Oregon Health Authority

September is Recovery Month—a time to honor the strength and resilience of people in recovery, celebrate the progress they’ve made and recognize the many paths that lead there. Recovery is possible. Each journey is different. Throughout the month, we’ll be sharing resources, uplifting stories and highlighting programs, partners and peers who are helping break down stigma and support people on their recovery journey. #RecoveryMonth2025 #RecoveryJourney

The Women Infants and Children Program is thrilled to introduce oregon.wicresources.org — a brand-new website made for Oregon WIC families and available to all! This brand-new site is a one-stop hub where you can explore: • Nutrition and wellness tips • Parenting and feeding resources • Tools and information to help families stay healthy, happy and thriving We’re excited to share this new resource with our WIC community and partners across Oregon.

The Oregon State Public Health Laboratory in Hillsboro has been protecting the public's health for more than 120 years. More than 100 OSPHL scientists perform about 5.4 million tests on 200,000 human specimens each year, identifying and analyzing everything from COVID, foodborne illnesses, harmful drug-resistant organisms, STIs, Ebola, anthrax, plague, and more. In the last video of our 3-part series, we highlight how the OSPHL helps keeps Oregonians safe and informed.

“I’m proud of creating a culture within the organization that is excited about public service and improving the lives of Medicaid members,” said Emma Sandoe, Medicaid Director, OHA.

The Oregon State Public Health Laboratory in Hillsboro has been protecting the public's health for more than 120 years. Life-saving work happens in this building made up of communicable disease testing labs, clinical lab compliance and environmental lab accreditation programs, and teams of experts that support them. In part 2 of our video series, see how the OSPHL helps detect and respond to public health concerns in Oregon.

OHA is seeking a few people to serve on the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) Bridge Advisory Committee. OHP Bridge launched in 2024 to provide health coverage at no cost for people who earn slightly too much to qualify for traditional Medicaid benefits. The advisory committee helps guide OHP Bridge benefits and provides recommendations to OHA and ODHS. The committee’s goal is to create a space for OHP Bridge members, advocates, and health care administrators to inform OHP Bridge operations. Ideal committee members are passionate about increasing access to high-quality health coverage and eliminating health inequities in Oregon. Members can expect to spend roughly five to six hours a quarter on committee-related work and will serve for two-year terms. Meetings are currently virtual and will be held every three months. Members may be eligible to receive compensation for their time. Interested applicants can find the application here: https://ow.ly/5ZaG50WGbsX. Application deadline is Aug. 31. OHA will announce advisory committee members in September, and selected members will attend their first meeting Oct. 16 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Questions? Please reach out to the OHP Bridge team at ohpbridge@oha.oregon.gov.

Moments after a baby enters this world, a few drops of blood are taken from its tiny heel and sent to a laboratory for testing—namely, the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory (OSPHL) in Hillsboro. The OSPHL in Hillsboro has been protecting the public's health for more than 120 years. One of the many ways it continues to do that is by analyzing newborn bloodspot samples submitted by hospitals and community birth providers across the state and testing them for 45 rare health conditions, with the results sent to the baby's primary health care provider for follow-up and treatment. This is the first video in our three-part series highlighting the vital work of the OSPHL.

Oregon’s public and private pools are great places for families to escape the summer heat, so OHA and the WIC program share a friendly reminder that state law protects the rights of people to breastfeed in public. August is a good time to remind the public about Oregon’s breastfeeding law. Summer temperatures can be at their highest this month, prompting people to head to swimming pools to cool off. It’s also National Breastfeeding Month, which Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has recognized with this proclamation: https://ow.ly/n2a150WB1Bp OHA has long supported and promoted breastfeeding because of the many health benefits, including building babies’ immune systems to fight diseases and reducing mothers’ risk of chronic illnesses such as ovarian and breast cancer and type II diabetes. Shelby Sayer-Cameron, a public health lactation consultant at Linn County Health Services, says support for the state breastfeeding law from pool operators helps reduce the stigma some people feel when trying to breastfeed their children in public places. Watch the video to hear more from Shelby. For more information, read our news release https://ow.ly/N8fC50WB1Bq

On a cool cloudy day in March 2024, Casey Lowery sprinted nearly four miles to get to Bay Area First Step—a recovery and treatment center in Coos Bay, a small coastal community in Southwest Oregon. He showed up dripping with sweat, panting, desperate. He knocked, and two men opened the door. “I’m here to get treatment!” Casey blurted. And so began a journey that has changed Casey’s life and future forever. Southwest Oregon, specifically Coos County, has recently experienced a boom in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery opportunities. This is largely due to the growth of Bay Area First Step (BAFS)—an organization founded in 1995—in conjunction with increased state and federal funding sources. But it’s not that simple. Local neighborhood resistance to SUD treatment and recovery services was always a challenge… and that’s changing, too. Read our blog to learn about Casey’s journey and to learn how BAFS has expanded to help more and more people on the road to recovery: https://ow.ly/sz0c50WxvAn

The number of people seeking health care at Oregon’s school-based health centers (SBHC) has never been higher. Oregon’s 2025 SBHC Status Update shows 43,000 people (mostly school-aged youth ages 5 to 21) sought health care at one of Oregon’s 87 SBHCs, which are located throughout 28 counties. This amounted to nearly 149,000 patient visits: https://ow.ly/P0qF50WujFh SBHCs are clinics located in schools or on school grounds that provide community resources to support people’s health and well-being and have existed in Oregon since 1986. They provide access to comprehensive, youth-centered health services for children and youth, many of whom would otherwise go without care. According to the report: • Overall patient visits increased 15% since the previous year, and the number of patients increased almost 13%, rebounding from declines during the COVID-19 pandemic.  • A similar trend occurred in behavioral health services. Visits for all ages increased about 19% from the previous school year; and the number of behavioral health patients increased by 14%. • School-aged patients accounted for 71% of all SBHC visits and accounted for more than three clinic visits during the year, on average. One third of these patients received an immunization. • More than 2,000 dental visits were made by 1,298 school-aged patients. At a minimum, SBHCs serve students enrolled at the host school. However, many SBHCs serve other populations, such as student families, school staff, students at other schools, or the surrounding communities. Some operate year-round, and others only during the school year. Learn more about Oregon’s SBHCs: https://ow.ly/MLMK50WujFi