Jake Thomas

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

State Hospital measures cause ripple effects, expert finds

Oregon’s psychiatric hospital is quickly admitting ‘aid and assist’ patients while the state works to ease ‘strain’ around patients’ transitions to community programs

Oct 26, 2023
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A pile of flowers and a note eulogizing Bobby Smallwood, a security officer for Legacy Health, sit outside the Good Samaritan Medical Center, where he was killed during a confrontation on July 30, 2023. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Oregon lawmakers seek stiffer charges for assaults on hospital workers

Many states consider assaults on medical workers a felony, but efforts to follow suit in Salem have foundered on civil rights concerns

Oct 26, 2023
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PeaceHealth workers picket on Oct. 11, 2023. | COURTESY OREGON FEDERATION OF NURSES AND HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

Surge in health care walkouts continues with PeaceHealth strike Monday

Health care workers in Oregon and southwest Washington are walking out more than ever, citing pay as well as staffing problems that may be hard to cure

Oct 24, 2023
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Oregon State Hospital in Salem. | BEN BOTKIN/THE LUND REPORT

Judge blasts Marion County’s use of Oregon State Hospital

Ruling suggests a federal jurist is tiring of local officials challenging his order placing time limits on stays in the Oregon State Hospital

Oct 19, 2023
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SHUTTERSTOCK/LUND REPORT ILLUSTRATION

State seeks Universal Health Plan Governance Board director

Applications are being accepted for the new position, which will play a key role in helping the board develop a potentially sweeping overhaul of the state’s health care system

Oct 17, 2023
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Workers rallied on Oct. 10, 2022, at Peacehealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver, Washington, to protest working conditions. | COURTESY PHOTO

Threatened PeaceHealth strike could strip workers’ health coverage

Management warns southwest Washington workers their health insurance will be terminated if a strike lasts more than a week

Oct 17, 2023
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Nurses represented by the Oregon Nurses Association through the Association of University Registered Nurses and their supporters crowded into Elizabeth Caruthers Park on Sept. 18, 2023 to announce they were prepared to strike as negotiations with Oregon Health & Science University remain at a stalemate. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Nurses union signals more scrutiny of OHSU after executive bonuses dispute

The university won’t give bonuses to highly paid vice presidents, but the union said it will continue to push back on spending decisions

Oct 12, 2023
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St. Charles Health System in Bend. | COURTESY OF ST. CHARLES HEALTH SYSTEM

St. Charles cuts ties with 3 Medicare Advantage plans as enrollment looms

Starting in 2024, the Central Oregon health system will no longer be considered in-network for Humana, HealthNet and WellCare — affecting about 6,000 seniors

Oct 10, 2023
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SHUTTERSTOCK

Audit faults the state’s ‘poor’ monitoring of Oregon Health Plan contractor

The audit found vulnerable patients received improper care after the agency didn’t check the work of Comagine Health

Oct 9, 2023
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Kevin Heinrich a licensed practical nurse at a workstation at Mirabella Portland’s skilled nursing facility. Nurses and other health care workers have become increasingly hard to find after the pandemic. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Reactions split on nursing home staffing measure in Oregon

Dozens of Oregonians have commented on new federal rules

Oct 5, 2023
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