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Update on the Rollout of Paid Leave Oregon

SALEM – The latest data for Paid Leave Oregon is on the Oregon Employment Department’s dashboard. The data, through Oct. 2, shows more than 10,000 applications have been approved since Aug. 14.

Applications have increased significantly in recent weeks. About 20,400 benefits applications have been received since Aug. 14.

So far, almost $15 million in benefits have been paid. Benefit payments started going out to Oregon workers with approved claims on Sept. 13.

Paid Leave Oregon Director Karen Humelbaugh said people can speed up their claims by:

• Informing their employer about their leave before they apply
• Using the What You Need to Apply for Benefits Checklist and making sure they upload the correct documents for their type of leave
• Checking their Frances Online account regularly for action notices and messages
• Making sure to put the employer’s name on their claim as it appears on their W2 or paystub

Claims that have incorrect information or where the employer wasn’t notified may be delayed. 

Paid Leave Oregon sped up its claim processing time in recent weeks, with a 162% increase since the program started. Staff are working hard to get through claims, but with any new program, there is a learning curve as well as programmatic adjustments.

“This is the first program of its kind in Oregon, and that means there will be bumps along the way,” Humelbaugh said. “However, we are working hard to make sure staff are trained and able to provide a good customer service experience.”

Paid Leave Oregon covers paid family leave, medical leave, and safe leave for working Oregonians. Employees apply through Frances Online.

Detailed information for employees, including eligibility requirements, tutorial videos, a benefits calculator, and much more, is on the Paid Leave website at paidleave.oregon.gov.

### The Oregon Employment Department (OED) is an equal opportunity agency. Everyone has a right to use OED programs and services. OED provides free help. Some examples are sign language and spoken language interpreters, written materials in other languages, braille, large print, audio and other formats. If you need help, please call 971-673-6400. TTY users call 711. You can also ask for help at OED_Communications@employ.oregon.gov.

Oregon health leaders warn of bumpy start for expanded Medicaid system 

Oregon’s new Medicaid plan will offer people help with housing and food as state faces homelessness crisis 

Oregon’s Medicaid system, which covers more than one in three Oregonians, faces a monumental challenge: proving that its expansion will help keep people housed, fed and healthy.

Oregon’s new Medicaid plan will put more than an additional $1 billion into the system, in part to help people with housing assistance, food and address climate-related needs like air conditioners. The plan also will keep children under 6 enrolled while focusing on helping the most vulnerable Oregonians. 

It’s an historic change for the Oregon Health Plan, the state’s Medicaid program that has traditionally focused on providing medical, dental and behavioral health care coverage to low-income Oregonians.

But nutrition, housing and living accommodations also affect long-term health, prompting Oregon officials to apply to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for permission to launch an expansion. Apply for Medicaid

Oregon’s Medicaid system generally serves low-income residents under 65, though it also serves people who qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare. To check benefits and apply, go online here.Federal and state officials signed off on the agreement last year, creating a five-year period for Oregon to demonstrate the plan’s worth. The federal government will give Oregon an estimated $1.1 billion and the state will pay an estimated $500 million in general funds through June 30, 2027.

“This is a demonstration,” said Dana Hittle, Oregon’s Medicaid director, at a panel discussion on Thursday at a health care conference in Salem. “We’re going to make mistakes and hopefully there’s some grace at the federal level. We’re learning.”

Hittle spoke in a panel about the new program at CCO Oregon’s annual conference in Salem, attended by 350 people. CCO Oregon, a nonprofit, has members that include health care companies, advocates and coordinated care organizations, the state’s regionally based Medicaid insurers. 

The panel also featured: Marin Arreola, a member of the Governor’s Racial Justice Council; Sarah Holland, director of supportive housing and employment services at Central City Concern in Portland; and Melanie Westrick, vice president of population health and clinical operations at Trillium Community Health Plan, a coordinated care organization with about 87,000 people in the Portland area and Lane County.

Central City Concern helps homeless people find housing, employment and health care. Holland said the organization works with people to develop a long-term employment plan while they receive the six months of housing so they don’t return to the streets.

“The reason that we offer health care, employment services and housing is we believe that most people actually need all three to not only secure housing, but maintain housing,” Holland said.

