The Lund Report

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MJGRAPHICS/SHUTTERSTOCK

Oregon Health Plan insurers propose spending $25 million to offset record profits

Challenge from Gov. Tina Kotek results in behavioral health spending, but insurers want a more public process

Sep 26, 2023
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Rachael Banks, who served as public health director for the state of Oregon for three years, was appointed in September 2023 to head the Multnomah County Health Department. The position requires board confirmation. | COURTESY MULTNOMAH COUNTY

State Public Health Director Rachael Banks leaving for a top job at Multnomah County

After three years at the Oregon Health Authority, Banks will return to the county to head its health department, if confirmed.

Sep 25, 2023
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PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center University District in Eugene, Ore. | COURTESY OF PEACEHEALTH

Kotek urges PeaceHealth to delay Eugene emergency department closure for 9 months

In a meeting with executives, Kotek offered collaboration and a new look at some rates in return for more time; spokesperson says system will “continue discussions” on ED closure date

Sep 22, 2023
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SHUTTERSTOCK

State accuses local pharmacy owner of pocketing money under HIV program

A lawsuit from the state centers on a complicated federal program that helps low-income people access HIV treatments

Sep 21, 2023
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Ray Anthony sits at their desk inside Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette's clinic on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Portland on Sept. 15, 2023. | EMILY GREEN/THE LUND REPORT

Gender-affirming care can be a ‘dice game;’ this navigator tries to improve the odds

Nearly a year into the job, Ray Anthony sees hope and opportunities for improvement in a state that features some of the most protective laws in the nation

Sep 21, 2023
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A Kaiser Permanente pharmacy. | LYNNE TERRY/THE LUND REPORT

Kaiser pharmacy workers say they will strike

Health system spokesperson says management is making contingency plans to offset work stoppage in Oregon, southwest Washington

Sep 20, 2023

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

Feds say Oregon State Hospital was slow to address safety after dangerous patient escaped

For the second time in two years, federal regulators have ordered the state hospital to take action to address unsafe conditions

Sep 20, 2023
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Oregon Health & Science University Center for Health and Healing Building 2 in the South Waterfront neighborhood, July 2020. | SHUTTERSTOCK

OHSU reports strong profits, but cites fast-rising wages and drug costs

Encouraging results come as nurses increase pressure in contract bargaining

Sep 19, 2023
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Members of the Association of University Registered Nurses rallied on Portland's South Waterfront Sept. 18, 2023, announcing they had approved a strike as negotiations with Oregon Health & Science University remain at a stalemate. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

OHSU nurses vote to authorize strike

No strike is imminent, but the vote increases pressure on hospital management as contract bargaining drags on

Sep 18, 2023
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Oregon State Hospital in Salem. | JESSICA FLOUM/THE LUND REPORT

Feds find unsafe conditions at Oregon State Hospital — again

It’s the second time in two years that the federal government has found safety problems at the psychiatric facility following a patient’s escape

Sep 16, 2023