Oregon Newsfeed
Below you will find the latest news stories from around Oregon about Children First and the issues that we are working on.
Depression Suffered by 2-Million Teenagers in 07'
Portland KEX Radio 1190
Wed, 14 May 2008
Depression is the leading cause of suicide, which in turn is the third-leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds in the United States.
More than 2 million teenagers have suffered a serious bout of depression in the past year, including nearly 13 percent of girls, according to a federal government survey released on Tuesday.
On average, 8.5 percent of ado…
Beaverton School Board considers a second school-based health center
Beaverton Valley Times
Thu, 08 May 2008
Monday night’s Beaverton School Board meeting will include discussion of possibly adding another school-based health center in the district. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at Five Oaks Middle School, 1600 N.W. 173rd Ave.
If the district moves forward, such a clinic could be similar to one that opened last month at Tigard High School, which is supported by the Washington County School-Based …
A better way to aid those in need
Portland Local News Daily Community Newspapers
Thu, 08 May 2008
Rather than ask for traditional across-the-board increases in funding, the DHS will have a measuring device — similar to the Quality Education Model developed for school funding — that allows the governor and legislators to see just how far different levels of funding will carry them toward meeting health and human-service needs.
To begin to create this model, the DHS, which is one of …
More than 200 area residents may get care
The Statesman Journal
Thu, 08 May 2008
Sherrie Doyle needs a new pair of eyeglasses, but she can't afford them.
Help soon could be on the way, however, as Doyle last month received an application in the mail for possible coverage in the state's Standard health plan. In fact, she has been contacted by program staff twice."They said they have everything they need except my birth certificate, which is coming from Illinois," Do…
Poverty is about people, not money
The Statesman Journal
Thu, 08 May 2008
Many aspects of poverty alleviation work are foggy.
How people move in and out of poverty, how they measure successes, and how they raise their children are all aspects of understanding how best to help individuals move farther away from poverty. It is not an exact science, since poverty is about people, not money.Journalist Andrew Gumble wrote in The Independent (UK, February 27, 2007…
Jasper Mountain is a life preserver for troubled kids
Eugene Register Guard
Wed, 07 May 2008
Children deserve to be our top priority, and they deserve the very best care possible. This is particularly true for children who have been abused by trusted adults.
At Jasper Mountain, taking excellent care of abused children is not only important, it is our primary mission and the reason we have existed for more than 25 years.
In that quarter of a century, we never have turned away abused childr…
FAN may not lose Medicaid funding
Sisters Nugget
Tue, 06 May 2008
FAN may not lose Medicaid funding
Family Access Network (FAN) of Deschutes County may not lose all of its federal funding this June.
The non-profit has been bracing for a $650,000 loss in funding - 60 percent of its budget - as a result of changes in Medicaid rules instituted by the Bush administration. On Wednesday, April 23, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 349 to 62 to block the pending…
State health reform on agenda Thursday
The Daily Astorian
Tue, 06 May 2008
Beginning May 1, the Oregon Health Fund Board kicked off a series of 13 community meetings titled "Your Oregon, Your Health" across the state to listen to public input on the broad concepts of health reform. The meeting in Astoria will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Grace Episcopal Church, 1545 Franklin Ave.
The Oregon Health Fund Board, established by the 2007 Legislature, is a group of ci…
'Your Oregon, Your Health' offers chance to be heard
The Medford Mail Tribune
Tue, 06 May 2008
Southern Oregonians can offer their two cents on health-care reform in the state, and their ideas could go all the way to Salem.Oregon Health Fund Board members will hold public meetings in Klamath Falls and Medford next week, part of a 13-community statewide tour entitled, "Your Oregon, Your Health," says Carol Robinson, executive director of Oregon Health Forum, one of the sponsors.The Oregon He…
10M children worldwide die from lack of health care
The Statesman Journal
Tue, 06 May 2008
MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- More than 200 million children worldwide under age 5 do not get basic health care, leading to nearly 10 million deaths annually from treatable ailments like diarrhea and pneumonia, a U.S.-based charity said Wednesday. Nearly all of the deaths occur in the developing world, with poor children facing twice the risk of dying compared to richer children, according to Sa…
Fostering Success
The Medford Mail Tribune
Mon, 05 May 2008
Being in foster care can be difficult for any child. But teens who are aging out of the system face the unique challenge of moving out into the world without the same family support most people take for granted. And they can use the help of their fellow community members, social service specialists say."For all youths, the transition is a big struggle. They go from a fairly protected environment, …
As health costs rise, even those with insurance struggle to pay
Eugene Register Guard
Sun, 04 May 2008
The economic slowdown has swelled the ranks of people without health insurance. But now it is also threatening millions of people who have insurance but find that the coverage is too limited or that they cannot afford their own share of medical costs.
