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In this issue:
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Click image to see full (printable) illustrated guide to Oregon Psilocybin Services. The comic is part of a work-in-progress graphic novel about the neuroscience of psychedelics, created by Dr. Luca Mazzucato, assistant professor at the Univ. or Oregon's Department of Biology and Mathematics and member of the Institute of Neuroscience, and non-fiction cartoonist Audra McNamee.
Join one of the upcoming public listening sessions to share comments, ideas, questions and concerns about the implementation of Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS).
For your convenience, we’re offering three options:
- Tuesday, July 18; 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Join using this Zoom link)
- Wednesday, July 19; noon to 2 p.m. (Join using this Zoom link)
- Thursday, July 20; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Join using this Zoom link)
Everyone is invited to participate in these open forums, hosted by OPS staff. Real-time captioning (CART), and simultaneous interpretation in Spanish and American Sign Language (ASL) will be provided. If you have questions about accommodations or need assistance to participate, please call 971-673-0322, 711 TTY, or send us an email, at least 48 hours in advance. Submitting your request as early as possible is greatly appreciated.
Afterwards we will create a summary document that addresses the questions and topics that came up during the sessions, and we’ll post it to our Public Listening Sessions page.
If you have questions you’d like answered outside of the listening sessions, you can always reach the OPS team by emailing OHA.Psilocybin@odhsoha.oregon.gov or calling 971-673-0322.
For more on the creators of the comic, check out the websites for the Mazzucato Lab at University of Oregon and artist Audra McNamee.
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Kids across Oregon are behind on their routine vaccinations, so it’s particularly important to get them back on track before school starts. It’s an important step in keeping our children, schools and communities healthy.
Specifically, kindergarten vaccination rates in Oregon are at their lowest point in a decade, reflecting a steady downward trend across the nation, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Check out OHA’s new interactive School Immunization webpage, updated monthly, for the latest data.)
Every child who attends public and private schools, preschools, child care facilities, and Head Start programs in Oregon must be up to date on required vaccinations. COVID-19 and flu vaccinations are not required in these settings but are highly recommended for people of all ages.
“As we look forward to the upcoming school year, minimize the chances that you’ll be staying home with a sick kid,” said Paul Cieslak, medical director at OHA’s Communicable Diseases and Immunizations program. “Make sure your school-aged children have all their recommended and required vaccines.”
One of Oregon’s required vaccines for elementary school children is DTaP, which covers diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. Cases of pertussis (whooping cough) are on the rise in Oregon, and you can track that and other infectious diseases in Oregon on our interactive Monthly Communicable Disease Surveillance Report.
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Health notes |
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Join next week’s free webinar “Depression Related to Long COVID,” co-sponsored by OHA and Oregon Association of Black Social Workers (OABSW).
- WHEN: Tuesday, July 18, noon to 1 p.m.
- WHO: Muthoni Ehmann, PA-C, equity clinician at OHA’s Public Health Division
- HOW: Join using this Zoom link.
Everyone is invited to attend, and discussion will focus on historically marginalized communities. Topics will include how COVID-19 impacts depression, how to spot early warning signs, when and where to seek help and how to build resilience. The hour will include an opportunity for questions. To submit questions in advance, or for other questions, email info@oregonABSW.org.
Two new OHA dashboards, the Oregon Injury Prevention Dashboard and the Oregon Overdose Prevention Dashboard, track trends in deaths and hospital visits for a range of injuries and overdoses. Data is updated monthly and can be viewed at state and county levels, as well as demographically.
“The injury dashboard will help people understand when and why violence, unintended injuries and deaths occur,” said Dr. Tom Jeanne, deputy health officer and epidemiologist at OHA’s Public Health Division. “And the overdose dashboard will help people understand overdose events, deaths and the substances involved in these events.”
Read more about these two data resources here.
Additionally, the new Hospital Healthcare-Associated Infections Data Dashboard tracks infections acquired while receiving medical care at 61 hospitals across Oregon. The data show a significant increase in health care-associated infections (HAIs) during 2021, which aligns with national trends, suggesting the COVID-19 pandemic slowed implementation of standard infection prevention and control practices. The HAI dashboard is updated annually, and you can read more about it here.
State health officials have launched a comprehensive study that will analyze residential mental health and substance use treatment capacity throughout Oregon, identify gaps and guide investments. Those investments include approximately $164 million state lawmakers recently allocated to expand treatment for mental health and substance use conditions.
The study will inform the state’s five-year plan to expand behavioral health treatment and build a more accessible, effective and equitable system of care.
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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 program, and Sean McAnulty, OHP Member Communications coordinator, answered today’s questions.
Q: What makes TB (tuberculosis) so serious that medication has to be monitored? Isn’t it less deadly than the flu? – Debbie, Beaverton
A: “Tuberculosis, or TB, is quite serious, though it kills people more slowly than does the flu. Its treatment typically requires several months of two to four antibiotics. Incomplete treatment can lead to resistance to these antibiotics that makes subsequent treatment – and treatment of anyone to whom the resistant bacteria are transmitted – quite difficult, necessitating a regimen of more toxic and less-effective antibiotics. For this reason, public health officials typically want to ensure that every dose is taken as prescribed. I hope that answers your question, and you can learn more about TB here.”
Q: I am a senior, and as an Oregon Health Plan (OHP) member am I eligible to get fitness club membership for free? -- Prabhakar, Portland
A: “The short answer is maybe. The first thing you should do is call your Coordinated Care Organization (CCO), whose number is on your insurance card, and ask them what your physical fitness benefits are. If you also have a Medicare Advantage plan, call them and ask, too (which is likely the same as your CCO). If you’ve got your eye on a specific fitness club or gym, ask the manager if they have any discount programs they work with.
“Since you live in Portland, you might also call Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) at 503-823-2525 and ask about their Access Pass program, which offers income-based discounts up to 90% on admission fees at the five PP&R community centers - Charles Jordan, East Portland, Matt Dishman, Mt. Scott, and Southwest – each with a robust menu of fitness activities and classes.
“In general, anyone in Oregon ages 65+ interested in physical fitness benefits should ask their insurance provider if they offer any of the following programs: Silver & Fit, Active & Fit, Silver Sneakers, One Pass or Renew Active. In Portland, those programs will cover admission costs at those five PP&R community centers, and other local governments (ie: Bend) may offer similar deals. Those programs may also have agreements with private gyms to offer discounts.”
If you have questions about health topics in Oregon, submit your question here. While we are unable to answer every question, we try to address questions that may be of interest to a broader audience. Please understand we are unable to provide specific medical advice for personal medical conditions.
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If you need mental health support for any reason, help is out there.
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