Muriel Jordan: Sexually transmitted infections including chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis at record highs
Prior to COVID-19, sexually transmitted infections including chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were already at a record high for the fifth consecutive year. The ongoing pandemic has limited the availability of testing, treatment and education for STIs which means more STIs are going undetected and untreated during the pandemic.
April is STI Awareness Month. Now more than ever, it s critical to have the facts about STIs to avoid perpetuating STI stigma or shaming people who have STIs, which can make people less likely to get tested.
As the country continues to respond to COVID-19, STI care has taken a back seat. Although people are still having sex during the pandemic, we know that fewer people are getting tested, as some health care providers have deprioritized STI care and reduced or eliminated in-person appointments.
Dr. Robert Bentley is a Portland ophthalmologist with more than 30 years of experience.
As a physician and practicing ophthalmological eye surgeon with more than 33 years of clinical experience, I ll be among the first to tell you how important a different profession, that of optometry, is for overall eye health care. Optometrists perform valuable services, including routine eye exams and prescriptions for eyeglasses and contacts.
But optometrists are not medical doctors; they are not physicians. They do not have years of medical school education and post-med school residency or surgical training. Nor do optometrists have the direct clinical experience that helps ophthalmologists like me manage and avoid difficult, or even life-threatening, patient safety situations.
April 03 2021
More than 5,000 cars per day, served by an army of volunteers, has led to more than 85,000 shots.
It s as if the people who built Disneyland reimagined a M A S H unit.
The choreographed craziness of an average day at the mass vaccination site at Portland International Airport is a staggering amalgam of nearly 500 volunteers per day on 22 square acres of the airport s Red Lot, taking in around 5,200 cars filled with people wanting to receive their first or second shot of the anti-coronavirus vaccine. It s 400 orange traffic cones and massive circus tents and the constant roar of incoming aircraft, not that far overhead. It s the military precision of professionals and volunteers many of whom wear goofy hats or wave pompoms and, as of last Friday, the Herculean effort has put more than 85,000 doses of vaccine into the arms of Oregonians anxious for a glimpse of the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel.
Oregon grant helps veterans complete educational goals April 03 2021
The Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs is still accepting applications for the Veteran Educational Bridge Grant
The Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs is still accepting applications for the Veteran Educational Bridge Grant, a grant program that was implemented last year to help Oregon veterans complete their educational goals.
The Veteran Educational Bridge Grant Program provides financial assistance to veterans who are unable to complete their education or training due to the unavailability of one or more required classes or periods of training.
The program, which the Oregon State Legislature established in 2019 with the passage of House Bill 2201, provides grants to eligible student veterans to alleviate the financial stress during a gap period when required courses are unavailable, allowing them to stay in school or their apprenticeship training and finish their program.
If you re seeking COVID-19 vaccination, things just got a whole lot easier.
All Walmart pharmacies in Oregon will begin scheduling COVID-19 vaccines in partnership with the state, beginning March 10. As appointments become available, they will appear in the Walmart scheduler at walmart.com/COVIDvaccine. While supplies last, vaccines will be available to those who meet the current phase of vaccine eligibility in Oregon, which can be found at govstatus.egov.com/OR-OHA-COVID-19. Ninety percent of the country lives within 10 miles of a Walmart. We re committed to helping people live better and healthier lives in Oregon, and we take that role very seriously, said Dr. Cheryl Pegus, Walmart s executive vice president of Health & Wellness. We want to help the country reopen, but we can only achieve that through widespread COVID-19 vaccination. We re proud to work together with the federal government, states, communities, customers and associates to expand access to the vaccine and