State Health Policy

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JOZEF MICIC/SHUTTERSTOCK

CareOregon urges Kotek to speed up merger review

The Oregon Health Plan provider, which would send $120 million to a merged California nonprofit under the deal, wants the state to wrap up a process nearing the 12-month mark — even as opposition mounts

Nov 28, 2023
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Clockwise, from left to right: Multnomah County Commissioner Sharon Meieran, moderator and Portland Axios reporter Emily Harris, Providence Health Chief Executive of Behavioral Health Robin Henderson, Portland Street Response Interim Program Manager Lielah Leighton, Jonathan Mroz of Central City Concern, Multnomah Circuit Judge Nan Waller discussed promising approaches to improve behavioral health care in Portland. | SCREENSHOT, OREGON HEALTH FORUM

Decisive action could help Portland's dysfunctional behavioral health system, experts say

An Oregon Health Forum panel agreed that action and urgency could significantly improve care for people experiencing mental health crisis and addiction in Oregon's largest city

Nov 16, 2023

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Oregon legislators discuss upcoming changes to Measure 110 at the Oregon State of Reform conference in Portland on Nov. 14, 2023. From left to right: Rep. Rob Nosse, D-Portland; Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Stayton; and Rep. Thuy Tran, D-Portland. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Oregon lawmakers preview possible fixes to Measure 110 in upcoming session

Public drug use and prosecution of drug dealers could be on the table, as well as reinstating criminal penalties and scrapping a controversial oversight council

Nov 14, 2023
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CareOregon. | COURTESY OF CAREOREGON

More public-comment meetings slated for proposed CareOregon/SCAN merger

Details on potential effects of the pending deal remain hazy as a California nonprofit Medicare insurer moves toward absorption of a major provider of health care to low-income Oregonians

Nov 14, 2023

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Dr. Sejal Hathi, 33, in January takes over as director of the Oregon Health Authority, an agency that oversees care to more than 1.3 million low-income people. | SCREENSHOT VIA THE LUND REPORT

Q&A: Incoming Oregon Health Authority Director Sejal Hathi on Measure 110, delivery reforms

The former White House advisor supports the drug decriminalization law’s goals but says she’ll work with law enforcement and others on implementation

Nov 7, 2023
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Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center's Century High School clinic in in Hillsboro, Oregon. | ©PORTLAND TRIBUNE, REPUBLISHED WITH PERMISSION

Oregon lawmakers to push for in-school medical center funding

With mental health issues among adolescents on the rise, advocates say school-based health centers need more funding

Nov 7, 2023
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Dr. Sejal Hathi | COURTESY GOV. TINA KOTEK'S OFFICE

Kotek appoints new director of Oregon Health Authority

Dr. Sejal Hathi will take the helm of the state’s largest agency in January

Nov 6, 2023

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SHUTTERSTOCK

Governor, lawmakers need to take action on Oregon kids’ mental health, advocate says

One in 4 Oregon youth ages 12-17 have experienced a “major depressive episode” in the last 12 months — the second-highest rate in the country, according to the state

Oct 31, 2023
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State Rep. Ben Bowman, at left, on the House floor in the Oregon Capitol. | COURTESY REP. BEN BOWMAN'S OFFICE.

Bill seeks to curb corporate control of health care in Oregon

Rep. Ben Bowman said Oregon’s laws haven’t kept up with an accelerating trend in health care that many worry puts profits over patients

Oct 31, 2023
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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

Oregon lawmakers seek stiffer charges for assaults on hospital workers

Many states consider assaults on medical workers a felony, but efforts to follow suit in Salem have foundered on civil rights concerns

Oct 26, 2023
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