This week, legislators took additional steps to assist vulnerable Oregonians whose lives have been turned upside down over the last few months. The legislative Emergency Board approved more than $200 million in federal Coronavirus Relief Fund dollars to provide further economic support for Oregonians and small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Here is a look at what funding was approved:

• $25.6 million in emergency assistance for small businesses facing financial shortfalls due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This supports businesses with no more than 25 employees that have not received support under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or other provisions of the federal CARES Act.

• $50 million to support music, culture, and community venues and organizations that have been closed, cancelled or postponed due to the pandemic.

• $62 million to the Oregon Cares Fund for Black Relief and Resiliency to provide economic relief to Black individuals and businesses. National and state data show that the Black community is one of the communities experiencing a disproportionate share of negative economic and health effects due to COVID-19.

• $30 million to the COVID-19 Leave Fund for workers who contract or have been exposed to the virus but do not qualify for paid sick leave.

•  $3.58 million in general funds for emergency water infrastructure to the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs as the tribe faces an ongoing water crisis.

• $35 million to fund $500 Emergency Relief Checks to Oregonians who are still waiting for unemployment benefits.

You can watch the meeting here and read coverage of it here and here.

This funding will bring much-needed help to those who are facing the  impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, including Black Oregonians, frontline workers, struggling small businesses, and laid off workers who’ve been waiting months for unemployment to come through. I'm aware these actons won’t go nearly far enough. We need additional support from the federal government. Congress must act to pass urgently needed relief funds so we can weather this storm together.

Face Coverings 

COVID-19 affects everyone. Right now in Oregon, we are seeing an exponential growth in cases. Businesses worry they will have to close again. Our frontline workers worry about having enough PPE. Families worry about sending their kids to school and teachers worry, too. We're all in this together. This is not a political issue. PLEASE, I strongly urge you to wear a face covering and have a conversation with your friends and neighbors about the importance of this action. We must practice proper physical distancing. The work we do now will help determine the future of reopening our state. 

Starting today, Oregon’s face covering requirement will expand to apply to outdoor public spaces when six feet of distance cannot be maintained.  In addition, indoor social gatherings of more than 10 will be prohibited.

The 10 person gathering limit only applies to indoor social get-togethers. This new rule does not affect the current guidelines for operations of businesses or churches.

Unemployment

Every day I hear from constituents who haven’t received unemployment insurance benefits, communication, or any clarity from the Oregon Employment Department (OED) about the status of their claim or when they can expect to receive their checks. Our community is hurting and I am angry and frustrated that we have not adequately served the people of Oregon at their time of greatest need. New leadership promised to make changes to more quickly process the backlog of claims but that is not happening fast enough. Oregonians cannot afford to continue to wait for unemployment checks they have every right to expect in a timely manner. I have consistently shared this frustration with OED, the Governor’s office, and our federal delegation. That said, please continue to contact my office if you, or someone you know, are experiencing delays or need further assistance with your claim. 

Remove The Stigma 

The Mental Health of Our Communities

We’re all feeling lonely and isolated these days. I miss seeing my patients and holding their hands. I miss laughing with and hugging my friends. Families miss seeing their loved ones. People miss their co-workers. Kids miss their playmates. Sports fans miss games. Faithful miss services. We humans are social beings by nature. We talk, debate, dance, sing, and just plain hang out. These times are hard for all of us. We need to balance safety with our emotional health. PLEASE, Check in with each other. Reach out to your community and remember there are resources available. Here are a few: 

National Suicide Prevention Hotline | 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Crisis Text Line | Text HOME to 741741

Oregon Youthline | Call 877-968-8491 or text teen2teen to 839863 between 4pm - 10pm to text with another teen.

National Youth Crisis Hotline | 1-800-442-HOPE (4673)

Oregon Partnership 24 Hour Youth Helpline | 1-877-553-TEEN (8336)

NAMI Oregon | 503-230-8009 or 800-343-6264, email [email protected] - Live support from 9am - 5pm, M-F.

The Trevor Project | 1-866-488-7386 - 24/7 suicide prevention for LGBTQ.

Senior Loneliness Line | 503-200-1633 or 800-282-7035 - For Oregonians 55+ years old. Get ongoing support, resources, and listening sessions.

Veteran Crisis Line | 1-800-273-8255 - Call, chat, or text options, with deaf and hard of hearing support available.

• National Numbers: 
  • Confirmed Cases: 3,355,457 (up 58,858 from yesterday)
  • Deaths: 135,235 (up 351 from yesterday)
  • These national numbers come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  You can view their national and state by state data here. 
• Oregon Numbers:  
  • Oregon now has 12,151 total cases (confirmed and presumptive) of COVID-19.  Today we have 380 new confirmed and presumptive cases.  
  • 244 Oregonians have died from COVID-19, including 7 new deaths yesterday. 
• Monitor Covid 19 in Oregon:
  • The Oregon Health Authority recently provided a Public Health Indicators Dashboard to enable communities across Oregon to monitor COVID-19 in the state.The dashboard, which will be updated weekly on Thursdays, provides a transparent report that presents complex epidemiological data in an interactive, easy-to-understand way on a state and county level. 

Oregon Caregiver Publications 

Please email me if you have specific concerns. Our office will do all we can to help and protect all Oregonians.

To subscribe or read past newsletters: 

For up-to-date Covid 19 information from the Oregon Health Authority, please check this link 

Governor Brown’s COVID-19 Resource page. 

And if want to follow Up-to-date Statistics from the Oregon Health Authority for case counts, testing counts, breakdowns by geography, demographic, and hospitalization information go here. 

Thank you for reading! We will get through this together.       

Rachel Prusak