Oregon Beach News, Monday 4/29 – Largest Cascadia Exercise Ever Planned On Coast, Arrest Made In Hatchery Fish Kill, National Small Business Week & Other Local and Statewide News…

More Oregonians Stuck Working Part-Time Jobs

The number of Oregonians working part time because they can’t find a full-time job is up sharply over the past two years. It’s a sign that the state’s tight labor market is easing — and a signal that will be a painful transition for some workers.

Roughly 73,000 Oregonians are working part-time because their hours have been cut or because they want a full-time job but haven’t been able to find one, according to data from the Oregon Employment Department.

Fewer than 50,000 Oregon workers worked part time, but not by choice, at the end of 2022. That was the lowest number this century, coming amid an extraordinary period for Oregon’s economy when the state had more job openings than unemployed people.

That was a great time for workers because it was pretty easy to find a job and because many employers were raising wages to hire and retain everyone they could.

The tight labor market slowed economic productivity, though, because businesses couldn’t find the workers to meet the demand for their products and services. It was particularly tough on Oregon’s hospitality industry and other fields with a high number of entry-level workers.

Nationally, the tight labor market also contributed to inflation. That prompted the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, making it more expensive to carry a credit card balance or to borrow money to buy a house or car.

Oregon’s labor market now seems to be relaxing. The number of working Oregonians who can’t find full-time jobs has increased by more than 20,000 since 2022, over 50%.

It’s still not a high number by historical standards, roughly on par with the robust economy that predated the pandemic. And it’s down by about half from the worst months of the Great Recession. (The total briefly returned to peak levels in 2020, during the pandemic recession.)

The question now is whether Oregon’s labor market is settling out into “Goldilocks” territory — not too hot, not too cold — or whether the number of underemployed workers will continue to rise.

The share of Oregonians in the workforce is at its highest point in a dozen years. And there has never been a time when more Oregon workers had jobs in the prime of their careers, ages 25 to 54.

Yet hiring has slowed considerably over the past year and the unemployment rate has crept up from historic lows to 4.2%.

Recent layoffs in Oregon’s forest products industry, at Nike and at other large employers, along with a drop in semiconductor jobs, suggest some of the state’s economic pillars are at least a tad wobbly. (SOURCE)

Governor Kotek Visits the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

Visit to CTUIR marks second visit of Governor’s commitment to visit all nine federally recognized Tribal nation of Oregon this year

Thursday, Governor Tina Kotek and First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson spent the day with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). The visit is part of Governor Kotek’s commitment to meet with all of Oregon’s nine federally recognized sovereign Tribal nations in 2024.

“This visit with CTUIR was about strengthening our knowledge of the Tribe’s unique history,” Governor Kotek said. “The Tribe is working on some exciting, innovative initiatives and the state of Oregon is ready to support the good work of CTUIR however we can. I’d like to thank Chairman Burke, the Board of Trustees, and all members of CTUIR for the hospitality they’ve shown us as we’ve listened and learned in their community.”

“We are honored by Gov. Tina Kotek and the First Lady’s visit to the Umatilla Indian Reservation,” CTUIR Chairman Gary I. Burke said. “Gov. Kotek has shown us that she is fulfilling her promise to learn in-depth about each of the nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon such that she and her administration can more effectively work with us as distinct, individual sovereign governments. We thank Gov. Kotek, the First Lady and her staff for taking the time to learn more about the Confederated Tribes, our tribal sovereignty, our treaty rights and the work we are doing here in Eastern Oregon and throughout our traditional use areas.”

Governor Kotek and First Lady Kotek Wilson started the day at the Nixyáawii Governance Center for an invocation prayer and welcome reception from the Board of Trustees and CTUIR staff in the rotunda, followed by a conversation with the CTUIR Board of Trustees about the ways in which the state of Oregon can bolster partnerships on key projects and initiatives with the Tribe.

The Governor and the First Lady then toured the Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center, where CTUIR members are able to access comprehensive health care services ranging from behavioral health to dental care and physical therapy. Yellowhawk is the first tribal building in the state to enroll in Path to Net-Zero from Energy Trust of Oregon, which offers incentives and resources to projects pursuing net-zero energy use.

Following the visit at Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center, the Governor and First Lady took a tour to see where the Thorn Hollow Bridge was before it collapsed as a result of the 2020 record-breaking floods on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The bridge is a crucial roadway that connects communities, and a public safety concern for residents and emergency services who relied on the bridge.

