Public Health

The Oregon Health Authority's headquarters in Salem in November, 2023. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Federal grant cuts drive layoffs at Oregon Health Authority Premium

Already 10 people working to prevent the spread of disease have been notified their jobs are going away, and more are expected despite an increased budget

Jun 26

Patients who contract measles, a highly contagious disease, develop a skin rash. | WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Adult sickened with measles in Portland area after travel abroad

Officials say the case is not related to hundreds of others who’ve been sickened by measles this year, most of them unvaccinated.

Jun 24

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New report ranks Oregon’s health care system better than most

But changes coming out of Washington, D.C., could hurt access and affordability — and block researchers’ ability to measure those effects, expert says

Jun 24
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Oregon State Hospital in Salem. | OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY

Oregon health officials will appeal federal contempt-of-court finding

Critics say Oregon has had plenty of time to invest in fixes to ensure prompt care of mentally ill people housed in jail, but the state officials say a new ruling levying hefty fines was unfair and unfounded

Jun 19
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Veterans Affairs offers medical services in Eugene. | SHUTTERSTOCK

VA cut jeopardizes cancer monitoring among veterans in the Northwest, Wyden charges

Senior Oregon Senator wants the VA to reverse a cut made under a controversial Trump administration initiative

Jun 19
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Trump administration seeks Medicaid data from Oregon amid immigration crackdown

In a move questioned for its ethics and legality, the administration is giving the state until July 30 to hand over personal data of a kind it has started sharing with immigration enforcers at the Department of Homeland Security

Jun 13

Former OHSU oncologist Vinay Prasad tapped by RFK Jr. to head FDA vaccine division

Vinay Prasad rose to prominence criticizing Big Pharma from Portland — then turned his focus to the public health establishment

May 8
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A worker applies an adhesive bandage to a child at a vaccination clinic in Minneapolis’ Corcoran Park in August 2023

A worker applies an adhesive bandage to a child at a vaccination clinic in Minneapolis’ Corcoran Park in Aug. 2023. Minneapolis is among the cities forced to cancel vaccinations after cutoffs in federal funding. | COURTESY OF CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS

As measles outbreaks grow, Trump cuts hinder vaccination efforts

The nation is approaching 1,000 cases across 29 states, including 3 deaths, but funding cuts are shutting down vaccination efforts

May 6

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Three-quarters of Americans oppose Medicaid cuts, poll shows

House Republicans are poised to release a bill that will likely propose cutting hundreds of billions in federal funding for Medicaid, even though poll shows a majority of their constituents disapprove

May 1