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 February Providence pursues land deal in Happy Valley Providence Health System would be more than happy to get a foothold in the prosperous, developing area of Clackamas County. The health system is in negotiations to purchase a 69-acre plot of Happy Valley land, which a local developer recently purchased from two private owners. ”We’re looking at land in Clackamas County,” said Providence spokeswoman Renee King. ”We haven’t dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s. It’s all still in negotiation.” The good Dr. returns Dr. John Kitzhaber is making the rounds. This time, however, the former governor and emergency room physician is not visiting patients. He’s making the rounds of policymakers in an effort to radically reform our health care system. Speculation abounds that Kitzhaber, the architect of the Oregon Health Plan, will soon make his grand entrance at the state Capitol, his groundbreaking legislation in hand. Sources tell Oregon Health News he’s working with Sen. Ryan Deckert (D–Beaverton) and John Ulwelling, president of The Foundation for Medical Excellence, as well as economists from Oregon Health & Science University to bring his proposal forward. Kaiser tells Nike and Beaverton: Just do it Kaiser Permanente is stuck, waiting for Nike and Beaverton to make nice. That’s not to say it’ll wait forever, as the two neighbors work to settle a nebulous spat that killed a deal in January over real estate for a new hospital. “This is an issue the city of Beaverton and Nike need to resolve, and we hope they can do so,” said Kaiser spokesman Jim Gersbach. “We are, of course, exploring what our other options are.” MyHealthBank sold A Phoenix-based software company hopes to cash in on the consumer-driven health care buzz by purchasing a local company that has a five-year track record. Quality Care Solutions Inc., which previously catered strictly to health care payers, has finalized the acquisition of MyHealthBank, a Portland company that provides software for the other end of the equation, the consumer. GE open for business The Oregon Medical Association beat the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association over the head during the election cycle for running misleading commercials in the battle over Measure 35. Now maybe it’s the trial bar’s turn to take a swipe at the OMA. Last fall, physicians repeatedly told Oregonians how difficult it was to find medical liability insurance in the Beaver State. Parley for parity Maybe it was the man with the knife threatening to cut his own throat on the floor of the Senate. Maybe it was the flood of consumers who visited the Capitol on lobby day for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Maybe it was the experience of the Public Employees’ Benefit Board. Maybe it was the report from the recent Governor’s Mental Health Task Force. Whatever it was, something seems to have turned the tide in the debate surrounding mental health parity. Introducing Dr. Susan Allan A dynamic health leader is about to make her entrance in Oregon. Dr. Susan Allan joins the Department of Human Services on March 7 as the state’s first public health director, and will be seated in the governor’s cabinet, next to her boss, Gary Weeks. In that capacity, she’ll earn $139,690 annually. Not afraid of hard work, she entered the work force at age 16, was only the second member of her family of eight children to graduate from high school, then went onto Harvard University where she gained doctoral degrees in law and medicine, ending her academic career with a master’s in public health from Johns Hopkins University. In 1987, she cemented her feet firmly in public health as director of Arlington County Virginia’s Department of Human Services. On the federal level, Allan’s been involved in discussions about smallpox vaccination policy, bio-terrorism and other aspects of emergency preparedness. In mid-February she spoke with Diane Lund-Muzikant, editor of Oregon Health News. about her passion for public health and what she hopes to accomplish as she embarks on her new role. OHN: What’s the most important task facing you? SA: As much as anything, supporting and advancing the work other people have told me they’re interested in. One of the most important things I can do is help people who have good ideas work together as a team rather than in a fragmented way. Those running the major public health programs at the state level haven’t really had the opportunity to work as closely with each other around shared policy goals. In my new role, some of the work they’ve been doing can cross-fertilize. The other key, a bridge building task, is strengthening the connections between the state programs and the local health departments. Health care hopper Dressing liberal proposals in conservative clothing. That seems to be the modus operandi of left-leaning legislators in 2005. Oregon Health News interviewed the chairs of the four health care committees to learn what’s on the top of their agenda. A plethora of ideas emerged. Not surprisingly, after the defeat of Measure 28 in 2003 and Measure 30 in 2004, big spending is out, and cost saving is in.
Homeland security Tom Ridge would approve of House Bill 2101, which would create an Oregon Homeland Security Department and streamline the state’s disaster response efforts. The new agency would usurp the powers of the Office of Emergency Management, Interagency Hazard Communication Council, the Office of State Fire Marshal from the Department of State Police and certain offices and divisions from the State Police. It would also abolish the Office of Emergency Management and Interagency Hazard Communication Council. Also in this issue...
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