing path has limited the number of these dental therapists.

Apr 25, 2023

The proposed site of Heritage Square, which would have included supportive housing, in downtown Astoria. The city council voted down the project over its cost and concerns from a vocal group of critics. | CITY OF ASTORIA

Stalled bill would clear way for more residential mental health treatment

Oregon lawmakers say they want more residential treatment facilities, but a bill intended to make it easier to build them faces uncertainty

Apr 25, 2023
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