Even many of the 158 million people covered by employer health insurance are struggling to meet medical expenses that are much higher than they used…
New Forest Grove school health center to be built in July
Hillsboro Argus
Sat, 03 May 2008
Friday, May 02, 2008
By Lisa CromwellThe Hillsboro Argus
The Argus
Students and staff in the Forest Grove School District can get care at a new school-based health center starting next school year.
In a unanimous vote on April 28, the Forest Grove School Board decided a new center on the grounds of Forest Grove High School, 1401 Nichols Lane, will be built. Funded by a $402,000 federa…
It's no time to be cutting Medicaid
Oregonian
Fri, 02 May 2008
D on't be fooled by rhetoric the Bush administration is
using to defend its draconian new Medicaid regulations.
Disguised as fiscal prudence, they're really just a
cynical and truly heartless attack on the most vulnerable
Americans.
The House voted commendably last week to block the
administration's plan to use the seven new regulations
to cut federal spending on health care for the poor by at
…
The Coos County Foster Parents Association host fundraiser
The Coos Bay World
Fri, 02 May 2008
May is National Foster Care Month, a time when communities across the nation honor America’s more than 173,000 foster families and recognize the approximately 542,000 children in foster care. In Coos County there are more than 160 children in care and 130 foster families.The group’s Annual Spaghetti Feed will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 2, at the North Bend Community Center, 2222 …
Speak up about Oregon health care
Oregonian
Wed, 30 Apr 2008
H eads up, uninsured Oregonians. All 600,000 of you have a
lot at stake in something big that's about to begin.
The same goes for the more than 1 million underinsured
Oregonians and thousands of small-business owners who are
struggling to provide employee coverage across the state.
Beginning Thursday, all will have a chance to speak up about
reforms they hope to see under the Healthy Ore…
Walden-Hooley Act to protect Oregon against Medicaid cuts
The Hillsboro Argus
Tue, 29 Apr 2008
SILVERTON - In the face of opposition by the President, Oregon Congressman Greg Walden and Congresswoman Darlene Hooley joined colleagues on the House Energy and Commerce Committee in reaching unanimous, bi-partisan agreement on a measure that would halt harmful new Medicaid rules recently issued by the Bush Administration. Hooley is a co-sponsor of the bill.
The measure, H.R. 5613, would impo…
Programs reach out to at-risk teens
The Statesman Journal
Tue, 29 Apr 2008
Samantha Feldman just got her first couch, her first coffee maker and first coffee table.It's a simple milestone for many 20-year-olds, but for Feldman, it's huge.The Salem resident hasn't had a place to call her own since she first entered foster care in middle school. She bounced in and out of foster homes and ran away more than a dozen times.At 14 she got help at HOST, a shelter for at-risk tee…
State agency looks to us for direction
Oregonian
Mon, 28 Apr 2008
O regon's massive and historically mismanaged
Department of Human Services is going through its 2009-11
budget planning session by bracing itself for a high pain
threshold.
It does so much wrong. Half a million Oregonians are without
health care. The agency's public health infrastructure
is crumbling. And its foster care system is failing,
according to a recent 118-page federal review.
T…
Study: Diabetes before motherhood on the rise
The Statesman Journal
Mon, 28 Apr 2008
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The number of pregnant women with pre-existing diabetes has more than doubled in seven years, a California study found, a troubling trend that means health risks for both mothers and newborns. And the number of diabetic teenagers giving birth grew fivefold during the same period, according to the study, the largest of its kind. Expectant mothers who don't control their diab…
Family leave act’s 15th anniversary met with calls for revisions
Bend Bulletin
Sun, 27 Apr 2008
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the landmark Family and Medical Leave Act, which made it possible for many workers to take unpaid job-protected time off to care for their newborn children or sick relatives. But instead of celebrating, workers’ rights advocates and the Bush administration are battling over what would be the most sweeping revisions ever to the law.
Under proposals being con…
Legal advocates for children
Bend Bulletin
Fri, 25 Apr 2008
This profile is one in a regular series to help families connect with assistance organizations. Eighty-seven is a number that is on Pam Fortier’s mind. It’s the number of children in Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook counties in need of a court appointed special advocate.
