Protect friends and communities by staying safe this Labor Day weekend 

For many people, Labor Day is a final opportunity to celebrate summer. Barbecues, gatherings with our friends, and last chance summer travels fill our plans. Once again, the COVID-19 pandemic means this holiday weekend will need to look different.   You may have already made plans for the Labor Day weekend before Oregon saw cases and hospitalizations surge. If your plans involve outdoor large gatherings or indoor activities that put you and others at risk […]

Thanking our health care workers as hospitalizations are high across the state

Oregon continues to see high rates of COVID-19 patients being hospitalized. Our front line health care workers, and all of those who keep the hospitals running, like janitors, security staff, cafeteria personnel and those who greet the public, put themselves in the path of the rapidly spreading Delta variant every day.  They are moms and dads. They are […]

Kids back in school? Make an appointment for routine vaccinations

Most kids in Oregon are either back in school already or will be soon. This is a great time to make sure your child is up-to-date on their routine immunizations.  In Oregon, children are required to receive certain childhood vaccines in order to attend school. Talk with your child’s health care provider about what vaccines your child needs to stay healthy this […]

Vaccine Voices: Nancy Vera

Nancy is originally from Mexico, but has lived in United States most of her life. After spending about a year in Oregon working as a nurse in a McMinnville assisted living facility, she moved to Illinois with her husband where she continues to help seniors with their daily care. Due to her line of work, […]

Medical staff deployed to support Oregon health care facilities facing surge of COVID-19 patients

Today, Governor Kate Brown announced that Oregon had finalized contracts with the medical staffing companies Jogan Health Solutions and AMN Healthcare to deploy much needed health care personnel to health care facilities managing the ongoing surge of COVID-19 patients. “The deployment of crisis response teams should provide some welcome relief to our hospitals, particularly in […]

Bend doctor asks for everything possible to be done to help at this time

On Thursday, Aug. 19, Dr. Jeff Absalon, Chief Physician Executive for St. Charles Hospital in Bend, spoke about the crisis facing health systems and hospitals due to the COVID-19 surge. Soon after they lost a patient to COVID-19, Dr. Absalon arrived at the St. Charles Hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Bend. “Our nurses had […]

COVID-19 cases increasing among pediatric patients

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are surging throughout Oregon. According to OHA’s latest Pediatric COVID-19 Report, cases are on the rise for children, too. A look at the case numbers OHA’s Pediatric COVID-19 Report provides a high-level overview of Oregon’s COVID-19 data for individuals ages 17 and younger. The newest report includes cases with onset dates […]

Governor Brown, OHA leadership discuss hospital crisis, vaccination requirements

Today, Governor Kate Brown announced new vaccination requirements for Oregon health care and K–12 staff during a press conference. Here’s what you need to know. Hospitals close to reaching capacity The requirements come during an alarming increase in hospitalizations. “With over 845 Oregonians hospitalized for COVID-19 and 226 in ICUs, our hospital and ICU beds […]

Governor Brown reinstates statewide masking mandate

Aug. 13 Update: The official masking rule has been posted online and can be found here. Today, Governor Kate Brown and Oregon Health Authority leaders announced that indoor mask use will be mandatory starting Friday, Aug. 13, in response to surging COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. On July 27, in response to a large jump in […]

New data provide further evidence of vaccine effectiveness

Today, OHA’s Medical Director of Respiratory Viral Pathogens Dr. Melissa Sutton spoke with medical officials from across the state to provide an update on the COVID-19 situation in Oregon. Here’s what you need to know. New CDC data displays further proof of vaccine effectiveness Dr. Sutton highlighted information from the Centers for Disease Control and […]