The Lund Report

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Tents in downtown Portland on March 14, 2022. | SHUTTERSTOCK

'Administrative collapse:' Advocates blame evictions on new Oregon Health Authority housing program

People and providers have spent months trying to tap a new program intended to support health by keeping people out of homelessness, and they say that in the Portland area it's turned into a bureacratic nightmare in which the promised help often does not arrive in time

May 1
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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 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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Oregon State Hospital in Salem. | BEN BOTKIN/THE LUND REPORT

Updated: Oregon State Hospital's new 30-day safety plan provides broad strokes but few details

The three-page plan focuses on assessing patients risks, increasing staffing to operate more like a 24/7 hospital, and providing clearer direction and empowerment to staff

Apr 30
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PHOTO COPYRIGHT PORTLAND TRIBUNE; PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION.

Congress should embrace Oregon-style reforms, Kitzhaber says

The former Oregon governor is working with Republican Cliff Bentz to advance ideas to limit harm from Medicaid cuts and instead promote savings in the costly program. He argues the time is now for Democrats to seize the high ground, but top members of the Oregon delegation say Republicans can't be trusted.

Apr 29
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OHSU's main campus in Portland in September, 2024. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

OHSU leaders mum on how red ink could affect proposed purchase of Legacy

Oregon Health & Science University leaders won't say whether recent bad budget news has prompted any second-guessing of their proposal to take over Legacy Health. But they painted a troubling picture at a board meeting last week.

Apr 29
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The Oregon Health Authority headquarters in Salem | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Treatment providers say Oregon health officials’ new rule is hurting care

Cascadia Health and other residential facility operators say the state’s push to avoid a possible federal contempt order is leading to poor outcomes as well as escapes and increased violence

Apr 29
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SHUTTERSTOCK

Oregon hospitals house mentally ill for long periods, dashboard shows

New state website supports longstanding complaints that hospitals have become a stopgap for holes in the Oregon mental health system

Apr 24
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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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An employee of the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services helps a consumer pick a health care plan on the federal online health insurance marketplace. | DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AND BUSINESS SERVICES

Oregon health insurers, state officials fret as premium subsidies face cuts in Washington, D.C. 

Republicans’ push in Washington, D.C. to cut health coverage subsidies would drive up the average marketplace premium in Oregon by about 70%; and additional hikes in Oregon could make it far worse

Apr 22
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SABINE VAN ERP/PIXABAY

Providence's push to hand off hospice, home care in Oregon to Tennessee firm gets closer look

State health officials plan a six-month analysis to examine the proposed deal with Compassus, which is partly owned by private equity. The transaction has sparked concerns from nurses and home health providers.

Apr 22
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