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Santiam Hospital

Santiam reports narrow profits while ‘emergency’ merger application is reviewed Premium

Despite solid recent finances, leaders of one of the few small independent hospitals left in Oregon say it could go under if Salem Health doesn’t absorb it — in part due to looming technology costs. Lawmakers are weighing in as the merger gets reviewed.

Jul 23

Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem is a maximum-security prison. | COURTESY OF OREGON DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS.

Former inmate sues state for $1.5 million over untreated ankle injury Premium

The lawsuit filed this week is the latest to fault the state for inadequate medical care in the state prison system

Jul 23

PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield. | COURTESY OF PEACEHEALTH

Small Doses: PeaceHealth selects St. Charles exec for top role Premium

Also, OHSU board shifts gears on primate center with a new plan for its future, and mosquito season signals the return of West Nile virus in Oregon

Jul 23

State Health Policy

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

Oregon Health Authority cancels layoffs

Jul 16

SHUTTERSTOCK

State’s rules on residential treatment facilities raise county, provider concerns

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Rachel Solotaroff at Portland's Old Town Clinic. | COURTESY CENTRAL CITY CONCERN

Looming federal changes prompt Oregon Health Plan recommendations

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Money Flow

The Oregon Health Authority in Salem. | OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY

Oregon Health Authority layoffs spark concern

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Willamette Valley Medical Center in McMinnville. | CHRIS LIGHT VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Willamette Valley Medical Center, UnitedHealthcare may be close on contract

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A doctor visits an elderly patient. | MARC ST. GIL, PUBLIC DOMAIN, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Florida-based bid to take over Housecall Providers under state review

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Behavioral Health

SHUTTERSTOCK

Nurses gather 1,400 signatures calling on OHSU's Hillsboro Medical Center to change plans

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Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare walk-in clinic in Portland. | LYNNE TERRY/THE LUND REPORT

Family of slain mental health worker sues Cascadia for $51 million

Jul 21

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

Lawsuit over Oregon State Hospital patient’s death aims for change

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Health Equity

Community members participating in an Oregon Latino Health Coalition Charla (community conversation) on Healthier Oregon Benefits and public health advocacy. | COURTESY OF THE OREGON LATINO HEALTH COALITION

Oregon Latino Health Coalition shutting down after 20 years

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SHUTTERSTOCK

Oregon dental shortages leave gaps in access to care

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THE COMMONWEALTH FUND

Health care lags for Black, Hispanic and Native American Oregonians

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The Capitol Building in Salem. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Legislative coverage

We're keeping an eye on the intersection of politics and health care in Salem.
Read our latest coverage of the Oregon Legislature.

Hospitals

A "Good Morning, America" segment featured Witkowski and Ludzik

Ludzik, left, and Witkowski, right, were featured in a 2023 "Good Morning, America" segment about their discovery of what was billed as the smallest cancerous lesion ever discovered on the face of patient Christy Staats, center. | SCREENSHOT GOODMORNINGAMERICA.COM

Former OHSU dermatology professors sue university over layoffs

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Santiam Hospital

Santiam and Salem Health hope to bypass state’s healthcare merger rules

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CHOMPOO SURIYO/SHUTTERSTOCK

State fines hospitals $1.2 million in first year of enforcement over missed breaks

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Opinion

Opinion: Primary care access in Portland is worse than you think

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PEOPLEIMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK

Opinion: Eulogy for a medical home

Feb 19

SHUTTERSTOCK

Opinion: Hospitals’ deregulation push is misplaced

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Caregivers

two people walk near ambulances bearing insignia for Metro West

METRO WEST AMBULANCE

Metro West hit with federal lawsuits claiming unpaid wages

Premium Jul 7

METRO WEST AMBULANCE

Metro West EMT fired for blocking questionable recordings, lawsuit claims

Premium Jul 1

Kathie Hightower by Rachel Miller-Howard

Kathie Hightower in her home in Nehalem. When her husband was dying of a rare form of cancer, community support helped her get through the challenges. She's one of a group of volunteers training to do end-of-life caregiving in Oregon's rural coastal communities. | RACHEL MILLER-HOWARD/THE LUND REPORT

As rural Oregon ages, communities turn to volunteers for death care

Premium Jun 11

SW Washington

OIEG ELKOV/SHUTTERSTOCK

Child abuse charges spark firings at Kaiser, PeaceHealth

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Nurses represented by the Washington State Nurses Association picket outside PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver on April 18, 2024. The picket came during difficult contract negotiations between the nurses and hospital management. | COURTESY/WASHINGTON STATE NURSES ASSOCIATION

PeaceHealth nurses in Vancouver win boost in pay but not staffing

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PeaceHealth, Vancouver - Medical Center Physician's Building. | COURTESY PEACEHEALTH

Vancouver nurses eye Oregon’s new hospital staffing law

Premium Apr 16, 2024

Oregon Health Plan

VALERY EVLAKHOV / SHUTTERSTOCK

Medicaid fraud charges land amid political friction

Premium Jun 26

Panelists speak at the Oregon Health Forum on June 9, 2026.

