Rural Health

Morrow County Health District ambulances in northeastern Oregon. | COURTESY MORROW COUNTY HEALTH DISTRICT

Paramedic sues Morrow County Health District for $1.5 million over her firing Premium

Samantha Ward was helping a colleague with alleged harassment when a union official allegedly alerted management to an earlier lawsuit she'd filed— leading to her termination, the federal lawsuit claims

May 6

MEMBERS OF THE COLLECTIVE OF INDIGENOUS INTERPRETERS OF OREGON AFTER THEIR GRADUATION CEREMONY AT PORTLAND CENTER STAGE AT THE ARMORY IN DECEMBER./COURTESY OF PUEBLO UNIDO

More Oregonians speak Indigenous languages, but health care interpreters are lacking

Groups are joining with Legacy Health to ask lawmakers to beef up the training and accreditation program for interpreters to help people access care, other services

May 1
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SHUTTERSTOCK

Bills to permit behavioral health treatment by out-of-state providers were sailing, then hit the rocks

Rep. Ed Diehl said the four bills, intended to address Oregon's critical shortage of behavioral health providers, were pulled by the House Speaker's office at the last minute

Apr 24
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Trump’s war on measurement means losing data on drug Use, maternal mortality, climate change and more

By slashing teams that gather critical data, the administration has left the federal government with no way of understanding if policies are working — and created a lack of information whose consequences could ripple out for decades.

Apr 22

The Oregon Institute of Technology campus in Klamath Falls.

Proposed med school in Klamath Falls could help treat rural doctor shortage

Klamath Falls may someday become home to Oregon's second public medical school.

Apr 22

A COVID-19 VACCINE IS ADMINISTERED AT THE DESCHUTES COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT IN BEND, JANUARY 2021./BRADLEY W. PARKS/OPB

Oregon joins federal suit to block sudden cancellation of $11.4 billion in health grants

The Trump administration cuts would deliver a $117 million hit to Oregon programs set up to combat disease and drug addiction

Apr 1

SAMARITAN PACIFIC COMMUNITIES HOSPITAL IN NEWPORT./VISITOR7/CC BY-SA 3.0/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Lagging reimbursements from government may mean a merger or new partnership lie in Corvallis-based Samaritan Health’s future

The three-county system has not yet considered specific possibilities for its next move after possibly acquiring Santiam Hospital. But CEO Doug Boysen says ‘all options are on the table’ for Samaritan given a challenging financial landscape that's driving health care restructuring around the state.

Mar 20
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digital illustration of a spiral bacteria against a green background

Syphilis bacterium. | ILLUSTRATION BY JOMAR JUNIOR/PIXABAY

Oregon faces ‘crisis’ in growing number of babies born with syphilis, officials say

Even as overall syphilis numbers go down in the state, more and more babies are being born with it — particularly in rural areas

Mar 11
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A view of the Oregon State Capitol in November 2024. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Oregon lawmakers outline plans, priorities for health care in session

The upcoming five-month session could lead to significant progress, according to a legislative panel

Jan 7
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EMILIANO BAR/UNSPLASH

State funds $13 million to improve medication-assisted treatment at Oregon's jails

New treatment providers around the state will be funded to combat opioid use disorder, including at jails, clinics and hospitals, with help from Oregon Health & Science University

Jul 23, 2024
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