March 25, 2020
Stay home, save lives
Today we announced the largest number of new cases of COVID-19 in Oregon to date. As testing becomes more available, we will continue to see more cases. We are thinking about everyone who has has been affected by COVID-19, including those who have lost their lives. Staying home now will slow the spread of COVID-19 and save lives. Thank you for working with us to protect the health and safety of everyone in Oregon.
Medical professionals are needed to volunteer for SERV-OR
The health care workforce is a critical resource in the response to COVID-19. We encourage health professionals to volunteer in the fight against the virus. If you have ever thought about volunteering your time, energy and medical skills to a worthwhile and potentially life-saving cause, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), fellow health professionals and systems, and all Oregonians could use your help.
To help, you can register with OHA’s State Emergency Registry of Volunteers in Oregon (SERV-OR). Volunteers can join the State Managed Volunteer Pool (SMVP) for statewide deployments or their local Medical Reserve Corps unit (MRC) for local response.
SERV-OR
Duties of volunteers can vary widely depending on the need. You may be asked to staff the Oregon Medical Station, help maintain a sterile healthcare environment, operate an information hotline, facilitate the mass dispensing of medications, or support administrative or logistical needs within the OHA Agency Operations Center, among many other tasks. Register at https://SERV-OR.org and learn more at SERV-OR’s frequently asked questions page.
People who are not medically licensed are encouraged to visit Oregon Emergency Management’s COVID-19 information page and complete the survey for finding other volunteer opportunities. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6c96b225a8424992b56e59400a30dab4
Testing capacity continues to increase
Over the past week, Oregon’s COVID-19 testing capacity has expanded as commercial testing has become more available.
We know many people are interested in testing out of concern for themselves and their loved ones. While we’ve authorized health care providers to use their discretion, we know they cannot order a test for everyone who wants one. They will continue to exercise their clinical judgement, as commercial labs work hard to ramp up their capacity. We simply don’t have all the testing capability we want.
If you have flu-like symptoms or have reason to think you might have COVID-19, let your healthcare provider know before you visit. This will help avoid exposing anyone else at the provider’s facility. Your provider may decide to have you first tested for other illnesses, like the flu, based on your possible exposure history and any other symptoms you might have.
For frequently asked questions about testing, go to OHA’s FAQs about coronavirus and search “testing.”
Oregon Health Authority and Department of Consumer and Business Services set expectations for insurers to remove barriers to telehealth services
Do you need to access physical health or mental health services and are wondering about telehealth coverage? Today the Oregon Health Authority and the Department of Consumer and Business Services provided guidance to insurers that they expect health insurance plans of all types to provide more health care services to their members through telehealth platforms and to encourage plan members to limit in-person health care services for the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak. This includes the Oregon Health Plan and Oregon’s Public Employee Benefits Board (PEBB) and the Oregon Educators Benefits Board (OEBB) plans.
Read today’s press release and view the guidance.
Oregon reports 2 new COVID-19 deaths, 57 new COVID-19 cases
COVID-19 has claimed 2 more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll from 8 to 10, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 8:00 a.m. today.
Oregon Health Authority also reported 57 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the state total to 266, as of 8:00 a.m. today. The COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Benton (2), Clackamas (4), Douglas (2), Jackson (1), Josephine (1), Lane (1), Lincoln (1), Linn (5), Marion (11), Multnomah (8), Washington (20), Yamhill (1). Oregon Health Authority reports new cases once a day on its website: www.healthoregon.org/coronavirus.
Oregon’s ninth COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman in Clackamas County, who tested positive on 3/23/20, and died 3/24/2020 at Legacy Mt. Hood Medical Center. She had underlying medical conditions.
Oregon’s tenth COVID-19 death is a 73-year-old woman in Marion County, who tested positive on 3/22/20, and died 3/23/20 at Salem Hospital. She had underlying medical conditions.
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