CTUIR’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has organized its functions and responsibilities through a focus on traditionally gathered foods identified by the CTUIR community as “First Foods,” including water, fish, big game, roots, and berries. The First Foods serving ritual in the community’s ceremonies and cultural events calls attention to the Tribe’s unwritten or natural laws called Tamanwit, which is about the reciprocity between people and the foods upon which we depend. The Governor and First Lady received the First Foods presentation from CTUIR over lunch at the Immeques Fisheries Acclimation Facility.

The Governor then hosted a ceremonial signing for Senate Bill 1567, the Walla Walla 2050 Strategic Plan, a landmark piece of legislation that allows for the implementation of the roadmap for cooperative water management in the Walla Walla Basin.

Following the ceremony, they visited the exhibits at the Tribe’s Tamástslikt Cultural Institute. The Institute’s featured exhibit is Portraits in Red: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Painting Project. Nayana LaFond’s painting project began in 2020 with one painting, “Lauraina in RED,” created for the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls. Each portrait is of someone who is missing, was murdered, survived, their family member or friend, or an activist/hero fighting for the cause. The Governor and First Lady ended their visit with CTUIR by having dinner with the Board of Trustees.

Note to Editors: Three tribes comprise the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR): Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla. They have lived on the Columbia River Plateau for over 10,000 years, in an area of about 6.4 million acres in what is now northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington.

In 1855, the tribes and the United States government concluded a treaty in which the tribes ceded more than 5 million acres, reserving 512,000 acres for their exclusive use in the form of a reservation. Various congressional acts of diminishment resulted in a significantly reduced reservation. In the treaty, the CTUIR reserved their inherent fishing and hunting rights and the right to gather traditional foods and medicines within the ceded areas.

The traditional way of life of the tribes is called “Washat” or “Seven Drums prayer service.” The Umatilla, Walla Walla, and Nez Perce languages are spoken and a language preservation program is helping to re-establish use of these languages by youth.​

It was a very busy Sunday for first responders in Klamath County. The calls we’re all within about an hour of each other midday Sunday.

This is from Klamath County District Attorney David Schutt:

“On April 28 th , 2024, at 9:59a.m., a call came in to Klamath County
Emergency Dispatch reporting a subject had been shot on Keno-Worden
Road. Information provided that there were several subjects currently on
the property or in the area. Oregon State Police Troopers and Klamath
County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived at the scene within 15 minutes. Several
individuals were detained and another was eventually taken into custody a
short distance from the scene of the shooting. The Klamath County Major
Crime Team was activated and this incident remains under investigation as
a suspected homicide. Mr. Ole Hans Rendahl, (D.O.B. 09-12-84) was
found deceased at the location. It appears at this time all involved persons
have been identified and detained. Law enforcement does not believe any
threat to the public exists at this time.”

Around the same time frame, Tyler’s lottery lounge on Oregon Avenue was
held up in gunpoint by two men. It’s not immediately known if they escaped
on foot or in a vehicle but they were reported last seen on or near Donald
street. No one was injured and it is not immediately known how much

money was taken from the business. The manhunt for those two continues
as well. 
It is not believed that the two incidents are related in any way.
Finally, there was a brush fire reported on highway 97 near milepost 247
near Chiloquin during the same time frame. Fire crews quickly got to the
scene and extinguished the blaze. No reports of damage or injuries in that incident.

David A. Schutt
Klamath County District Attorney

Oregon health leaders prepare for future Medicaid changes to improve care

The Oregon Health Authority aims to erase disparities in the next phase of the Oregon Health Plan, which insures more than 1 million low-income residents

Oregon’s health care system is at a crossroads as it faces a series of challenges and lofty goals. 

The state has a behavioral health crisis that is exacerbated by a lack of qualified providers to treat people. The health care system is complex and difficult for vulnerable people on the margins of society to access, whether for primary care or treatment for a drug addiction. And the Oregon Health Authority and state leaders want to eliminate inequities in health care in six years.

 In a forum Wednesday in Portland, Oregon health care leaders said the state has opportunities to improve the system and should look for ways to bring about substantial change rather than accept the status quo. About 300 people attended the event, which was organized by the Oregon Health Forum, a nonprofit and affiliate of The Lund Report, a news outlet that covers the health care industry. The event was moderated by Emily Harris, a journalist and senior advisor for the Oregon Health Forum.

