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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Today, we will concentrate on testing, updates on the Governor’s reopening framework and requirements, context for the new data on cases by zip code, and new information on Unemployment. I hope you all have a great weekend and find ways to safely enjoy the sun!
Federal Testing Funds:
Senators Merkley and Wyden have announced that Oregon will receive $9 million in direct dollars for hospitals, health providers and health authorities to expand testing. In our area, OHSU will receive $330,919 and Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Centers will receive $872,479. You can read more details in this press release from Senator Wyden’s Office.
 Testing sites in Washington County:
OHSU
- Hillsboro Stadium – 4450 NE Century Blvd, Hillsboro, OR 97124
- Hours: Monday - Saturday, 12-6 p.m.
- Open and free to general public with symptoms. However, OHSU will charge insurance if a patient has it.
- Onsite testing at businesses: Taking requests on a case by case basis, with priority given to essential businesses. OHSU will charge the business for each test conducted. The cost will vary but is estimated to be at least $100 per test. Email Zac DePaoli.
Walgreens
- Drive-through testing by appointment only and only for individuals who meet eligibility criteria by CDC. Individuals first MUST complete an online health assessment by visiting Walgreens.com/Covid19Testing.
- Appointment scheduling and location available after completing online health assessment.
- Hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., overseen by Walgreens pharmacists.
- Testing will be available at no cost to eligible individuals who meet criteria established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Oregon Health Authority.
- Walgreens pharmacists will oversee the self-administration of Abbott’s new ID NOW COVID-19 test to return test results within 24 hours.
- An active email and phone number is required so you can receive communication and information on your request for COVID-19 testing and be contacted about your test results.
Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Centers
- Hillsboro Stadium – 4450 NE Century Blvd, Hillsboro, OR 97124
- Hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
- For VGMHC clients who are referred from the clinic.
- No onsite screenings at employers.
- Clinic sites are also offering screening and testing on site
- If you do not have a provider and would like Virginia Garcia to be your provider, please call 503-214-1668.
Neighborhood Health Center
- Hillsboro Clinic Location: Wednesday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
- By appointment only for existing NHC patients: 503-941-3094
- Individuals who do not already have a primary care provider are welcome to establish with NHC via the phone or video. During the phone/video visit, you will be screened to determine if you are appropriate to be tested.
Legacy GoHealth
- Hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Weekends 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
- COVID-19 testing requirements follow CDC guidelines and require a virtual visit to be approved.
- Virtual Visits have zero cost to patients under Medicare, Medicaid, Aetna, CareOregon, MODA, PacificSource, Regence and UnitedHealthcare during the public health emergency.
- Virtual visits cost $49 without insurance plus $200 for the cost of the test if referred.
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More information here.
Providence
- Tanasbourne - 10670 NE Cornell Rd, Hillsboro, OR 97124
- Bridgeport - 18040 SW Lower Boones Ferry Rd, Tigard, OR 97224
- Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Bridgeport also open on Sunday 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Decisions about weekend hours are made each Wednesday
- For referred Providence patients and first responders with Covid-19 symptoms
- Testing for active COVID-19 only in their own lab
- No onsite testing currently available at employers
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https://testing.providence.org/
American Family Care
- 14278 SW Allen Blvd., Beaverton
- Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Weekends, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Patients must be screened by a provider, but anyone is eligible for testing
- Self-pay pricing is $149 for office visit or $49 for telemedicine. The lab cost for COVID test is $51.
- Telemedicine screening and directed to the facility for drive-up testing or in-person visits with collection onsite.
- Potential patients can call the main line at 503-305-6262, option 4 or schedule a visit at https://afcurgentcareportland.com/telemedicine.
Oregon Occupational Medicine (OOM)
- No testing for active COVID-19. Antibody testing ONLY provided by Quest Labs.
- Patients must have been symptom-free for at least 14 days to be admitted into the clinic and receive the test.
- Per the CARES Act, there should not be a charge for the lab test itself. However, Oregon Occupational Medicine will charge their standard lab draw and specimen handling fees, $40 total. Patients do need to provide a copy of their Personal Health Insurance (PHI) for Quest to bill. By rule, Quest is not supposed to balance bill the patient for any co-pays or deductibles.
- Clinic locations and hours:
- Tualatin Clinic 19365 SW 65th Ave. Ste 100, Tualatin OR 97062. 503-563-5382
- Hillsboro Clinic 1200 NE 48th Ave. Ste 1000, Hillsboro OR 97124. 971-470-3275.
- An individual can walk in, but for groups of two or more, call to schedule an appointment.
- Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Also offering onsite testing at your company. For 20 or fewer employees, fees include $200 minimum fee, $60 per hour, and $40 per test. For 20-50 employees, fees include $60 per hour and $30 per test. For businesses with more than 50 employees, OOM will need to schedule multiple days. Email OOM.
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National Numbers: At the time of writing this, the CDC had not updated their case data, you can check this site to view their most recent data.