Hittle agreed. “The six-month rental assistance is not the end-all-be-all,” Hittle said. “That’s why the coordination of the health care system and the housing system is going to be so critical.”

In a prior interview with the Capital Chronicle, Hittle said the Oregonians most at risk for homelessness will be eligible for the housing benefit. Often, that’s people who are going through a transition: parolees leaving prison, youth aging out of the foster care system and people with severe mental health conditions.

Hittle said services will be tailored to the person’s needs. “A person who is homeless may need six months worth of rental assistance,” Hittle said in the interview. “Or someone who was at risk for homelessness, who may need rental help in order to maintain their housing, may get two months worth of rental assistance. So it’s really based on the individual.”

This means agencies and providers will need to work closely together – even if they haven’t in the past, Hittle said. Those groups  include housing providers, community organizations and others.

And the state will have to train people on how to use the system, including people outside the health care industry like community organizations that provide housing and nutrition.

“This is something that the neighborhood providers who interact with us have never had to do before,” Hittle said in the interview.

State officials are asking for patience as the project unrolls next year.

“It’s not going to be perfect,” Hittle told the audience. “It’s not going to be anywhere near perfect in the first five years, but we need to be able to make it so that we can show progress for the people that we serve.”

For health care providers and officials, that’s key to ensuring the new Medicaid plan doesn’t fail. 

“If it’s not going to work for the housing providers or the nutrition providers or the climate advice providers, it’s not going to work for our members,” Hittle said. “It’ll be a wasted opportunity. 

Arreola, of the Governor’s Racial Justice Council, told the audience to be willing to change their organizations so the new program works for Oregonians. 

“Challenge your system,” he said. “Challenge your organization. Don’t be afraid to rock the boat.”

Westrick, with Trillium, said Medicaid insurers will need to coordinate even more than they do now to help people access all the services. 

“Listening to our members and hearing how they need to receive those services is really an important piece,” Westrick said.

Oregon’s Medicaid system generally serves low-income residents under 65, though it also serves people who qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare. To check benefits and apply, go online here. —- (SOURCE)

October Events Raise Awareness About Earthquake Preparedness

Oregon is home to several fault lines that cause dozens of earthquakes every year. The most known earthquake threat is the Cascadia Subduction Zone, a 700-mile fault located off the Pacific coast that puts Oregon at risk for a 9.0+ magnitude earthquake.

A quake of that size could cause five to seven minutes of shaking, followed by a tsunami that would devastate coastal areas. October features several events reminding Oregonians to prepare and protect themselves before the ground starts shaking.

Wireless Emergency Alerts
“One of the most important steps people can take is to enable Wireless Emergency Alerts, or WEA, on their cell phones,” said Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) Director Erin McMahon. “WEA are short emergency messages sent to your phone to warn of an impending natural or human-made disaster, like an earthquake. WEA messages can provide immediate, life-saving information.”

ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning Notifications
People in Oregon, Washington and California who’ve opted into WEA automatically receive ShakeAlert earthquake early warning notifications for earthquakes in their area with a magnitude of 4.5 or greater, which can offer critical seconds of warning to seek cover from falling objects and brace themselves. ShakeAlert uses science and technology to detect significant earthquakes quickly and sends an alert to people on their cell phones. The alert makes a distinctive sound and displays a text message reading, “Earthquake detected! Drop, cover, hold on. Protect yourself.” This message is also available in Spanish for phones set to receive alerts in that language. Some cell phones with text-to-voice capability may read out the message text.

Great Oregon ShakeOut
An effective and no-cost way for individuals and families to practice earthquake safety is to register for The Great Oregon ShakeOut, a self-led earthquake drill taking place at 10:19 a.m. on Oct. 19. Nearly half a million Oregonians have already registered, pledging to Drop, Cover and Hold On for at least 60 seconds as if a major earthquake was occurring at that moment.

“Knowing what to do when the earth starts shaking helps people reduce their risk and better protect themselves to prepare for earthquakes,” said Director McMahon. “Most emergency management experts and official preparedness organizations agree that Drop, Cover and Hold On is the appropriate action to reduce the chance of injury from falling objects and flying debris during earthquakes. When people practice these simple steps, it becomes a routine that allows instincts to kick in when shaking starts.”

