Health Equity

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Oregon Health Authority Director Sejal Hathi unveiled a strategic plan for the agency on Tuesday, Aug. 6, that promises sweeping changes for health equity in the state. | SCREENSHOT

Hathi unveils Oregon health equity plan, vows progress by 2027

The state’s new health equity strategic plan took years to assemble due to the pandemic, but the Oregon Health Authority director says measurable improvements won’t take that long

Aug 6, 2024
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A doctor using a digital tablet. | SHUTTERSTOCK

Oregon Medical Board trims anti-discrimination rule as providers worry

Doctors and others complained the rule was too vague. The board has since reworked the rule that is part of a broader push to address racism in health care settings

Aug 1, 2024
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The Oregon Health Authority in Salem. | OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY

Oregon’s landmark evidence-based coverage program is going away, but what’s next is unclear

For three decades the state has used public meetings and research to decide what services are covered under the Oregon Health Plan. Officials are deciding how to reorganize the program, but little has been shared publicly about their plans.

Jul 30, 2024
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PIXABAY

Ahmed Farag to be new Oregon dental director

Farag, a hospital system executive in New York, will oversee oral health policies affecting more than 1 million low-income Oregonians

Jul 25, 2024
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The Oregon Health Authority in Salem. | OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY

Investigations detail Oregon Health Authority equity director's complaints

In the wake of Leann Johnson's termination, one agency is labeling her a whistleblower and newly disclosed reports detail her allegations against top managers. Most of them were not deemed substantiated.

Jul 18, 2024
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Safety net clinic workers, including many in Multnomah County, provide needed medical care for marginalized populations, including people lacking shelter. | MULTNOMAH COUNTY/MOTOYA NAKAMURA

Washington safety net clinic chain battles for accreditation as doctors-in-training bolt

Sea Mar operates three dozen clinics, including in Vancouver, and says its medical residency program that helps train needed physicians has been decimated by a recent decision to withdraw accreditation

Jul 11, 2024
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The medical establishment has wrestled with evidence that racial minorities and other marginalized communities experience worse health outcomes and that biases by health care providers — conscious and unconscious — have contributed to those disparities. | SHUTTERSTOCK

Oregon Medical Board delays microaggression, bias rule criticized as vague

Medical professions are trying to address racism in health care. But a group representing Oregon doctors raised concerns over how the rule would be applied

Jul 11, 2024
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Oregon Health Authority Sejal Hathi addressed agency employees in a video on her first day, Jan. 16, 2024 | SCREENSHOT FROM OHA VIDEO

New records show relations soured before Oregon Health Authority equity director’s firing

Leann Johnson criticized top agency leaders and filed formal complaints against them claiming discrimination and retaliation. In firing her, Director Sejal Hathi cited a backlog of unresolved civil rights complaints that equity managers attributed to understaffing

Jul 2, 2024

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The Oregon Health Authority in Salem. | OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY

New free health care program to cover about 100,000 Oregonians

New ‘OHP Bridge’ state coverage will cover people who earn too much to qualify for the Medicaid-funded Oregon Health Plan starting July 1

Jul 1, 2024
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State Behavioral Health Director Ebony Clarke said she thinks the state needs to be audacious and bold when it comes to improving care for low-income Oregonians. | SCREENSHOT, OREGON HEALTH FORUM

Oregon behavioral health fissures add costs and block access, panel says

Oregon's notoriously fragmented system spawns administrative tasks and barriers at the expense of patients and providers, according to a panel of experts who spoke Wednesday

Jun 26, 2024
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