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December 12, 2012 -- Dr. Ralph Eccles can tell his patients they should eat a better diet, quit smoking, exercise more and watch less TV. But they might not listen to a high-minded physician, and could lack the tools to develop better habits. Instead, the diabetes specialist at Oregon Health & Science University-Cascades East said this is a job for community health workers, such as personal health navigators — who can help people reduce the need for costly, routine hospitalizations and add years to their lives.

The Senate passed a bill giving law enforcement more tools when encountering suicidal people, while the House closed gaps for mental health patients discharged from emergency rooms. But a bill to assist gun shop owners was spiked.

For Dr. Karen Gibbins, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Oregon Health & Science University, her son’s death in her 27th week of pregnancy sparked questions only an autopsy could answer.