The panelists were: Dr. Sejal Hathi, director of the Oregon Health Authority; former Gov. John Kitzhaber; Rep. Rob Nosse, D-Portland; Dr. Bruce Goldberg, former director of the health authority; and Mary Monnat, president and CEO of Lifeworks NW, a mental health and addiction treatment provider in the Portland region.

The Oregon Health Plan, the Medicaid-funded program that insures more than 1 million low-income Oregonians, plays a key role in the state’s goal to improve the care of Oregnians. The plan provides free medical, dental and behavioral health care to Oregonians through a network of 16 coordinated care organizations, which contract with the state and insure people through regional networks of providers. 

The state’s now planning changes for the next version of contracts with the coordinated care organizations, which will go into effect in 2027. For Oregonians, the changes could determine how providers and the insurers invest in the regions they serve, how they will provide health care for Oregonians and how they will guide people to other services that improve their overall health, like housing assistance. 

As that work unfolds, the Oregon Health Authority aims to eliminate health inequities by 2030 so that people in different communities and races aren’t impacted disproportionately by ill health or access to providers. Hathi, director of the Oregon Health Authority, said the agency plans to release a strategic plan in June mapping a path to that goal and other innovations which experts say have been a hallmark of the state’s use of Medicaid federal and state dollars. 

“We know it’s a mission,” Hathi said. “And we know that it’s aspirational, but this is a goal that we absolutely have to set and we will achieve it if we work together.”

Hathi said the authority and the health care system cannot meet their goals on their own of eliminating health care inequities. Other partners, like academia and the business sector, will need to help, she said. 

 Panelists call for less bureaucracy 

For the average Oregonian, coordinated care organizations are an obscure and behind-the-scenes part of the health care system. But they have access to millions of dollars and the ability to put money into community projects to aid the overall health of Oregonians.

Oregon obtained permission from the federal government to organize the state’s Medicaid system under the Oregon Health Plan, with one or more coordinated care organizations responsible for patients in each region. Kitzhaber, a former emergency room doctor, shepherded that organization, along with Goldberg and others, with the idea that local organizations would best be able to rein in costs and improve health care outcomes for those in their regions.

Kitzhaber said regulations gradually increased and made the state’s relationship with coordinated care organizations less of a partnership working for the most effective innovations to a top-down, unbending and sometimes confrontational relationship. 

“I think we need to figure out how to have a balance” between regulation and flexibility, he said.

Hathi agreed, saying the current administrative requirements are burdensome for the Medicaid insurers as well as local public health authorities and others in the health sector. 

“We need to arrest that cascade of administrative burden and do more to distill and to synthesize so that these communities are all rowing in the same direction,” Hathi said.

Nosse, who chairs the state House Health Care Committee, has listened in hearings to complaints from coordinated care organization leaders. He said if the state could cut back on te forms and paperwork, that would help ease frustrations. 

“If we can whittle that down a little bit, there’s more possibility to provide care or do things that we want the model to actually do,” Nosse said. “Somebody’s really important report is somebody else’s really dumb thing.” 

Workforce challenges 

Panelists also said the limited behavioral health workforce makes it challenging to set up and maintain programs, even with more state money.

Goldberg, a former health authority director, said the wait times for people to access mental health care are strikingly different compared to other health care problems.

“You show up at a hospital emergency room with a heart attack and you’ll get care within three minutes,” he said.

But if you show up at an emergency room with a mental health problem, he said, you may get treated in a week to a year. 

Panelists also recommended Oregon consider drastic ways to transform the system. Goldberg suggested the state provide a financial incentive to award coordinated care organizations for providing mental health or drug addiction care within 24 hours.

Currently, the state has a program that awards insurers based on improved health outcomes in about a dozen areas, such as health assessments, dental care and treatment for high blood pressure. Goldberg suggested that list be whittled down to just one metric of timely mental health and addiction treatment. 

The crowd applauded.

“Maybe we would actually start to move the needle,” Goldberg said. “It’s not going to be overnight, but we don’t have any accountability for who’s going to do that.”

Another idea: create more incentives to attract people to enter the behavioral health field. Monnat, president and CEO of Lifeworks NW, suggested the state pay people to go to school so they don’t need student loans. At Lifeworks NW, there are about 100 job openings right now, Monnat said. 

