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SAMARITAN PACIFIC COMMUNITIES HOSPITAL IN NEWPORT./VISITOR7/CC BY-SA 3.0/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Surgeons file $4.5 million whistleblower retaliation suit against Samaritan Health Services

Two reconstructive surgeons have filed a whistleblower retaliation suit against the Corvallis-based health system, saying they were fired for complaining that management’s cost-cutting hurt care

Oct 15, 2024
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PeaceHealth plans to demolish builldings at it's Eugene university district site./Christian Wihtol/The Lund Report

A plan to open an emergency department in Eugene gets a reality check

At a recent citywide healthcare forum in Eugene, the CEO of McKenzie Willamette Medical Center told a surprised audience that plans were in the works to build a new emergency department in Eugene. But, there’s a long road ahead until a new 24-hour-a-day emergency department opens back up.

Oct 10, 2024

ADAM SATRIA/UNSPLASH

Asian health center tries unconventional approach to counseling

Facing a dire shortage of bilingual and culturally attuned therapists, an Oakland, California, community clinic serving Asian immigrants has trained staffers in a victim support unit to provide lay counseling

Oct 10, 2024

OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY

Continuing ONE benefit eligibility flubs primarily stemmed from human error, auditors say

A new look at the state’s historically troubled $416 million eligibility system found that enrollment and benefit errors during the pandemic largely were not the fault of its automated processes, providing counterpoint to the state's earlier record in costly IT projects

Oct 10, 2024
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COURTESY CDC

Clark County whooping cough trend continues as school year starts

The Southwest Washington county has the state's highest number of cases of the illness, known as pertussis. While the number of cases has decreased, it's not clear if the trend will continue

Oct 10, 2024

Bags of fluid for intravenous (IV) infusions. | COURTESY/NIAID VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

How a flooded North Carolina factory could impact Oregon hospitals

The shortage due to Hurricane Helene could last months

Oct 10, 2024

A poppy field in Russia. | COURTESY/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Poppy seed brew triggers morphine overdose, drawing attention of lawmakers

Poppy seeds contaminated with opioids can be used to make a deadly brew, a watchdog says.

Oct 10, 2024

The Oregon Health Authority in Salem. | OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY

Oregon Health Authority again taps a Washington, D.C. veteran for high-level post

Clare Pierce-Wrobel, an adviser for the White House Domestic Policy Council, will join the Oregon Health Authority to head its health policy and analytics work

Oct 10, 2024
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Emma Sandoe, Oregon's new director of Medicaid, will oversee care for 1.4 million low-income people in the Oregon Health Plan. She's shown speaking last week at the annual conference of CCO Oregon, a trade group focused on the regional care entities that manage Medicaid in the state. | COURTESY CCO OREGON

New Oregon Medicaid Director Emma Sandoe readies for challenges

Bearing a national health policy reputation, the new manager of the Oregon Health Plan will have to adapt to a very different program after working in North Carolina

Oct 8, 2024
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