When the ground starts to shake, or you receive an earthquake alert on a cell phone:

• Drop immediately onto hands and knees. This position protects you from being knocked down and allows you to stay low and crawl to a nearby shelter. If you use a wheelchair or walker, lock your wheels.
• Cover your head and neck with one arm and hand. If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath it for shelter. If there is no nearby shelter, crawl next to an interior wall away from windows. Remain on your knees and bend over to protect vital organs.
• Hold On until the shaking stops. If under a shelter, hold onto it with one hand and be ready to move with the shelter if it shifts. If there is no shelter, hold onto your head and neck with both arms and hands.

If you’re near the ocean and feel a large earthquake, Drop, Cover and Hold On until the shaking stops. Then walk inland and up to high ground. Do not wait for an official warning, as a tsunami could come ashore in a few minutes. Learn more about earthquake preparedness on OEM’s website.

ORAlert and Be 2 Weeks Ready
OEM also encourages people in Oregon to sign up for local emergency alerts from their county or tribe at ORAlert.gov; be informed and knowledgeable about the hazards where they live; and have an emergency plan and enough food, water and supplies to survive for at least two weeks following any disaster. The agency’s Be 2 Weeks Ready program offers several resources in multiple languages to help people prepare. Learn more at oregon.gov/oem.

Newberg Plane Crash Claims The Lives Of Hillsboro Flight Instructor And Student Pilot – Crash investigation underway

Officials released more details Wednesday about the circumstances of a small plane that crashed into a Newberg home the evening prior, identifying all three young occupants of the plane. Two of them died in the crash, while a third was airlifted to the hospital with critical injuries.

According to a statement from the Newberg-Dundee Police Department, the occupants were 20-year-old Barrett Bevacqua, 22-year-old Michele Cavallotti and 20-year-old Emily Hurd, all three of whom lived in Hilllsboro. Cavallotti was an instructor with the Hillsboro Aero Academy, while Bevacqua and Hurd were both student pilots. 

Cavallotti and Bevacqua were found dead inside of the plane wreckage. Firefighters managed to extricate Hurd from the plane and get her to a Life Flight helicopter. She remained hospitalized in critical condition as of Wednesday’s release. Her mother, who lives in Spokane, shared a Facebook post Wednesday morning saying Hurd was out of surgery and her spinal cord is intact. 

Hillsboro Aero Academy confirmed its aircraft was on a training flight when it crashed. 

“This is a profoundly challenging time for our community as we process this event and support each other in our grief. Our thoughts and prayers are with all who are impacted, especially the families and loved ones of those involved,” said a statement from the academy on Wednesday afternoon. They declined to comment further as an investigation from the National Transportation Safety Board is underway.  

Police said they were working with the Yamhill County Medical Examiner and the county district attorney’s office to determine exact causes of death, while the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have taken over the investigation into the crash itself.

NTSB investigator Eric Gutierrez delivered an initial briefing to the press on Wednesday afternoon. He confirmed that the plane was a Piper PA-44 Seminole, a small twin-engine plane, on an instructional flight. Both Bevacqua and Hurd were pilot-rated, he said, and the former was seeking multi-engine certification — something Hurd may have been interested in pursuing as well. She was seated in the back of the plane when it crashed.

Investigators are still in the “fact-finding” phase, and they’ll be looking at whether mechanical issues, weather conditions or anything else contributed to the crash. Gutierrez acknowledged that pilots sometimes have to practice intentional stalls in order to prepare for emergency situations, but he didn’t have any information on whether that was the case here.

Gutierrez also could not comment on whether there had been any distress calls from the plane prior to the crash, saying that the NTSB would be looking into that information. They’ll also be working with the FAA to gather official flight tracking information.

The NTSB will be extracting all pieces of the plane and taking them to an indoor facility for examination beginning Wednesday afternoon, Gutierrez said. It could take between 18 and 24 months before the agency publishes its final report on the crash.

Police said they were working with the Yamhill County Medical Examiner and the county district attorney’s office to determine exact causes of death, while the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have taken over the investigation into the crash itself.

