Free air purifiers for high-risk wildfire zones

The summer of 2020 broke records in terms of wildfires in Oregon. Flames destroyed approximately 4,000 homes and 1 million acres of land. Smoke entered homes and lungs in every corner of the state. Oregon lawmakers responded by funding air purifiers for people in communities where wildfires are common. The air purifiers make up a […]

Salem restaurant pitches in to feed thousands during wildfires, ice storms and COVID-19 vaccination clinics

On Oct. 12 last year, Jeff Gilbert was notified he had five days to come up with a way to provide three meals a day to hundreds of wildfire survivors. “Five days notification!” Gilbert exclaimed. Gilbert is a Regional Emergency Coordinator for the Oregon Department of Human Services Emergency Management Unit. He also serves as […]

FEMA to pilot Community Vaccination Center in Jackson County

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has selected Jackson County as a site for a Pilot Community Vaccination Center (CVC) — the second in the Pacific Northwest and the first in Oregon. The CVC will begin operations on April 21, bringing an additional 1,000 vaccine doses per day to support Jackson, Klamath and Josephine counties, an area of the […]

Welcome news on vaccine eligibility: What you need to know

Today, we are excited to announce changes to Oregon’s vaccine eligibility schedule based on new information about increased allocation from the federal government. As of now, about 58 percent of Oregonians age 65 and older have been vaccinated. We are on a trajectory to vaccinate more than seven out of 10 by March 29, which […]