Press Conference: Hospitals Call For Legislators To Protect Access To Care (1/22 At 11 A.m.) -01/21/25

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. (Jan. 21, 2025) – The Hospital Association of Oregon is holding a press conference Wednesday to provide an overview of the challenges facing hospitals and the policy solutions they are advocating for in the 2025 legislative session. 

 

The combination of rising costs and insufficient reimbursement from insurers, including the Oregon Health Plan—which provides coverage for one in three Oregonians—is jeopardizing access to health care services across the state. 

 

With more than half of Oregon’s hospitals consistently operating in the red, action is needed so hospitals can continue to deliver important services such as maternity care to their communities. 

 

The hospital association is advocating for a number of legislative solutions to protect access to care. To explain these priorities and provide context for the shared challenges facing the health care system, President and CEO Becky Hultberg will be joined by: 

• Cheryl Nester Wolfe, RN, president and CEO of Salem Health 

• Dan Grigg, CEO of Wallowa Memorial Hospital 

• Daniel Davis, MS Nursing, Senior Director of Patient Flow, St. Charles Health System 

• Sean Kolmer, executive vice president of external affairs at the hospital association 

 

We hope you can join us.  

 

WHEN: Jan. 22, 11a.m. to 12 p.m.  

 

VENUE: Virtual meeting through Teams. The briefing is for members of the news media only. Please RSVP to Becca Thomsen at bthomsen@oregonhospitals.org. She will send you the meeting invitation.

 

About the Hospital Association of Oregon: Founded in 1934, the Hospital Association of Oregon is a mission-driven, nonprofit trade association representing Oregon’s 61 hospitals. Together, hospitals are the sixth largest private employer statewide, employing 70,000 employees. Committed to fostering a stronger, safer, more equitable Oregon where all people have access to the high-quality care they need, the hospital association supports Oregon’s hospitals so they can support their communities; educates government officials and the public on the state’s health landscape and works collaboratively with policymakers, community based organizations and the health care community to build consensus on and advance health care policy benefiting the state’s four million residents. Led by President and CEO Becky Hultberg, the hospital association is governed by a Board of Trustees elected by its member organizations and steered by a staff of health care policy experts.  

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