Health Care Strike Over Pay And Staff Shortages Update

75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers walk off the job. It’s the largest health care worker strike in US history

On Wednesday, more than 75,000 unionized employees of Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health providers, walked off the job, marking the largest health care worker strike in US history. More than 4,000 of them are in Oregon.

A massive health care strike over wages and staffing shortages headed into its final day on Friday without a deal between industry giant Kaiser Permanente and the unions representing the 75,000 workers who picketed this week.

The three-day strike carried out in multiple states will officially end Saturday at 6 a.m., and workers were expected to return to their jobs in Kaiser’s hospitals and clinics that serve nearly 13 million Americans. The two sides did not have any bargaining sessions scheduled after concluding their talks midday Wednesday.

The strike for three days in California — where most of Kaiser’s facilities are located — as well as in Colorado, Oregon and Washington was a last resort after Kaiser executives ignored the short-staffing crisis worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, union officials said. Their goal was to bring the problems to the public’s consciousness for support, according to the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions. Some 180 workers from facilities in Virginia and Washington, D.C., also picketed but only on Wednesday.

“No health care worker wants to go on strike,” Caroline Lucas, the coalition’s executive director, said Thursday. “I hope that the last few days have helped escalate this issue.”

The company based in Oakland, California, warned the work stoppage could cause delays in people getting appointments and scheduling non-urgent procedures.

Kaiser spokesperson Hilary Costa said the company was working to reconvene bargaining “as soon as possible.”

Unions representing Kaiser workers in August asked for a $25 hourly minimum wage, as well as increases of 7% each year in the first two years and 6.25% each year in the two years afterward.

Kaiser, which turned a $2.1 billion profit for the quarter, said in a statement Wednesday that it proposes minimum hourly wages between $21 and $23 depending on the location. The company said it also completed hiring 10,000 more people, adding to the 51,000 workers the hospital system has brought on board since 2022.

Union members say understaffing is boosting the hospital system’s profits but hurting patients, and executives have been bargaining in bad faith during negotiations.

Lucas said the two sides have made several tentative agreements, but nothing in major areas like long-term staffing plans and wage increases. The coalition, which represents about 85,000 of the health system’s employees nationally, is waiting for Kaiser to return to the table, she added.

“They could call now and say, ‘We want to pull together a Zoom in 20 minutes,’” she said. “We would be on that Zoom in 20 minutes.”

The workers’ last contract was negotiated in 2019, before the pandemic.

The strike comes in a year when there have been work stoppages within multiple industries, including transportation, entertainment and hospitality. The health care industry alone has been hit by several strikes this year as it confronts burnout from heavy workloads — problems greatly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The White House on Thursday said President Joe Biden “always” supports union members who choose to strike when asked about the demonstration by Kaiser workers. The president last month joined picketing United Auto Workers in Michigan on the 12th day of their strike against major carmakers, becoming the first known sitting president in U.S. history to join an active picket line. (SOURCE)

Oregon State Parks ready for Oct. 14, 2023, annular solar eclipse

Oregon State Parks offers prime viewing spots for the Oct. 14, 2023, annular solar eclipse. Visitors to parks within the path of annularity will watch the moon partially cover the sun, which creates a ‘ring of fire’ because the moon appears slightly smaller as it passes.

“Our park staff are ready to help visitors safely view this phenomenon,” said JR Collier, deputy of Statewide Operations.

He added that a limited number of free eclipse glasses will be available at Oregon State Parks on the day of the event. 

He also emphasizes that safety is crucial while observing an eclipse. 

Use ISO 12312-2 certified solar filters, avoid damaged filters, and consider projection methods. The eclipse glasses from the 2017 event are expired and shouldn’t be used. 

Travelers coming to Oregon should prepare for potential traffic congestion, check local weather conditions, and pack essentials, including water, food, sunscreen, and bug spray. 

Whether you’re an experienced eclipse enthusiast or a first-time observer, prioritize safety, and plan your trip to witness the ‘ring of fire’ against Oregon’s breathtaking landscapes and clear skies. 

For more information and updates about viewing the eclipse from an Oregon state park, please visit https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=v.feature-article&articleId=327.