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Alex Dominguez with Idaho Central District Health performs health tests for agricultural workers in Hammett, Idaho. The tests are intended to help the farmworkers better understand how hot weather can affect them. | KYLE GREEN/INVESTIGATEWEST

A tale of two workers: Heat deaths on the job provoke differing responses in Oregon, Idaho

One state adopted worker protections and saw deaths drop, while the other took no action

Aug 22, 2024

San Juan Cottage for youth aged 15 to 17 at Child Study Treatment Center in Lakewood. | COURTESY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES

Assaults on staff rise sharply at state-run behavioral health hospital for children

Violence against staff is down at two adult facilities.

Aug 22, 2024

Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay. | COURTESY BAY AREA HOSPITAL.

Eight health systems want to operate Oregon's largest coastal hospital in Coos Bay

Bay Area Hospital leaders say they have at least eight outside hospital operators, including some high-profile in-state ones, that want to enter into an agreement to operate the 172-bed facility. But staff, providers and community members have mixed feelings, a new survey shows.

Aug 20, 2024
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Delayed workplace investigations at the Oregon Health Authority have been a source of stress for employees who may continue to face harassment. A woman who worked at the Oregon State Hospital waited three years for investigation into sexual harassment she faced from a male coworkers. | SHUTTERSTOCK

Oregon Health Authority workplace investigations took years

Equity unit delays violated state standards and sparked concerns over liability and safety, but agency officials say new systems are being put into place to ensure timeliness.

Aug 20, 2024

PIXABAY

Heat waves are hitting Oregon’s oldest population the hardest

A heat wave that struck Oregon in July caused the deaths of at least 16 Oregonians, according to the state medical examiner's office. All but two of those people were over the age of 50.

Aug 20, 2024

Two bottles of Buprenorphine-Naloxone, a drug used to treat opioid use disorder. | SHUTTERSTOCK

People in impoverished neighborhoods struggle to access drug addiction medication, study finds

National study highlights racial disparities in opioid overdoses and the lack of treatment access

Aug 20, 2024

GERD ALTMANN/PIXABAY

Hundreds of thousands of parents died from drugs. Their kids need more help, advocates say.

More than 321,000 children have lost a parent to a drug overdose, a recent federal study found.

Aug 20, 2024

GÁBOR BEJÓ/PIXABAY

Traveling to die: the latest form of medical tourism

Medical aid in death is legal in 10 states and the District of Columbia. But only Oregon and Vermont explicitly allow out-of-state people who are terminally ill to die with assistance there. So far, at least 49 people have made the trek while state legislation stalls elsewhere.

Aug 20, 2024

A citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation waits for her COVID-19 vaccination in this 2021 photo at Colville Tribes Indian Health in Nespelem, Washington. The Indian Health Service has a single doctor for the reservation, serving a population of about 5,000. | COURTESY PHOTO BY TYLER TJOMSLAND / SPOKESMAN-REVIEW