Statewide news

Oregon food stamp use way up

The increase in the number of people receiving food stamps in Oregon over the past year is greater than the population of Medford. The need for food stamps and cash assistance continues to climb at record levels.

In January, a total of 22,601 families received help through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. That represents in increase of 77,929 people in 3,595 families—nearly 19 percent—over January 2008.

CareOregon’s service area includes the areas with the biggest growth in food need. Washington County reported a 36 percent increase over a year ago. Clackamas County need increased more than 25 percent. And the Salem area counties of Marion, Yamhill and Polk increased was just over 24 percent.

For the upcoming two-year budget cycle, the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) is planning for these expected increases in need:

• A 30.2 percent increase in the number of people needing food stamps, up to a high of more than 671,000 Oregonians.
• The number of families who will qualify for temporary cash assistance is predicted to increase by 24 percent, up to nearly 26,000 families.
• The number of Oregonians eligible for health care through the Oregon Health Plan is expected to increase 23 percent to a high of 565,500.

Cash assistance is available only to families with children and only to people who have few assets and very low income. The monthly income limit is $795 (approximately 45 percent of the federal poverty level) for a two-parent family with two children.

DHS has more information.

Salem rally urges health care reform
	Ellen Pinney, Health Action Campaign	Martin Taylor, CareOregon	State Sen. Alan Bates, MD, (D) Medford
By Killian Czuba CareOregon Provider Information Specialist SALEM—It’s more than 650 pages long, a massive piece of legislation. Most Oregon residents will never read more than the summaries and commentaries. But the bill’s promise to transform health care in the state and expand the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) brought more than 400 Oregonians to the steps of the State Capitol April 8 to urge passage of House Bill 2009. More than 40 different advocacy groups and organizations, including CareOregon, supported the event. The turnout was, according to Oregon Health Action Campaign Director Ellen Pinney, “beyond our wildest expectations.” Attendance surpassed expectations by at least 100 people, she said. Following a morning of coaching on how to lobby their legislators for their support of the bill, rally-goers heard comments from legislators and citizens alike before meeting with their own representatives in small-group sessions. One portion of the bill would install a provider tax on health plans and hospitals. Advocates say each dollar raised can be matched by $2 in federal contributions. Then the state could return all of the tax contributed by hospitals to them in the form of better rates and reduced cost of caring for uninsured patients. The tax would provide much-needed funding for OHP Standard and help cover an additional 80,000 children and 100,000 low income adults now uninsured. The bill also would establish an Oregon Health Authority to consolidate and streamline the health industry bureaucracy. The authority’s charge would be to rein in excess spending, promote prevention and make the system more efficient and beneficial for Oregonians. From the stage, Martin Taylor, CareOregon Health Policy Manager, described health care reform and the gathering of Oregonians in support of reform as “not Republicans or Democrats. We’re citizens. It’s an American issue.”

Deadly fungus from British Columbia moving into U.S. Northwest

In 10 years, Cryptococcus gattii has sickened 239 and killed 19 in British Columbia. The fungus has afflicted residents of Vancouver Island and the B.C. Lower Mainland.

American researchers have determined that human and animal cases of C. gattii infection in Oregon and Washington were caused by the same genotype that has caused the Canadian outbreak.

It seems likely the genotypes will continue to spread over a wider geographic area.

“It's sobering to think about this expanding its range and becoming a real public health threat,” said Dr. Joseph Heitman, a microbiologist at the department of molecular genetics and microbiology at Duke University in Durham, N.C.

A longer report was published in The Canadian Press.

Oregon gets a “C” for smoking

Oregon’s ban on workplace smoking earned the state an “A” in the American Lung Association “State of Tobacco Control 2008” report. But less-than-stellar efforts in tobacco prevention and control and failure to enact a cigarette excise tax dragged the state’s smoking GPA down to average.

According to the report, which is compiled each year for all 50 states and the federal government, gave Oregon a “D” for its tobacco taxes and an “F” for spending on prevention and control of tobacco use. Oregon earned a “B” grade for the state’s coverage of cessation in health policies and requirements for the same for commercial health insurers.

Visit the “State of Tobacco” web site for the full report.

DHS has more information.

Oregon Public Health stepping up swine flu surveillance

Public health officials in Oregon have stepped up surveillance and control efforts for swine flu (now called influenza A(H1N1) by the World Health Organization). (The first case in Oregon was confirmed in Multnomah County April 28.)

State Public Health Director Dr. Mel Kohn says that there are three important steps to take to slow the flu's spread:

• Protect yourself and others by washing your hands often;
• Cover your mouth with something other than your hand when you cough,
• If you are sick, go see your doctor but otherwise try not to go out and expose others to your illness.

Illness caused by this new strain of flu has the same symptoms as illness caused by other strains of flu including fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, and can include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

The Oregon Public Health Department is also asking that health care providers arrange for testing of patients who have influenza-like illness, particularly if they have recently traveled to Southern California, Texas, or Mexico.

To read the full DHS press release.

Connect to the CDC swine flu web site.

Article: Real-time tracking of swine flu spread on Google Maps, Twitter, etc.

You can subscribe to receive alerts when the Oregon Swine Flu Information Web site is updated.

Go to www.flu.oregon.gov/ and click on the "Subscribe" link.

You can cancel subscriptions or update them on the User Profile Page.

Whooping cough cases reported in Oregon’s south coast

Once a deadly killer of infants and young children, then largely contained by preventive measures, pertussis, or whooping cough, is again being reported.

The Coos County Public Health Department reported that two children were kept out of school in April because of whooping cough infection. The disease can be spread when infected people cough in confined spaces, like a classroom. Both students were expected to return to school after the infectious stage of the disease passed.

CareOregon follows the vaccination recommendations, including for pertussis, of the Centers for Disease Control. You can download a copy of the guidelines for children under 6 here.

More information on the Coos Bay cases is reported in The World newspaper.