Panelists discuss the upcoming Medicaid changes at the Oregon Health Forum on June 9, 2026. | NICK BUDNICK/THE LUND REPORT

Pandemic response holds lessons as Medicaid work rules approach

Jun 9

Gov. Tina Kotek speaks to reporters at a press event in April 2023 in Salem. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Oregon health officials scramble to meet deadline on Medicaid work rules

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Aging

SHUTTERSTOCK

Sleep well to live longer, new OHSU study says

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SARCIFILIPPO/PIXABAY

It's time for Oregon seniors on Medicare Advantage to shop around

Premium Oct 16, 2025

AKKALAK AIEMPRADIT/SHUTTERSTOCK

Hillsboro residential facility hit with $12 million suit

Premium Jul 17, 2025

Rural Health

Rural Clackamas County in Oregon. | SHUTTERSTOCK

State selects 136 projects to receive $97 million in rural health care funds

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FIZKES/SHUTTERSTOCK

Oregon gets federal boost to help stabilize maternity care in rural areas

Premium May 28

FERNANDO ZHIMINAICELA/PIXABAY

Oregon awarded $197 million for rural health, hospitals

Premium Dec 29, 2025

Children’s Health

SHUTTERSTOCK

Oregon kids in crisis are getting younger

Premium Jul 21

BONN_A/SHUTTESTOCK

Sale of largest Oregon provider of pediatric in-home care to Texas company wins state approval

Premium May 28

GROUND PICTURE/SHUTTERSTOCK

What young Oregonians want adults to know about their mental health

Premium May 26

Gender Health

Mifepriston. | YUCHACZ/CC-BY-SA-4.0

For now, Supreme Court allows mailing of abortion pills after appeal by Oregon, other states

May 4

JOSHUA SUKOFF/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Federal judge rules against Trump administration in gender-affirming care case

Apr 20

SHUTTERSTOCK

Federal judge rules in favor of Right to Life on Oregon’s law mandating free abortions

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Public Health

BRUNO/PIXABAY

Heat wave expected to hit Oregon on Sunday

Jun 11

WPADINGTON/SHUTTERSTOCK

Small Doses: Serious injuries, deaths from e-scooter use alarm Oregon health officials

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SHUTTERSTOCK

Oregon filing suit with other Democratic states against Trump administration’s vaccine rollback

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Access & Quality

Mollie and Aaron Huyck with their daughter. | PHOTO COURTESY OF MOLLIE HUYCK

A difficult path to birth leads to giving back

Premium Jun 30

SHUTTERSTOCK

Oregonians' health insurance premiums slated to jump in January — again

Premium Jun 9

PacificSource headquarters is located in Springfield, Oregon. | COURTESY PHOTO

PacificSource layoffs coming as insurer leaves Montana, individual market

Premium May 22

Drugs & Pharmacies

SHUTTERSTOCK

Small Doses: Oregon, other states reach $30 million settlement with drugmaker

Premium Jul 16

THOMAS BREHER/PIXABAY

Portland-based Legitscript asks federal judge to reconsider demand for 1.2 million documents

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SHUTTERSTOCK

Oregon push to shine a light on drugmakers' help to patients fails

Premium Mar 3

Housing & Poverty

PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver, Washington, on Aug. 7, 2013. | RYTYHO USA/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

PeaceHealth to refund millions to low-income patients in Washington, but not Oregon

Premium Nov 21, 2023

MOHAMED HASSAN/PIXABAY

Oregon hospitals’ reported 'community benefit' grew in 2021

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SHUTTERSTOCK

House passes bill to boost Oregon hospitals’ charity care

Premium Apr 25, 2023

Prison Health

EMILIANO BAR/UNSPLASH

Oregon prison health care changes underway

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SHUTTERSTOCK

Clackamas jail care failures led to man’s death, suit claims

Premium Sep 11, 2025

PIXABAY

Consultant vows to ‘zero in’ on Oregon prison care denials in wake of blistering report

Premium Feb 4, 2025

Environmental Health

Moss isn’t a likely source of lead exposure for humans. But researchers took samples from it in Portland neighborhoods to see how environmental lead levels vary across the region. | COURTESY/OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

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Santiam reports narrow profits while ‘emergency’ merger application is reviewed Premium

Former inmate sues state for $1.5 million over untreated ankle injury Premium

Small Doses: PeaceHealth selects St. Charles exec for top role Premium

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