Oregon Senate Approves Funding for Oregon AgriStress Helpline

 Did you know that among males in 2018, the rural suicide rate was 30.7 per 100,000 population while the urban rate was 21.5 per 100,000? The 2023 Oregon Legislature passed a bill to fund an "AgriStress" hotline for farmers and agricultural workers who are undergoing stress and considering suicide. Oregon has some of the highest suicide rates in the country, and Governor Kotek has made mental health one of her key priorities for her term which began in January, 2023.

See the post at Elkhorn Media Group for more information about the bill.

http://elkhornmediagroup.com/oregon-senate-approves-funding-for-oregon-agristress-helpline/

Oregon Sets Standard for Immigrant Healthcare

 

Oregon Expands Medicaid to all Humans, Not Just Citizens.

The move took effect July 1. It marks an expansion of a Medicaid-type program for immigrants last year for residents who don’t qualify for the Oregon Health Plan because of their immigration status. The program, Healthier Oregon, covered those 19-24 and 55 and older who met low-income and other qualifications and was funded by a $100 million allocation by the Legislature in 2021.

“When it comes to health, we’re all connected,” Dave Baden, interim director of Oregon Health Authority, said in a statement. “Expanded health coverage through the full implementation of Healthier Oregon will keep more people and families healthy, which will reduce health costs and risks for every community.”

Baden said the expansion sets a new standard for other states. It comes amid a debate this spring in some states, including Connecticut, Minnesota and Nevada, about expanding Medicaid to undocumented immigrants, Politico reported. Similar efforts in New York and Maryland failed, however, with Democrats balking about the price tag.