News & Stories for Oregonians
Available in Spanish Starting July 1, Oregonians of all ages, regardless of immigration status, will have access to full Oregon Health Plan (OHP/Medicaid) benefits if they meet income requirements. Full OHP coverage includes: In 2022, OHA expanded OHP coverage to adults ages 19-25 and 55 and older, no matter their immigration status. Now, all Oregonians […]
COVID-19 vaccines Federal health officials are asking Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax to create a new COVID-19 vaccine in time for the fall. Instead of another bivalent shot (which Moderna and Pfizer introduced last year), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) advisory committee wants all three companies to produce a monovalent vaccine that targets only […]
Update: May 23, 2023 – This blog has been updated to reflect the latest data for Jynneos vaccine effectiveness. Available in Spanish It’s been almost a year since Oregon reported its first case of mpox. That number has since risen to 279, including two pediatric cases (under age 18). But new cases have been trickling […]
Available in Spanish The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized a second COVID-19 bivalent booster dose for people ages 65 and older and for some people with compromised immunity. Following discussion by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the CDC recommended the changes yesterday. The additional […]
Available in Spanish The thumbs of Oregon State Hospital (OSH) patients are turning green. Through a long-standing partnership with 13th Street Nursery, OSH patients learn what it takes to seed, nurture and deliver plants for sale in the community. This week, OSH staff delivered about 400 young plant starts to the Salem nursery where gardeners […]
Available in Spanish Cuteness alert!! A group of 8-week-old Labrador retrievers visited the Oregon State Hospital (OSH) last week, romping and wiggling as only puppies can do. The visit was part of the hospital’s partnership with Joys of Living Assistance Dogs (JLAD). The Salem-based nonprofit trains and places service dogs in the community, and since […]
Updated 4/4/2023 – This post was updated with a link to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website for the current schedule of COVID-19 vaccinations. Available in Spanish A lot of people want to know the answer to this question. For example, will federal health officials authorize a second dose of the bivalent booster? […]
It just got easier to get antiviral medication for COVID-19. Effective Feb. 1, people no longer have to test positive for COVID-19 in order to receive the oral antiviral medication Paxlovid. In removing the testing requirement, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledges the limited accuracy of COVID-19 tests, allowing health care providers to […]
Available in Spanish The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that, until further notice, Evusheld is no longer authorized for emergency use because it is not expected to protect against the COVID-19 subvariants currently circulating in the United States. As a result, it cannot be used for new patients or for patients who have […]
Not too long ago, when a multifamily housing owner in Oregon wanted to test their building for radon levels, they were hard pressed to find easy-to-follow and affordable information on how to do it. It’s not required for private property owners, and most of the existing materials on the subject are overly technical and costly. […]
