hospitals

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COVID patients are crowding ERs./Shutterstock

Oregon Officials Watched As Cases Spiked, Waiting Until Now To Act

The Oregon Health Authority is organizing a command structure to address the staffing and bed crisis facing hospitals swamped with COVID-19 cases.

Aug 11, 2021
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SHUTTERSTOCK

Health Care Staff Will Have To Be Tested For COVID-19 Or Vaccinated, Gov. Brown Decides

The announcement follows decisions by some hospital systems to require employee vaccinations against COVID-19 despite an Oregon law banning the practice.

Aug 4, 2021

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Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro. | SHUTTERSTOCK

Kaiser Permanente Will Defy Law And Require COVID-19 Vaccinations 

Gov. Kate Brown is expected to announce a decision soon that could pave the way for other health care companies to require vaccinations.

Aug 2, 2021
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Prices In Oregon For Many Common Medical Procedures Have Surged, Data Show

Prices also varied wildly from one hospital to another, which the state says underscores the importance of Oregon’s new cost-growth control program.

Jul 22, 2021
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LYNNE TERRY/THE LUND REPORT

Hospital ‘Trauma Centers’ Charge Enormous Fees To Treat Minor Injuries and Send People Home

Tens of thousands of times a year, hospitals charge enormously expensive trauma alert fees for injuries so minor the patient is never admitted.

Jul 19, 2021

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Federal Ruling May Upend Gag Policy Affecting Health Care Workers

A federal appellate court ruled that the firing of a hospital employee violated the law, which could lead to a revision of policies barring workers from speaking publicly.

Jul 13, 2021

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COASTAL ELITE/CC BY-SA 2.0

Hundreds Die In Northwest Heat Wave

From Oregon to British Columbia, temperatures set new highs, reaching more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit in one British Columbian town.

Jun 30, 2021

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Dozens of people sat and played in the Ira Keller Fountain Park in Portland on June 28, 2021. | KRISTYNA WENTZ-GRAFF/OPB

Oregon Heat Wave Linked To Hospitalizations And Drownings

Around 200 Oregonians have visited emergency departments or urgent care centers due to heat-related illness since the heat wave began Friday, according to data published by the Oregon Health Authority.

Jun 30, 2021

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SHARON MCCUTCHEON ON UNSPLASH

COVID's Lingering Effects Can Put the Brakes on Elective Surgeries

As the number of people who have had COVID grows, medical experts are trying to determine when it’s safe for them to have elective surgery.

Jun 28, 2021

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Despite COVID, Many Wealthy Hospitals Had a Banner Year With Federal Bailout

Some of the nation's richest hospitals and health systems recorded hundreds of millions of dollars in surpluses last year after accepting the lion's share of federal health care bailout grants.

Apr 5, 2021