Friends and Neighbors,

This weekend, I celebrated with my family at home and virtually. To those who celebrate, I wish you a healthy Passover. May this celebration of freedom and perseverance bring hope and a shared commitment to liberation for ourselves and our communities. 

COVID Vaccine Updates

I want to highlight the dedication of our local public health employees, health care workers and other vaccinators around Oregon. Last week, Oregon hit a fantastic milestone: one million people vaccinated. I am thankful for their work caring for our communities. 

Good News! Today, Group 6 is now eligible to get their vaccine: 

• Adults 45–64 with one or more underlying health conditions with increased risk (as defined by the CDC) 

• Migrant and seasonal farm workers

• Seafood and agricultural workers

• Food processing workers

• People living in low-income senior housing, senior congregate and independent living

• Individuals experiencing houselessness (sheltered and unsheltered)

• People currently displaced by wildfires

• Wildland firefighters

• Pregnant people 16 and older

 The Get Vaccinated Oregon (GVO) tool is now updated with questions about the new eligibility groups, so if you haven’t received your vaccine yet, go to getvaccinated.oregon.gov to update your information (the GVO tool reflects statewide eligibility only, and doesn’t take into account the counties that have been approved to move ahead of the statewide timeline).
 

As Oregon continues its vaccine rollout, the risk to spread the coronavirus remains high. Please continue taking the protective measures to help protect yourself, your families, coworkers, loved ones, friends and community members.

American Rescue Plan

The recently-signed federal stimulus package, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), will help us protect current essential programs and services and allow us to make new investments to help our most vulnerable Oregonians recover from the pandemic, recession, and devastating wildfires. These federal resources give us a lifeline to craft a two-year budget plan for setting Oregon on a path to an equitable recovery.

Health Insurance Marketplace Open until May 15

If you don’t qualify for the Oregon Health Plan and don’t get health insurance through your job, now through Saturday, May 15 is an important time. It’s the only time of year most people can sign up for an individual or family plan to have coverage in 2021.

Use the Marketplace’s new window shopping feature at OregonHealthCare.gov/WindowShop to find out:

• How to save money on health insurance
• What your health plan would cover
• Once you pick a plan, what’s next?

More than 70 percent of Oregonians enrolled through the Marketplace last year qualified for a subsidy. An insurance expert can help you, at no cost, apply for the subsidy and enroll in coverage. They are listed at OregonHealthCare.gov/GetHelp.

For more information, visit OregonHealthCare.gov or call 855-268-3767 (toll-free)
 

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Policy Highlight: Prescription Drug Affordability Board

When pharmaceutical companies take out full page ads against your bills, you know you’re challenging their profit margins. But prescription drug prices are a matter of life and death and they are only valuable if people can afford to take them. Fighting for policies like SB 844 is why I decided to become a legislator -- to shape policy that would increase access to healthcare and to help people. 

In the transition from clinical practice to policy maker, I attended a conference hosted by the National Academy for State Health Policy, a nonpartisan forum of policymakers working with state governments, to research and implement innovative solutions to health policy challenges. At this conference, I learned about a solution to put a check on the skyrocketing price of medications through a Prescription Drug Affordability Board.

The policy creates a comprehensive board of medical professionals, community leaders, and advocates to review unreasonable drug increases, and determine which drugs pose an affordability challenge to systems and patients. When this board determines a drug is being overpriced, they can set payment limits for those drugs. 

This sounds like good policy because it is good policy, aimed at helping get medication into the hands of people who need it. 

It’s time to support our most vulnerable Oregonians, break free of pharmaceutical fear mongering, and fix the system for people by passing SB 844. To join the fight for affordable medication go here.

Open Office Hours

Every Wednesday from 1pm-2pm for the rest of the legislative session, I’ll be hosting virtual office hours. This is an opportunity for constituents to connect with me about their priorities for the session. Please join me and my staff and share which policies matter most to you! Use this Zoom link to enter the office: link.
 

Stop AAPI Hate

Recently we were painfully reminded of the hate that has been increasingly directed at our Asian and Asian American neighbors during the pandemic. I was heartened to read about the peaceful rallies that took place this week across the country supporting these communities, including here in Oregon.

Please take a moment to listen to an OPB interview with my colleague Representative Khanh Pham. She speaks about the tragedy in Atlanta, and shares some ideas about how we in Oregon can better support our AAPI communities. 

https://www.opb.org/article/2021/03/18/oregons-lone-asian-american-legislator-saddened-but-not-surprised-by-atlanta-shootings/?fbclid=IwAR3BURyDbzlS_sygfMkJxED7c6A6L8eJMZhokZait7SktKcyjT2TdUDwnqA

If you are a member of the Asian American or Pacific Islander community who has experienced harassment or threats, please consider reporting your experience through Stop AAPI Hate. https://stopaapihate.typeform.com/to/zhMP3fUx

District Spotlight

Share your input on the Oregon City-West Linn Pedestrian-Bicycle Concept Plan! ODOT is hosting an online open house March 29 - April 13, and a virtual public meeting on Tuesday, April 6 at 6:00pm. These are great opportunities to learn more about the project and provide input on walking, biking, and rolling in our community and the potential bridge alignments. Information on these public input opportunities and the project available here >> https://bit.ly/3cnXS1G

Constituent Highlight

HD 37 constituent and retired nurse,  Teri Mills became lead in Washington County Medical Reserve Corps and has been vaccinating people throughout the district.  Thanks Teri!