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Oregon Status Report: Oregon now has 3,068 total cases of COVID-19. Today we have 75 new confirmed cases and 5 new presumptive cases. Tragically we have had three new deaths reported today, meaning 124 Oregonians have died from COVID-19. Washington County still has one of the highest case counts at 556 confirmed cases. You can read more details about today's numbers here (note this directs you to a PDF of Oregon’s case counts and other data as of 5/8/2020). You can review on-going updates from OHA by clicking on the table below.
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Hospital Capacity: Thanks to the hard work of Oregon’s public health and medical community, and because of the physical distancing of all Oregonians, we have been able to maintain adequate hospital capacity. You can read more about our current hospital capacity in the table below or by using the links above.
 Governor Kate Brown released new guidance for Phase One of the plan for Reopening Oregon. See links to details below. It is important to remember that currently all counties remain under the Stay Home, Save Lives Executive Order 20-12. The Governor's office will begin accepting applications from counties today with their plans for reopening under the Governor's guidelines, the earliest possible date for entering Phase 1 is May 15th.. Watch the full press conference here.
 Documents and Guidance
Phase One Reopening Guidance for:
 Table explaing some details of Phase 1, click on the previous slide to view full PDF of slideshow
On Wednesday, I linked to the Oregon Health Authority’s weekly summary coronavirus report (found here) and noted that it included new data to identify COVID-19 cases by zip code throughout the state. Many of you have been asking me for data like this, and it is always good to have more information, but we need to understand the context of that data to be able to interpret it correctly.
The zip code data does not tell us anything about the relative safety of one area vs another. High numbers in one zip code does not mean that it is the site of an outbreak, nor do low numbers in an area mean those residents are in the clear. Zip codes are completely arbitrary geographic distinctions, and viruses do not respect the borders between cities, counties, neighborhoods or zip codes.
If you live in a zip code with zero confirmed cases, this does not indicate you are at less risk for exposure. While testing capacity has ramped up over the last few weeks, we are still not where we need to be. Zero confirmed cases is not the same as zero cases of infection.
Additionally, we must not make biased assumptions about zip codes with more confirmed cases. Many members of our community are still needing to go to work everyday, putting themselves and their families at risk to keep our communities safe, fed, clean and cared for. Not every member of our community is able to stay home and prevent transmission, but we all are doing what we can to protect our communities.
While this data can paint part of a picture, it’s far from the whole thing. As a reminder, the zip code data includes confirmed cases in long-term care facilities, which have been hit particularly hard by this virus. Those cases may make up a disproportionate number of cases in a given zip code.
As we continue to move forward, I will do what I can to ensure that employers are taking care of their employees by providing adequate access to personal protective equipment and taking other public health measures to keep workers safe.
 Video on how to apply for PUA benefits
- I think I am eligible for benefits under the CARES Act, what should I do?
- If you are self employed, an independent contractor, gig worker, or another worker who is not traditionally eligible for unemployment, fill out the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) application and weekly certification posted here. The initial and weekly forms are PDFs that can be sent in by fax, email or mail. Note-you will not receive an automatic confirmation that your filing has been received, but OED will work to get to your claim as soon as possible. Please do not continue to call and email if you do not receive a response, unless you have received a bounce back or have another indication that there is a problem with your claim.
- If I am eligible (or may be eligible) for PUA but I have already filed an application for traditional unemployment, what should I do?
- Use this form to have your claim switched over. Once you have filed this form, stop filing the weekly claims in the traditional system, and start filing the weekly certifications for PUA here.
- If I need to switch over to PUA, are my previous weekly claims invalid?
- No. Your previous weeks filed are not invalid. Once OED receives the initial PUA claim, they will find your “non-valid” claim from the regular unemployment benefits online claim system, and move those over into your PUA claim, and also add the extra information we need from the PUA application to process your claim.
- What is a CID? Where do I find it?
- The CID is your Claimant Identification number. The claimant’s CID can be found on any mail that the Employment Department has sent you. If you have not received any mail from OED, then you should put in your Social Security Number instead for weekly filings. Do not use your SSN in emails to the department, if you do not have a CID, use your full name, your phone number and any other details you can provide about your claim and questions.
- What if I received a denial or need to appeal a decision from the department?
- Use this email to contact the department about appeals and hearings. Please do not use it unless you have gotten an official notice from the department that your claim has been denied or an official notice that needs an appeal. OED_UI_HEARINGSREQ@oregon.gov
- Where are we with the claims?
- The amazing and dedicated team at the Employment Department have processed over 314,627 initial claims since March 16th. We still have a long queue of initial claims to process, about 60,000 initial claims. And there is still work to be done to get PUA benefits processed and the benefits extension program up and running. We are not resting or taking pause, other claims are needing additional attention because the claimant has a history with unemployment insurance benefits or we are needing to take extra steps to verify identity and we are focused on those.