Fortier is the executive director of the local CASA program and is proud of the work that they do. She is also well aware of th…
Report: Rate of Unhealthy Children Up in U.S.
Portland KEX Radio 1190
Fri, 25 Apr 2008
American children aged 6 to 11 are four times more likely to be obese than similarly aged children in the 1960s, the report found. Thursday, April 24, 2008
Experience more news: Video | Photos
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Rising obesity rates and a large percentage of children born with low birthweights are dragging down the overall health of American children in their first decade of life…
Linn, Benton CASA programs get $3,000 each
The Albany Democrat-Herald
Fri, 25 Apr 2008
The Pacific Power Foundation has awarded $3,000 grants to CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, programs in Linn and Benton counties.
Through the CASA programs, abused and neglected children are provided with a trained and dedicated advocate who will monitor their case from beginning to end — all on a volunteer basis.
The funds from the Pacific Power Foundation will allow the programs to …
Justice For the Children
The Skanner
Fri, 25 Apr 2008
Hundreds of professionals working to keeping children safe from abuse and neglect met Monday and Tuesday at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in downtown Seattle to take part in a hands-on training and hear about the latest child welfare research.
The 16th annual Children’s Justice Conference, one of the largest child welfare training events in the nation, brought leading rese…
Children's health screenings offered
Polk County Observer
Thu, 24 Apr 2008
DALLAS - A free health screening for children from birth to 5 years of age will be held Friday, May 2, at Lyle Elementary School, 185 SW Levens St. in Dallas.
DALLAS - A free health screening for children from birth to 5 years of age will be held Friday, May 2, at Lyle Elementary School, 185 SW Levens St. in Dallas.
The event takes place from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Appointments are…
Oregon Health Fund Board members will crisscross the state for public input on health care system changes
The Newport News
Thu, 24 Apr 2008
Beginning May 1 the Oregon Health Fund Board will kick off a series of 13 community meetings across the state to listen to public input on the broad concepts of health reform. The meeting series, titled Your Oregon, Your Health, will serve to gather community input critical to comprehensive health care reform in Oregon. It will come to Newport 7 to 9 p.m., May 7, at the Atonement Lutheran Church, …
Area's Family Access Network may not lose federal funding
Bend Bulletin
Wed, 23 Apr 2008
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House is expected to vote today on a bill that could prevent a $700,000 cut to programs that aid poor children and families in Central Oregon schools.
The bill blocks new Medicaid rules, proposed by the Bush administration in January, from going into effect. The rules would end reimbursement of school-based medical services, including funding for the Family Access Network, w…
The goal: health care for all
Lincoln City News Guard
Wed, 23 Apr 2008
The goal: health care for all
The atmosphere at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 17 for the newly remodeled and expanded Lincoln Community Health Center/Lincoln City Clinic was filled with pride, praise and hope, as many months of work culminated in an interactive facility that provides both primary care and behavioral health care to insured and uninsured patients alike.
"This clinic …
'Disturbing' research finds not everyone is living longer
Oregonian
Wed, 23 Apr 2008
Advances in medicine and public health have pushed average
life expectancy steadily up -- but not for everyone in the
United States.
In a detailed, county-by-county analysis of death rates,
researchers found, much to their surprise, that women and
men are dying younger than they did 20 years ago in many
places. From 1983 to 1999, life expectancy among women fell
by more than a year in 180 count…
EDITORIAL: Expectant smokers
Roseburg News Review
Tue, 22 Apr 2008
We all have bad habits. Some are more serious than others; few are easy to change. But when our bad habits affect the well-being of others, something has to be done.
Thats the case with women who smoke while they are pregnant. A shocking 24 percent of expectant mothers who live in Douglas County smoked in 2005. Thats twice the state average.
Those women are putting their babies at a huge disadv…
Fundraiser for foster kids set
Roseburg News Review
Tue, 22 Apr 2008
ROSEBURG: Residents can shop and support local foster children at the same time at a special event April 24.
Between 4 and 8 p.m., 20 percent of the proceeds from merchandise sold at Northwest Lifestyles, 445 S.E. Jackson St., will be donated to CASA of Douglas County.
During the fundraiser, free refreshments will be provided for shoppers and door prize drawings will be held.
