Independent health news for Oregon and SW Washington
Menu
Close
Health News:
Health Hires  job board

Latest News

SHUTTERSTOCK

Sleep well to live longer, new OHSU study says

The correlation between good sleep and life expectancy is not news, but how closely the relationship holds up even on a local level is quite remarkable, according to a sleep researcher who worked with graduate researchers to spearhead a nationwide analysis.
Dec 9, 2025
Premium
Ashland Hospital exterior
Ashland Community Hospital | FINETOOTH/WIKICOMMONS

Asante’s closure of birthing center, most of hospital in Ashland sparks concerns

Asante Health is reporting strong finances, and its reports to the state claim Ashland was making money. But system leadership now says that after a profitable 2024, the facility is losing money, and only the emergency room and outpatient services will remain in operation.
Dec 4, 2025
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speak with reporters during a press conference in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speak with reporters during a press conference in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. | JENNIFER SHUTT/STATES NEWSROOM

Health subsidies would continue for 3 years under Dem bill to be voted on in US Senate

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer announced Thursday the chamber will vote next week to extend enhanced tax credits for three years for people who purchase their health insurance from the Affordable Care Act marketplace
Dec 4, 2025
Members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, from left, Vicky Pebsworth, Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, and Dr. Raymond Pollak meet in Atlanta on Sept. 18. The panel is meeting again Thursday and Friday. (Rebecca Grapevine / Healthbeat)
Members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, from left, Vicky Pebsworth, Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, and Dr. Raymond Pollak meet in Atlanta on Sept. 18. The panel is meeting again Thursday and Friday. | REBECCA GRAPEVINE/HEALTHBEAT

What to watch for at this week’s CDC vaccine advisory committee meeting

The committee – whose members were replaced with appointees of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – is scheduled to take another series of votes that could reshape longstanding recommendations to protect babies against the cancer-causing hepatitis B virus
Dec 4, 2025
Sarah Bovee does crafts with her 4-year-old son, Ryan, at their home in Oregon City
Sarah Bovee does crafts with her 4-year-old son, Ryan, at their home in Oregon City, Oregon. Bovee, drawing on her own experiences with opioid addiction and recovery, is a peer support specialist and doula for mothers with substance use disorders. Bovee says support from a doula and addiction specialist “changed the tape in my head” and helped her overcome some of the shame and stigma of battling substance use disorder through her pregnancy. | LEAH NASH/INVESTIGATEWEST

Pregnant Oregonians need more addiction and mental health support — but the state’s network is fragile

Substance use and mental health disorders are driving more maternal deaths in Oregon than any other cause, highlighting the challenge of reducing maternal mortality and racial disparities
Dec 4, 2025
Larry Humphreys, a retired federal worker, has insurance for himself and his wife, Julianne, through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. They have several health plan options through the program but have stayed with the same one for decades | LARRY HUMPHREYS/KFF HEALTH NEWS

After shutdown, federal employees face new uncertainty: affording health insurance

Hospital consolidation is helping drive the higher costs, since insurers must negotiate with a handful of powerful health systems that have swallowed up other hospitals and doctors, letting them drive prices higher, one expert observed
Dec 2, 2025
The main campus of the Oregon State Hospital is in Salem. | MICHAEL ROMANOS/OREGON CAPITAL CHRONICLE

Federal contempt fines over Oregon State Hospital top $1.4 million

Penalties levied over delayed admissions to the Oregon State Hospital are mounting, even as local officials and providers protest changes to the system that they say will disadvantage many patients at the expense of those who are criminal defendants
Dec 2, 2025
Premium

Get Involved

NEWS TIPS

Securely submit an anonymous news tip or confidential document.

DONATE

Support our journalism by making a tax-deductible gift.