- What happened with the dedicated email box?
- This inbox unfortunately got backed up quickly but staff is working to address that. Please do not continue to email or call if you haven’t received a response, as this just makes the response time slower for you and others.
- What if I get called back to work?
- If you get called back to work, you may still be eligible for benefits under a few different circumstances.
- If you are called back but can’t return to work for one of the reason, you may still be eligible for UI:
- Ill with COVID-19
- Potentially exposed to COVID-19 and subjected to a mandatory quarantine period
- Staying home to care for a family member, or other person they live with or who they provide care for, who is suffering from COVID-19 or subject to mandatory quarantine
- Unable to work because they have to stay home to care for a child due to the closure of schools, child care providers, or similar facilities due to COVID-19
- Asked to work when it would require them to act in violation of a mandatory quarantine or government directive
- Unable to work because they have been advised by their health care provider or by advice issued by public health officials to self-quarantine due to possible risk of exposure to or spread of COVID-19
- Even if you do return to work you may still be eligible for some benefits:
- If someone is either working full-time or earns more than their regular weekly benefit amount (the extra $600 does not factor into this computation), they are not eligible for any benefits for that week. If they work less than full time and earn less than their weekly benefit amount, they can generally receive at least some benefits that week. They can earn up to either $125 per week (ten times the highest minimum wage in Oregon) or 1/3 of their regular weekly benefit amount, whichever is higher, without any reduction in their benefits. Any amount earned over that threshold reduces their weekly benefits dollar for dollar. For any week between March 29 and July 25, 2020, if they receive any benefits at all in a week, they also receive the additional $600.
- My benefits are about to expire/have expired, what do I do?
- The CARES Act included funding to extend UI benefits for those who have maxed out their benefits. Unfortunately, it has taken a few weeks to get that new program running. Now that two other CARES Act benefits have begun (the extra $600 benefit and PUA) the department is devoting more staff and resources to getting the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) 13-week extension off the ground, they hope to have the program running in a couple weeks. You can read more and sign up for email updates here.
- I am filing my weekly claims, but keep getting an error message and I haven’t gotten a check
- The system won’t recognize the weekly claims until the initial one is processed, thus the confusing messaging; the system is just needing to catch up. It is important for us to verify claims and to make sure people are getting the correct benefits. It is also important to note that we are backdating claims when appropriate. This means people won’t lose out on past benefits as we are catching up. Claims, including the $600 will catch up.
Employers and Employees
- Unemployment options http://www.oregon.gov/employ, including the Work Share program at oregonworkshare.com
- See FAQs, and subscribe to updates at https://govstatus.egov.com/ORUnemployment_COVID19
- File a Claim online at https://secure.emp.state.or.us/ocs4/index.cfm?u=F20200324A152211B60880938.0174&lang=E
- Independent Contractor, Gig Worker, & Self Employed Workers can use the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Application at https://govstatus.egov.com/ui-benefits/CARES
- Email the department with questions: OED_COVID19_Info@oregon.gov, you should hear back within about a week, please do not email multiple times with the same question, and please include as much information as possible in your first email. Sending multiple emails asking about the status of your claim will only cause further backlog, and make it harder for OED staff to respond to you and others.
- If you have received a claim denial, or need to appeal an Employment Department decision, use this email: OED_UI_HEARINGSREQ@oregon.gov
- With the extreme increase in people seeking unemployment, the phone lines are busy and it has been difficult to get through. Please preserve phone line capacity by using the email and online tools whenever possible, many of our neighbors do not have internet access but have not been able to get through on the phone due to bottlenecks. You will not lose your place in line by filing online or using email instead of the phone.
- The Oregon Labor and Industries Technical Assistance for Employers page at https://www.oregon.gov/BOLI/TA/pages/index.aspx has information about employer obligations and responsibilities.
- Business Oregon has a robust list of financial resources including non-bank lenders at https://www.oregon4biz.com/Coronavirus-Information/
- The US Small Business Administration offers disaster assistance in the form of SBA loans to designated states. Information about these loans is available at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/Information/Index
- The latest COVID-19/Coronavirus information on resources for workers and business owners is available at https://www.oregon.gov/gov/Pages/coronavirus2020.aspx
- Oregon Secretary of State’s business resources can be found at www.oregon.gov/smallbusiness or you can email questions to business.sos@oregon.gov.
Education Links
Local Government
Utilities Assistance
Food and Housing Assistance
Thank you to all of the students who participated in the this year's Student Speak, on COVID-19 and Hillsboro Schools. It was great to hear from students, school board members and Superintendant Mike Scott about our community's response to COVID-19 and how we can support students.
We have to find time to be outside safely to stay sane! I hope you all can enjoy this gorgeous weather while maintaing physical distance, and wearing masks in public!
Yours truly,
 Representative Susan McLain
House District 29
email: Rep.SusanMcLain@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1429
address: 900 Court St NE, H-376, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mclain
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