CASA stands for Co…
Editorial: Let’s just steal health scheme
The Corvallis Gazette-Times
Tue, 22 Apr 2008
Tuesday’s “Frontline” program on PBS did the country a service. It showed that it’s possible to have a decent national health care system that improves health and doesn’t bankrupt either the patients or anyone else.The program examined the national health insurance systems in Britain, Japan, Germany, Taiwan and Switzerland. In each case, everybody in the country was c…
Shred a Tier
The Hillsboro Argus
Tue, 22 Apr 2008
Health insurance and medical providers don't seem to have noticed current practices have begun attracting increasing debate both in the press and in politics.
With medical costs blamed for a large percentage of personal bankruptcies - with a corresponding contribution to the mortgage industry meltdown and tightening of general credit in the U.S. and worldwide - this would seem the ideal time…
Vote for your health
Portland Daily Vanguard
Fri, 18 Apr 2008
Unemployment soars. Food and gas prices skyrocket. Many people cannot afford health care even if their jobs offer it, because premiums are too expensive.
Health Care for ALL Oregon, a nonprofit organization advocating just what its name states, reports that "more than one in six Oregonians has no health insurance, and one in four of them is a child." They plan for a statewide universal health …
Schools may lose funding for social service programs
The Albany Democrat-Herald
Fri, 18 Apr 2008
Mid-valley schools may lose visits from dental vans, time with drug and alcohol counselors and other social services if plans to eliminate a federal Medicaid reimbursement program go through.
The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has decided to stop reimbursing schools for Medicaid-related health care services they provide. A moratorium on the elimination expires June 30.
Re…
Oregon Health Plan cutbacks sent more to ER
Business Journal of Portland
Wed, 16 Apr 2008
Cuts in Oregon's Medicaid expansion program in 2003 led to a 20 percent increase in emergency room visits by the uninsured and a nearly 50 percent increase in hospital admissions of uninsured emergency patients.
During the same period, visits by uninsured psychiatric patients doubled, according to a recent study in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
In the paper titled "Impact of Medicaid C…
Child's fate in limbo as custody battle starts
Oregonian
Wed, 16 Apr 2008
HILLSBORO -- It will be months before state officials decide
the fate of a 2-year-old foster child who could be sent to
Mexico to live with people who are not her relatives.
During a brief hearing Tuesday, the jailed parents told
Washington County Juvenile Court Judge Jim Fun that they
want to keep the girl, pushing the custody case into a trial
slated to begin June 17.
"My client is being a…
Health fair offers free checkups
Oregonian
Wed, 16 Apr 2008
HILLSBORO -- Looking for a free checkup from a doctor or
dentist? Interested in learning about immigration law and
computer skills?
These are just some of the services that will be available
for free during a health fair held by the Hillsboro Spanish
Church from Saturday through April 26.
The church is holding the annual fair, "Healing
'08," for the second time as a way to provide
important …
U.S. health care system unhealthy for Americans
Oregonian
Wed, 16 Apr 2008
"WE'RE NO. 37! WE'RE NO. 37!"
This is not a cheer we will hear soon.
But it is a notion that rises from the "Frontline"
documentary "Sick Around the World," which airs
tonight on KOPB (10). The documentary is a study of how U.S.
health care is so terrible compared with that in other
countries.
We like to think we are the richest nation in the world, one
of the smartest -- we put dudes on …
Unisured Oregonians flock to emergency rooms
Oregonian
Wed, 16 Apr 2008
Cuts in the Oregon Health Plan led to "an abrupt and
sustained increase" in the uninsured using hospital
emergency rooms, a new study reports.
After the state restricted eligibility for publicly funded
coverage of low-income Oregonians in 2003, hospital
emergency visits by uninsured people jumped 36 percent.
Uninsured visits for mental health and problems with alcohol
or drugs rose even faster.…
Bags of comfort for care kids
Roseburg News Review
Tue, 15 Apr 2008
TILLER The duffel bags contain toys, books and blankets. Ones set aside for teenagers also have journals and clothes. Those for babies and toddlers add in diapers and bottles.
And every bag contains a flashlight.
The bags are stored in the local child welfare office at the Department of Human Services, ready and waiting to hopefully help comfort children who walk through the office doors and in…
A voice for the voiceless
The Klamath Falls - Herald and News
Tue, 15 Apr 2008
5 p.m. Monday, April 14, 2008: On average, there are about 200 children in foster care in Klamath County. Local volunteers, through the Court Appointed Special Advocates program, provide a voice for about half of these children as they go through the court system. In Tuesday's Herald and News, see what CASA volunteers do for foster children in the community, and…