Hathi said the $1.5 billion the state has invested in behavioral health in the last four years is great, but “it’s a drop in the bucket.”

“At the end of the day, we can’t just throw darts at a board and hope that we strike the panacea,” Hathi said. “We need a real vision and a strategy for how we’re going to transform the system.” (SOURCE)

Controversial Linn County chicken ranch put on hold following permit withdrawal

Construction plans for a large-scale facility proposing to raise 3.4 million chickens per year near Scio in Linn County, Oregon, will be put on hold.

That follows a state decision to temporarily withdraw the facility’s permit ahead of a challenge that was scheduled to go on trial in early May.

It’s the last of three large chicken farms a coalition of local residents and farmers have fought against since 2020. The other two, which had each proposed to raise 4.3 million broiler chickens per year for Foster Farms, have already scrapped plans to develop there. Foster Farms is one of the largest poultry producers on the West Coast.

At issue is a confined animal feeding operation, or CAFO permit, granted to J-S Ranch by the Oregon Department of Agriculture and Department of Environmental Quality. Environmental groups and farmers argue the operation would produce harmful air and water pollutants.

A CAFO permit is intended to protect surface and ground water by limiting the amount of manure, wastewater and nutrients that can be discharged from a farm.

But the permit issued to the farm only addresses groundwater. Kendra Kimbirauskas, a Scio farmer and a member of Farmers Against Foster Farms, a group opposing J-S Ranch, said it should have included stronger requirements to protect surface waters.

“We contend that the site for the operation is a terrible site. It basically has standing water all winter long,” Kimbirauskas said. “It’s approximately 400 yards from the North Santiam River, which is a beautiful river that so many people recreate on. And it’s a drinking water source for communities like Jefferson and the city of Albany.”

If allowed to move forward, the J-S Ranch would build 11 large barns, and expects to produce 4,500 tons of manure per year, which would be sold to other farmers as fertilizer.

A petition filed in Linn County is asking the county circuit court to reverse the state’s decision to grant a permit, or to have ODA and DEQ add stronger requirements. The case was supposed to go on trial in early May, though the state’s temporary permit withdrawal gives the agencies a pause, said Amy van Saun, an attorney for the Center for Food Safety, representing the petitioners.

“It means that they take a pause and a timeout to look back and reconsider, ‘Did we make the correct decision?’” van Saun said. “An Oregon law gives them expressly this ability, if they’re taken to court on an action, to say ‘Time out, we want to think about it more and we might affirm, do the same thing or modify what we did or we might totally reverse what we did.’”

The decision means J-S Ranch cannot yet begin construction on the site. In a brief response to OPB, Eric Simon, the owner and operator of J-S Ranch said the decision is frustrating. Simon added he was getting ready to begin construction this summer.

“I’m disappointed,” Simon said. “And I’m not sure how we’re going to move forward.”

The state has until Oct. 31 to decide whether it will make any changes to the permit, like keep it as it is, amend it or revoke it. Kimbirauskas said for now, she and other farmers in the area can let out a sigh of relief.

“We are going to remain vigilant and we are committed to fighting any proposal of this magnitude on that location,” Kimbirauskas. (SOURCE)

One year after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency, Oregon among top states keeping people covered

More than one million people are keeping their Oregon Health Plan benefits due to Oregon’s efforts to expand coverage options

SALEM, Ore. — With more than 90 percent of the state’s 1.5 million renewals complete, more than 4 out of 5 Oregonians are keeping their Oregon Health Plan (OHP) or other Medicaid benefits.

During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), which ended one year ago in April 2023, the federal government allowed states to keep people on Medicaid benefits. This ended when the pandemic emergency ended, so over the last year Oregon has been making sure everyone on OHP is still eligible.

At this point in the PHE unwinding process:

• Just 1,078 members, about 0.07 percent, still need to respond to renewal requests 9,573 members, about 0.65 percent, have responded to their renewal but are awaiting state action on the response.
• The remaining renewals, about 8.72 percent of the total, will occur over the summer.

Oregon’s 81.8 percent renewal rate continues to be the third highest in a national comparison of state renewal rates by KFF, a nonpartisan health policy organization. Oregon’s high renewal rates are due to proactive efforts by the state to keep people covered, including extended response timelines, and adding the upcoming OHP Bridge program for adults with higher incomes.

