Hospital Association of Oregon’s Post

It was a heartwarming reunion when nearly 700 former Kaiser Permanente Northwest Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) patients, family members, friends, and staff came together Sept. 8 at Sunnyside Medical Center to celebrate the incredible journey of hundreds of children who received life-saving care in the NICU. Thank you to all the skilled and dedicated caregivers who, along with the patients and their families, made this reunion possible.  

In the first half of 2024, Oregon patients spent 45,000 days in a hospital bed while they waited to be transferred to another facility for care. When patients can’t be discharged from the hospital, other patients who need care “board” in the emergency department while they wait for a bed to open. Time spent waiting for a bed can impact patients’ care and add to hospitals’ financial stress when they’re not compensated for those extra days. Hospitals support policy changes to make it easier for people on the Oregon Health Plan to access care in community-based settings like nursing homes by presuming their eligibility for coverage.  

Oregon State Rep. Cyrus Javadi visited Columbia Memorial Hospital to have a look at progress on the BuildCMH project. This addition will improve access to care in Clatsop County while adding important environmental safety protections. We appreciate the representative’s efforts to support the hospital and the surrounding community.

Providence Health & Services is joining a growing list of Oregon health systems recognizing the health risks of loneliness, especially among seniors. Experts say loneliness can lead to both mental and physical health issues and the symptoms can easily go unnoticed. Providence urges all of us to “build strong connections today as an investment in your future happiness and well-being,” and to seek help if you experience chronic depression.   

When patients must stay longer in the hospital because they can’t be discharged to a more appropriate care setting, there is an impact to both patients and staff. Daniel Davis, senior director of patient flow of St. Charles Health System, explained the daily reality of this problem at a Senate Interim Committee on Health Care hearing during Legislative Days. Statewide, patients spent an additional 45,000 days in the hospital in the first half of 2024 due to discharge delays. It’s time for solutions to benefit patients.

Willamette Valley Medical Center is rebuilding the health care workforce through its partnership with Chemeketa Community College-Yamhill Valley Campus with help from an Oregon Department of Education grant. Chemeketa’s focus is to create opportunities for rural students to explore career paths within their own communities. Recently a group of students got a behind-the-scenes look at various hospital departments, where they discussed career options and tested medical instruments. Thank you, Willamette Valley Medical Center and Chemeketa Community College, for helping develop the health care workforce of tomorrow.  

Going strong in its 25th year, St. Charles Health System Foundation’s Heaven Can Wait 5K fundraiser for breast cancer patients and their families will be held Sunday, Oct. 6, at 10 a.m. at Redmond High School. The family friendly walk/run event which helps fund vital support services for people in Central Oregon who are battling breast cancer, has historically raised more than $100,000 every year. Sign up today at HeavenCanWait.org.

Today Senator Ron Wyden introduced a bill aimed at maintaining access to maternity care across the state, particularly in rural Oregon. The Keeping Obstetrics Local Act would provide much needed financial support to rural hospitals, Indian Health Service providers, and hospitals providing labor and delivery services to a majority of Medicaid, Medicare, and uninsured patients. Wyden led the effort to have the bill drafted after meeting with several Oregon hospitals and representatives of the hospital association team. Thank you, senator, for your work on behalf Oregon families.

The Hospital Association of Oregon is proud to sponsor Prospera!, an event celebrating the significant contributions of Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center with an eye to the future. Since 1975, Virginia Garcia’s mission has been the same: to provide high-quality, comprehensive, and culturally appropriate primary health care to the communities of Washington and Yamhill counties with a special emphasis on migrant and seasonal farmworkers and others with barriers to receiving health care. For more information, visit the event website. https://lnkd.in/gaKnypvX