Hospitals

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COURTESY OF SAINT ALPHONSUS.

Prospects of saving Baker City hospital birth center fade

Elected officials say hospital owner Trinity Health is backtracking on staffing to continue obstetrics unit at Saint Alphonsus

Aug 14
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AKKALAK AIEMPRADIT/SHUTTERSTOCK

St. Charles may cut ties with Medicare Advantage plans that cover more than 20,000 seniors

Seniors who depend on the Central Oregon health system’s network could face higher premiums and should start researching new plans as open enrollment begins in October.

Aug 14
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Nurses and other health care workers along with their supporters took to the picket lines outside Providence Portland Medical Center on Monday as the state’s largest nurses union called a five-day strike. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Nurses declare victory in negotiations with Providence in Portland, Seaside

A notice from the Oregon Nurses Association to members before any official announcement called the tentative contracts 'historic,' but talks continue for home health care nurses

Aug 11
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COURTESY OF SAINT ALPHONSUS.

New temp nurses offer hope for Baker City birth center's future

Saint Alphonsus Medical Center-Baker City put new temp nurses to work helping with deliveries this week. Meanwhile, community members await word on longer-term federal help to avert the birth center's Aug. 26th closure, which could threaten lives.

Aug 3
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Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland. | M.O. STEVENS/WIKIMEDIA

Hospital doctors at Providence St. Vincent vote overwhelmingly to unionize

The union vote comes amid a wave of organizing by health care workers. Doctors are less likely to unionize, but that could be changing.

Aug 2
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A pile of flowers and a note eulogizing Bobby Smallwood, a security officer for Legacy Health, sit outside the Good Samaritan Medical Center, where he was killed during a confrontation on July 30, 2023. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Legacy Health vows changes after killing. Nurses and others say it’s not enough.

The health system promises better security, but nurses want 24-7 coverage and additional protections after an uptick in local attacks on health workers

Jul 31
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COURTESY OF SAINT ALPHONSUS.

Community outcry, government help may delay closure of Baker City birth center to 2024

Saint Alphonsus is transferring nurses from Idaho to keep maternity services going through August, and delay of the closure could extend 6-12 months if federal agency comes through

Jul 26
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LYNNE TERRY/THE LUND REPORT

Legacy shooting prompts nurses union to decry unsafe conditions at Oregon hospitals

After a hospital security guard was killed over the weekend in Portland, the union urges more patient and visitor screening as well as staff training and support

Jul 25
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COURTESY OF SAINT ALPHONSUS.

Federal help sought to keep Baker City hospital birth center open

Part of Trinity Health, the nation’s 5th-largest hospital chain, Saint Alphonsus Medical Center has said it aims to close the unit July 31

Jul 25
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Kaiser Permanente workers represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 49 hold a picket outside Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro on July 24, 2023 to pressure the managed care consortium on contract negotiations. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Kaiser Permanente workers picket as contract talks heat up

Similar to other employees in healthcare, picketing workers want better staffing and working conditions

Jul 24
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