Jan Johnson

Cranes Start Moving on OHSU’s South Waterfront Buildings in January

The OHSU board approved bond financing for the Knight Cancer Research Building, the Center for Health and Healing South and Patient/Family Housing bringing its total debt to $1 billion.

The CHH-South project with an ambulatory hospital of 15 operating rooms and 48 patient rooms is expected to cost $309 million, including $9 million allocated from the annual hospital capital budget. The Knight Cancer Research facilities total $200 million.

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Jan Johnson

Transformation Funded Teledentistry Pilot Kicks off in rural Polk County

This month Meagan Kintz, an expanded practice dental hygienist, packed up her “virtual dental home” and brought teledentistry to an elementary school cafeteria. The first student received preventive cleaning, fluoride and sealants as part of a new teledentistry pilot project in Independence, Oregon funded under a grant and Clinical Innovation Fellowship through the Oregon Health Authority’s federal State Innovation Model grant.

“People just can’t access care,” Kintz said. “I hope this (pilot) spreads statewide.”

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Jan Johnson

Student and Community Health Flourishes With School-based Clinics

Oregon School-based Health Alliance conference celebrates 75 certified school-based health centers in 21 Oregon counties accepting most insurance including OHP and offering services for free to those without insurance.

The Milwaukie High School Health & Wellness Center operated by the nonprofit Outside In promises “real help right here” to let youth learn by improving their physical and emotional health.

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Jan Johnson

Tobacco Reduction Committee Passes Slender Budget, Expands Duties

Oregon’s Tobacco Reduction Advisory Committee approved a $19.7 million 2015-2017 budget, a little less than the $19.8 million in its 2013-2015 budget.

“We’re grateful for these resources but it’s still a quarter of what the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] recommends for tobacco prevention,” said Luci Longoria, health promotion manager for the Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division.

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Jan Johnson

Dental hygienists Should Practice at the Top of their License

Oregon Oral Health Coalition Conference also calls for oral health equity for seniors.

Too often dental hygienists cannot practice using their full training and competencies, according to Mary Northridge, an associate professor with the Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion at the New York University College of Dentistry.

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Jan Johnson

Portland Barbershops Got Blood Pressure Push from North by Northeast Center

The only medical clinic focused on African American health in Oregon is reaching out to those most at risk.

“The reason I became involved in Cuts and Checks,” said Derwin Cunningham, patient ambassador for North by Northeast Community Health Center’s new barbershop-based blood pressure screening program, “is my father,” who did not take his blood pressure medication, suffered a stroke and died.

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Jan Johnson

OHSU Income $40 Million Better than Budgeted, Record Net Worth

Oregon Health & Science University celebrates 20 years as a “public corporation” with double the patients and students and quadruple the budget since 1995, president Joe Robertson told the OHSU board in his opening comments.

OHSU operating income for the 2015 fiscal is $110 million, $40 million above budget and $15 million or 16 percent more than the prior year.

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Jan Johnson

No Meningococcal Vaccine Requirement for Schools, Colleges

Oregon's School Law Advisory Committee voted not to require adolescents to get meningococcal vaccines or face exclusion from Oregon schools and colleges.

Oregon generally reserves restrictions on school attendance to failure to be vaccinated against diseases that put others at risk, said Paul Cieslak, manager of Oregon Public Health’s Acute & Communicable Disease program.

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Jan Johnson

Public Health About to Assume New Role

In one of its last meetings under its old structure, Oregon’s Public Health Advisory Board looked at how electronic health records may skew statistics, the impacts of legalization of marijuana and writing a common lexicon for public health.

Public health is undergoing a massive change in Oregon after the Legislature passed its modernization bill in July.

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Jan Johnson

Everybody’s at Risk in Increasingly Unsecure Cyber Space

Sometimes they’re seeking drugs. Or they don’t have insurance and want healthcare.

Whatever the reasons, 94 percent of healthcare organizations faced a security breach in the past two years, said Dan Briley, managing director of Summit Security Group, losing on average 2,700 records. You can be HIPPA compliant, Briley said with “plenty of security holes.”

By: 
Jan Johnson

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