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In this issue:
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The monoclonal antibody COVID-19 prevention therapy Evusheld has been deauthorized for emergency use to prevent COVID-19 illness. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Evusheld is not expected to protect against the COVID-19 subvariants currently circulating in the United States. As a result, it cannot be used for new patients or for patients who have received it in the past.
To learn more about this decision and how to access treatments in the event of a COVID-19 infection, check out our blog.
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Oregon State Hospital physicians, from left to right: Dr. Sara Walker, Dr. Poornima Ranganathan, Dr. Rubina Gundroo, Dr. Vanessa McDonald, Dr. Karen Brooks, Dr. Jamie Read, Dr. Noor Anabtawi, Dr. Yassmin Atefi
Tomorrow, Feb. 3, is National Women Physicians Day, celebrating the birthday of Elizabeth Blackwell, born in 1821 and the first female medical doctor in the United States. The day honors the courage and accomplishments of female doctors who paved the way for so many, and who continue to set an example for younger generations. In 2017, for the first time in history, women made up more than half of all medical school students in the U.S.
Oregon State Hospital (OSH) takes pride in the diversity, leadership and strength of its female physicians.
The physicians pictured above have been working at OSH for between a few months and 16 years. They were drawn to the hospital’s sense of community and believe that achieving the best quality of care for patients is only possible with teamwork. They are dedicated to providing patient-centered psychiatric treatment, promoting recovery and rebuilding community.
When you see a female physician, please remind her she’s appreciated!
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Each week we answer your questions about COVID-19, respiratory viruses and other public health issues important to you. If something is on your mind, don’t hesitate to ask. Just click the button below and submit your question.
While we are unable to answer every question, we try to address questions of interest to a broad audience. Please understand we are unable to provide specific medical advice for personal medical conditions.
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Health notes |
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Gov. Tina Kotek released her proposed budget for the 2023-2025 biennium this week. The governor’s recommended two-year state spending plan proposes new funding to expand housing, address unmet behavioral health needs and protect and extend health coverage.
What does the budget mean for people in Oregon? Some of Governor Kotek’s health budget priorities include:
- New funds to eliminate health disparities and advance health equity.
- $245 million to protect health coverage for 1.4 million people on Oregon Health Plan (OHP, or Medicaid).
- Nearly $130 million to address homelessness, food insecurity and climate change through ground-breaking new benefits for eligible OHP members.
- Major investments giving more people access to mental health and substance use treatment, including $1.2 billion to sustain recent expansions in behavioral health treatment statewide, as well as $100 million in new funding to expand residential treatment for people who need mental health or substance use treatment. The governor’s budget would fund more than 300 new employees at Oregon State Hospital, which provides hospital care to people with severe psychiatric illness.
- Increasing access to reproductive health care statewide.
More than $50 million to strengthen public health in communities across Oregon and prepare for emerging health threats by supporting OHA’s supply of personal protective equipment, vaccines and vaccine kits, tests and testing supplies and other medical equipment for use in response to a major disaster or public health emergency.
If passed, the governor’s proposed budget would increase funding to Oregon Health Authority by 6.5%. The entire budget proposal can be found here, with the OHA breakdown beginning on page 61. Legislators will review and pass a final budget before the end of June.
The first round of reporting shows Measure 110 providers served more than 18,000 people in Oregon between June 1 and Sept. 30, 2022, at a time when most of the statewide Behavioral Health Service Networks (BHRN) were still being established.
An earlier round of Measure 110 funding called “Access to Care” grants disbursed $34.5 million to 70 providers. Those funds helped more than 42,000 people.
“These preliminary reports show that local programs are putting Measure 110 funds to use and giving people who are using drugs access to life-saving treatment, harm reduction, housing and other supports,” said OHA Director James Schroeder.
There are now 42 BHRNs up and running in Oregon, at least one in each county. Each offers a comprehensive array of community-based and culturally specific services including support for housing, employment, harm reduction intervention and substance use treatment for anyone seeking treatment, regardless of their ability to pay.
The next round of quarterly Measure 110 reporting will happen in April.
The U.S.-based seller of a skin cream manufactured in Vietnam has voluntarily recalled the product, which treats eczema in babies. Shop Me Ca of Herndon, Virginia, is recalling its 10-gram tubes of “Diep Bao Cream” because they have the potential to be contaminated with lead. As a result of being treated with this cream, two infants in Oregon were found to have elevated blood lead levels. The recall was initiated after testing by OHA found high levels of lead in samples of the product used on the two infants.
Diep Bao Cream was sold nationwide through Shop Me Ca’s Facebook page and several Vietnamese moms’ Facebook groups.
The FDA, OHA and the company continue to investigate the source of the problem. For more details read the FDA’s announcement.
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OHA answers your questions |
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Dr. Paul Cieslak, OHA senior health advisor and medical director, Communicable Diseases and Immunizations, and Dr. Melissa Sutton, OHA’s medical director of respiratory viral pathogens, answered today’s questions. We’ll continue to answer your questions in upcoming newsletters.
Q: I had my bivalent COVID-19 vaccine (my 5th vaccine) in early September 2022, along with my flu shot. Since these vaccines wear off over time, will I be able to receive another COVID-19 and flu vaccine in 2023? If so, when? I am a senior with health issues. – Joy, Portland
A: “Regarding flu vaccination, just one dose is recommended for adults each season, and older persons and those at higher risk of severe disease should be vaccinated during September or October. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that ‘in adults, studies have not shown a benefit from getting more than one dose of vaccine during the same influenza season, even among elderly persons with weakened immune systems.’ The flu vaccine gets updated every year with a new formula, so come next September you should definitely go out and get it.
“Regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, it sounds like you have received all the shots that are authorized and recommended. The bivalent booster you received in September is one dose only, and you are unable to receive another one until federal health officials authorize it. Currently, we do not expect that to happen within the next few months, but it could. It is likely, however, that next fall, along with a new flu shot, additional COVID-19 vaccinations or boosters will be authorized.”
Q: I find it hard to know how active COVID-19 is in my city (Corvallis) in real time. Is it possible to have a city/county rating system like we do for air quality: Green is good, yellow is low, orange is medium, red is take precautions, and purple is major surge and isolate? If there is a simple way to touch base each day, please let us know how to get to it easily. – John, Corvallis
A: “The CDC maintains a useful online color-coded system called COVID-19 Community Level (updated every Thursday) that you can use to learn COVID-19 levels in your county. The results for Benton County, where you live, show a low (green) level of COVID-19 activity, how that level was calculated (using multiple factors) and the recommended actions for that level. It also shows other COVID-19 data for Benton County, such as vaccination rates, hospitalizations, deaths and transmission rate.
“You can also look at Oregon’s SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Monitoring Dashboard to see recent trends in COVID-19 levels and variants detected in wastewater. The dashboard shows that COVID-19 levels in Corvallis decreased at the end of December and have been flat since that time. The dashboard also shows that the emerging variant XBB has been detected in Corvallis at low levels recently.”
If you have a question about COVID-19 or other public health topics, submit your question here. While we are unable to answer every question, we try to address questions of interest to a broad audience. Please understand we are unable to provide specific medical advice for personal medical conditions.
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