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Health care officials urge workers to get flu shots to protect themselves and patients

Vaccination rates rose steadily prior to the pandemic but then fell as professionals focused on COVID-19

Feb 23, 2023

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OHSU review addresses clinical challenges in treating heavy menstrual bleeding

A review of data by Oregon Health & Science University researchers aims to help doctors diagnose heavy menstrual bleeding

Feb 23, 2023

Tents line a street in inner Southeast Portland on Feb.14, 2021. | SHUTTERSTOCK

Decision to deny tents to homeless people sparks health concerns

Health effects of cold weather exist even when cold-weather shelters are not open, experts say

Feb 23, 2023

Kevin Heinrich, a licensed practical nurse, at a workstation at Mirabella Portland’s skilled nursing facility on Feb. 13, 2023. Nurses and other health care workers have become increasingly hard to find after the pandemic. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Long-term care providers say temp staff costs unsustainable, want help

Temporary staffing agencies helped with shortages during the pandemic, but providers and others say the high cost destabilizes health care

Feb 23, 2023
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Despite massive investment portfolios, Oregon hospitals say they need the Legislature’s help

High-stakes legislation to address low staffing and spiraling labor costs have put hospital finances in the spotlight

Feb 23, 2023
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Regulators overhaul inspections of hospice providers

ProPublica and The New Yorker revealed fraud and exploitation in the hospice industry. CMS announced immediate reforms.

Feb 22, 2023

In past years, firefighters typically let their protective suits, or turnout gear, get soiled and potentially toxic, as this 15-year-old photo of firefighter Shane Nantz at a Charlotte training fire shows. More firehouses now have the equipment to clean the gear on site, Nantz says. Clean or not, turnout gear may contain toxic PFAS chemicals. | COURTESY SHANE NANTZ

Toxic firefighting foam persists in U.S. despite calls for a ban

The evidence continues to mount that a widely used firefighting foam may be linked to high rates of cancer among U.S. firefighters.

Feb 22, 2023

Lore Wilkinson’s medication for her rare muscle disease used to cost so little she paid for it without using insurance, but her most recent bill shows her insurer paid about $40,000 for a month’s supply. Wilkinson and many others with rare diseases across the country are getting caught in the crossfire of an ongoing legal debate over orphan drugs. | LIAM JAMES DOYLE FOR KHN