Lake Oswego, Ore. – Members of the Hospital Association of Oregon elected Ray Hino, CEO of Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center in Bandon, to serve as a member trustee. In addition, the members elected four current member trustees to new two-year terms. 

Hino became the CEO of Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center in February of 2022 and brings 37 years of health care leadership experience. Hino came to Bandon from Northern California, where he served as the western states vice president of operations for PE GI Solutions, which partners with physicians in the ownership and management of ambulatory surgery centers across the U.S. Hino previously held hospital leadership roles in facilities ranging in size from 25 to 429 beds. 

The four current members elected to new terms are:

• Dr. Steve Gordon, president and CEO, St. Charles Health System
• Richard DeCarlo, executive vice president and chief operating officer, PeaceHealth
• Wendy Watson, chief operating officer, Kaiser Permanente Northwest
• Tom Gessel, president and CEO, Asante

“We are pleased to welcome Ray Hino to the board. Ray's talents and expertise are well known not just in Coos County but across the country,” said Hospital Association of Oregon President and CEO Becky Hultberg. “We're also pleased that four current board members will continue to serve. All five board members are dedicated to the work of supporting hospitals and their patients at this critical juncture for hospitals and the communities they serve.”

The elected member trustees will serve two-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2025. 

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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 community hospitals. Together, hospitals are the sixth largest private employer statewide, employing more than 70,000 employees. Committed to fostering a stronger, safer, more equitable Oregon where all people have access to the care they need, the hospital association provides services to Oregon’s hospitals ensuring all are able to deliver dependable, comprehensive health care to 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.   

PORTLAND, Ore.—The Hospital Association of Oregon applauds Gov. Tina Kotek for including funding in her 2025 budget to support maintaining health care services in Oregon. Taking action to fully fund the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) and increasing OHP payments to community hospitals is critical for protecting access to vital health services, such as maternity care, in communities across the state. 

“Adequate funding of the Oregon health plan is not just about access to care for vulnerable Oregonians, but about the availability of services for us all,” said Becky Hultberg, president and CEO of the Hospital Association of Oregon. “Absent meaningful steps like these to help hospitals cover the cost of providing care, Oregon’s community hospitals will be forced to make tough decisions about what services they can provide.” 

For the past five years, Oregon’s community hospitals have struggled to cover the cost of providing care. About half of Oregon hospitals consistently lose money and many more barely make ends meet. The state’s insurance program, OHP, contributes to hospitals’ financial distress by paying hospitals only 70 cents for every dollar of care they provide to OHP members. 

 “As enrollment in OHP continues to grow, it is becoming more urgent for the state to commit to covering the cost of this program. The governor’s recommended budget is a step in the right direction,” Hultberg said.

Since 2020, OHP enrollment has grown from 1.1 million to more than 1.4 million, making it Oregon’s largest insurance provider. OHP covers one in three Oregonians, including 56% of Oregon kids.

“Unfortunately, we’re reaching a point in our state where having health insurance doesn’t mean you have access to care,” Hultberg said. “We urge legislators to take important actions like the ones outlined in the governor’s budget to help stabilize our community hospitals and protect Oregonians’ access to the services they and their families rely on.”