Members who have not received a renewal yet should:

• Keep their address and contact information up to date.
• Check their mail or ONE Online account for their renewal letter.
• Do what the renewal letter asks as soon as possible. Anyone concerned they missed their letter should get help with their renewal via one of the ways to find help listed below.
• Members who did not respond to renewals can still re-open their case three months after it closes if they are still eligible, and they can reapply at any time.

Although most people are keeping coverage, approximately 240,000 people will lose or have reduced medical benefits and need to consider other coverage options.

• People who do not have coverage through an employer or Medicare may be able to enroll through the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace and get financial help. Most people who enroll through HealthCare.gov qualify for this help.
• The Marketplace is sending information to people who are no longer eligible for OHP benefits, advising of other potential coverage options.
• People who have recently lost OHP benefits can enroll anytime until November 30, 2024, or within 60 days of their benefits ending.
• For more information and ways to get help signing up for Marketplace, Medicare, or employer coverage, see “What to do if OHP is ending” below.

On Feb. 13, 2024, the federal government approved a revised plan for Oregon’s remaining 126,000 post-pandemic renewals.

Many of these renewals were affected by a federal request for more than 30 states to review automated renewal processes or restorations of some Oregon Supplemental Income Program Medical (OSIPM) benefits. A May 2024 technical update to Oregon’s ONE Eligibility system  will enable Oregon to use the new automated  process  for the remaining renewals.

Renewal letters will be sent to members in four waves between June and September. Members will still have 90 days to respond, and 60 days’ advance notice before any termination or reduction in benefits. This means the final responses would be due in December 2024, and the final closures will happen in February 2025.

Data about pandemic unwinding renewals appears in the Medical Redeterminations Dashboard.  The dashboard data and these press releases will not include renewals for OHP members who have already renewed early in the unwinding process, who are coming up for renewal again. Over time, Oregon is switching to renewing most OHP members every two years instead of annually.

April OHP renewal data — As of March 19, 2024, 1,317,810 people have completed the renewal process. This represents 90.6 percent of all OHP and Medicaid members.

• 1,077,765 people (81.8 percent) were renewed and kept their benefits.
• 226,042 people (17.2 percent) were found ineligible.
• 14,003 people (1.1 percent) had a reduction in their benefits. Most of these members lost full OHP but were able to continue Medicare Savings Programs that help pay their Medicare costs.

Find help renewing your benefits

1. Learn more about how to renew your Oregon Health Plan medical coverage.
2. Call the ONE Customer Service Center at 800-699-9075. All relay calls are accepted, and help is available in multiple languages. Wait times are lowest between 7 and 8 a.m.
3. Visit or call a local Oregon Department of Human Services office. People can find their local office at https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/Pages/office-finder.aspx.
4. Visit a community partner for free, in-person help. To find one near you visit OregonHealthCare.gov/GetHelp (English) or orhim.info/ayuda(Spanish).

What to do if your OHP is ending:

• First, review the case summary in your letter to make sure the information used to make the decision was correct. If that information has changed, notify the state via one of the options above If the information on file for you is correct and you disagree with the decision, you can request a hearing. Learn more about hearings.
• Explore options through an employer. If you, your spouse, or a parent are working, you may be eligible for health coverage through that employer. Talk to your manager or Human Resources department to see if you qualify. You will have a special enrollment period to enroll mid-year due to loss of OHP benefits.
• If you have or are eligible for Medicare: For help understanding and choosing the right Medicare options, go to https://OregonHealthcare.gov/GetHelp to find an insurance agent or a counselor at the Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance Program (SHIBA). You can also call SHIBA at 800-722-4134.

If you need to sign up for Medicare for the first time, contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) at 800-772-1213 to enroll by phone or find a local office. You can also enroll in Medicare online at ssa.gov/medicare/sign-up.

• Nearly 80 percent of Oregonians qualify for financial help through the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace. Visit OregonHealthCare.gov/WindowShop to answer a few quick questions, find out how much you can save and find out how much coverage may cost you. You can also call the Marketplace Transition Help Center at 833-699-6850 (toll-free, all relay calls accepted).
• Need free local help finding other coverage? Visit OregonHealthCare.gov/GetHelp to find professional help near you.

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) are committed to transparency and will continue to send monthly information about medical coverage among Oregonians as the agencies continue to track the programs. Check our ONE Eligibility Operations Dashboards for more frequent updates on medical renewal data and wait times for callers to the ONE Customer Service Center.