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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
It’s been wonderful to learn about neighbors helping neighbors during this crisis, especially our older neighbors who are staying at home to protect themselves. This is an isolating time for all of us, but it can be particularly hard for folks who already felt alone before the pandemic began.
My colleague, Rep. Susan McLain (Hillsboro/Cornelius/Forest Grove), has been doing a great job keeping her constituents informed with her regular newsletters. The information below is from one of her newsletters this week:
Senior isolation, depression and anxiety is very real and heightened in times of crisis. If you have an older family member or an older neighbor, please check in on them. And here are some additional resources for our seniors:
Oregon Senior Peer Outreach Line: 1-833-736-4676
Weekly phone-based support and connection with Community Support Solutions. This free service is available to older adults (55+) experiencing loneliness and isolation. Participants are matched with a trained Peer Support Specialist and receive scheduled weekly phone calls. Se habla espanol.
Oregon Senior Loneliness Line: 503-200-1633
Volunteer warm line available 24/7 with Lines for Life. Trained volunteers offer support and connection at any time for older adults experiencing loneliness and isolation. Available in multiple languages.
Suicide risk increases with age. Older adults with depression visit the doctor and emergency room more often, incur higher outpatient charges, and stay longer in the hospital. Depression is treatable.
Are you lonely? Take this quiz to find out if you or someone you know may be feeling lonely or isolated, Connect2Affect Quiz
- Update on Unemployment: Governor Brown said today she would waive the one-week waiting period for Oregonians filing for unemployment insurance. The change will apply retroactively, so workers who have already filed for benefits will receive payments that have been delayed. We are still awaiting information on the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) application process for workers newly eligible for unemployment insurance (self-employed, independent contractors, etc.). When available, those benefits will be retroactive to February 2.
- The federal government issued guidelines for reopening state economies, leaving those decisions to governors in all 50 states on a case-by-case basis. There are no specific dates outlined in these guidelines and they note this will be a gradual process. Governor Brown issued her initial framework for reopening Oregon’s economy on Tuesday, which I covered here in a previous newsletter. You can go here to read the Governor’s statement today on the federal guidelines.
- The Oregon Department of Education published guidance for high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors finishing the academic year through at-home learning. The department has already issued guidance for high school seniors, which can be found here. Like for seniors, letter grades are eliminated for the remainder of the year. The guidelines focus on the mental, social and emotional needs of high school students. Oregon Public Broadcasting has more details here.
- Governor Brown issued an executive order to ensure that local governments allow for public participation in meetings while following the Stay Home, Save Lives directive and social distancing. The order also authorizes ways for cities, counties, school districts and other special districts to complete their budgeting processes on time so they can continue to provide essential government services.
- Multnomah County and Portland Fire & Rescue have teamed up to create a medicine delivery program for Portland residents. The program is specifically designed to help people who need life-sustaining medications and are especially vulnerable to the virus, older or disabled. More information on the program is available here.
- The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) announced 73 more diagnosed cases of coronavirus throughout the state, bringing the statewide total to 1,736. Sadly, six more individuals have passed away, and 64 people have died in Oregon from the coronavirus. Please note that even though these data totals are higher than usual, these data points have trended downward over time and that is how public health officials measure how we are doing in slowing the spread of the virus. Overall, signs still show that the Stay Home, Save Lives directive is working. OHA has also said they are working to improve the racial and ethnic data in these daily reports, as well as continuing outreach to the Latinx community since data shows they have been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus in Oregon.
News outlets are reporting that the $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program, which the federal government created as part of the CARES Act, has run out of money because so many small businesses (defined as employers with fewer than 500 U.S.-based employees) have applied for and been approved for this help. Initial data shows that Oregon businesses received 9,508 loans worth $2.43 billion, or roughly one percent of program funds.
I know there were a number of hiccups for small business owners getting access to the program. While I’m glad many Oregon employers were eventually able to receive funds from the program, it is clear the need is extraordinarily immense since the application window only opened on April 3. Negotiations for getting more money into this important relief program are underway in Congress.
To read past newsletters, you can go to this link. For up to date information, please check this link to the Oregon Health Authority where regular updates are posted: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ERD/Pages/News-Releases.aspx
Please email me at Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov if you have specific concerns that have not been addressed by the OHA. Our office will do all we can to help and protect all Oregonians.
Thank you for reading! We will get through this together.
Best,
Tina Kotek
State Representative
House District 44
Speaker of the House
email: Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1200
address: 900 Court St NE, H-269, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/kotek
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