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Friends and Neighbors,

Today, I want to reflect on this pandemic, which has devastated our communities and our families. Over half a million Americans have died; over half a million families will not get their loved ones back.

We have seen the glaring disparities in how our system has responded. Black, Indigenous, and communities of color face substantially higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and death. In contrast, vaccination rates in these communities remain low.

I’ve heard some ignore these realities, co-opting the language of freedom, and calling to hastily reopen the state, putting all Oregonians at risk. We must continue to protect those who have not yet been vaccinated. I’ve watched COVID kill my patients, and I live with the trauma of those deaths. Every health care worker lives with that trauma. We must continue to protect those who have not yet been vaccinated.

The CDC’s new guidelines state, if you are vaccinated, you may go maskless indoors depending on the businesses’ or organizations’ rules. This change is hopeful: this means the vaccine protects you from infection and from spreading all current variants of the virus. It keeps you safe, and it keeps everyone around you safe.

This means we can look forward to concerts, sports, county fairs, rodeos and festivals; all the events and gatherings that make Oregon summertime special. But to protect unvaccinated families and communities, we must have confidence in maskless people being vaccinated.

In the COVID-19 subcommittee yesterday, I listened to employers and employees share how Oregon’s approach to the new CDC guideline is wreaking havoc: verifying a hodgepodge of vaccination documents without the support of verification tools puts businesses and workers at risk of confused and angry customers.

We must support employers and employees with verification tools as we enter the next phase of this pandemic. We must also incentivize more Oregonians to get vaccinated.

On the House floor today, I called on my colleagues to support our businesses and workers as we take on the next challenge of this pandemic. I also asked that we be creative and collaborative to find solutions to get people vaccinated. A few examples I have read about include:

* In West Virginia, vaccinated state residents between 16 and 35 will receive a state savings bond.
* Memphis began a sweepstakes ([link removed]) for a free car to vaccinated residents.
* Ohio is offering $1 million a week to the vaccinated winner of a raffle. A raffle for vaccinated Ohioans under 18 will award five individuals with four years of tuition to an Ohio public university.
* Maryland is giving $100 payments to state employees who elect to get a coronavirus vaccine.
* Residents of the Detroit area are eligible for a $50 prepaid card through the Good Neighbor program ([link removed]) when they help get a neighbor vaccinated by scheduling and driving them to their first appointment.
* Chicago residents who are vaccinated will soon be eligible to attend the Protect Chicago Music Series ([link removed]) , a monthly series of free concerts and music events available to those who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Our choice now is for us to come together and support vaccinations, straightforward verification tools and incentives, or put our economy at risk and our essential workers at risk. We've been through so much. Oregonians have held it together so well through this challenging time. Let’s not crash and burn on reentry.

Vaccine Verification & HIPAA

I have received questions and concerns about whether asking for vaccine verification is a violation of HIPAA. It is not. HIPAA is a federal law that protects sensitive patient health information from being disclosed by healthcare providers, health plans, and businesses associated with those, without the patient’s consent or knowledge. Other businesses can legally ask for proof of vaccination because HIPAA does not protect information a patient shares about themselves, and it doesn’t prohibit a business from asking. Proof of vaccination has historically and legally been required in other instances such as school, travel, and employment.

New Reopening Metrics


Last week, the Governor and OHA announced drastic changes to the metrics used to determine the reopening of our economy, tying the regulations to vaccination rates instead of COVID case rates.

Once 70% of Oregonians age 16 and older get at least a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Oregon will lift the restrictions based on county risk levels. Some mask and physical distancing may remain in place, based on CDC guidance. Based on current trends, Oregon is on track to vaccinate 70% of adults by mid to late June.

Starting on May 21st, metrics for individual counties will change too. If 65% of a county’s 16 and older population has had their first dose, they can submit a plan for how they’ll close the vaccine equity gap and be able to move into the Lower Risk Level. County eligibility for Lower Risk based on vaccination rates will be assessed weekly.

Five counties have already reached this metric and submitted their vaccine equity plan, including Washington County. You can read Washington County’s equity plan here ([link removed]) .

According to OHA’s vaccine progress dashboard, Clackamas County has reached 58% of their eligible population, so they will be remaining in a High Risk category, and reassessed in a week. You can track the state and each county’s vaccination progress here ([link removed]) .
[link removed]

Vaccines at the Oregon Convention Center

The All4Oregon COVID-19 Vaccination Site at the Convention Center will be giving first dose vaccinations until May 27 and continuing with second doses until June 19. Walk-in appointments are now welcome, but you can still make an appointment online. They are also now providing the Pfizer vaccine to 12 to 15-year-olds.
All4Oregon OCC Appointments ([link removed])
CDC's Vaccine Finder ([link removed])

Oregon's New Mask Guidelines

The mask guidelines have been recently updated to reflect new data on the vaccines. After more than 158 million people have received at least one vaccine dose throughout the country, the data show the vaccine is very safe and very effective.

If you are fully vaccinated, you are no longer required to wear a face mask or physically distance in private settings, either indoors or outdoors.

Many Oregonians haven’t been vaccinated yet, and the virus is still spreading among those populations. For now, mask guidelines for businesses and other public venues are still necessary to keep our unvaccinated neighbors healthy. The guidelines are below:

* Masks are no longer required outdoors. If you are not vaccinated or at a high risk of severe COVID symptoms, OHA does recommend that you wear a mask in crowded outdoor spaces.
* Businesses and employers can establish their own, more restrictive policies regarding mask usage, but can choose to no longer require masks if they check visitors’ proof of vaccination. If they would rather not check vaccination status, masks will still be required indoors. Figuring out how to navigate this guidance without notice is tough on employers and employees, so please have patience as we transition through this time.
* Fully vaccinated people must continue wearing a mask and observing physical distancing on public transportation and in schools, hospitals and clinics, homeless shelters, youth and adult correctional facilities and long-term care facilities.

[link removed]
Click the image to read the full guidance.

Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program – Applications Open for Washington County

There is a new assistance program for Oregonians who are behind on rent or utility bills because of the pandemic. The applications are now open for residents of Washington County, who can now apply for assistance online here ([link removed]) .
[link removed]

For residents of Clackamas County this program will launch at a later date. Other forms of rental assistance are available in Clackamas County through other funds. For help with those programs, go to www.clackamas.us/communitydevelopment/cha.

Keep an eye out for when Clackamas County residents are eligible to apply for this program.

In the meantime, Oregon Housing and Community Services created a toolkit with checklists for tenants and landlords, application information and documentation, frequently asked questions, and other helpful information related to the program. If you know any organizations helping tenants or friends and family in need, please share this lifeline.
Emergency Rental Assistance Toolkit ([link removed])

Priority Bills Update

In Ways and Means
If a policy needs money from the state budget to implement, a subcommittee of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means must vote to send it to the full committee. The full committee then must vote to send the bill to the House and Senate floors for full votes. A few of my priority bills have passed their first policy committees and are in Ways and Means, waiting to be assigned to a subcommittee:

* HB 3108 - Access to Primary Care: We must increase Oregonians’ access to affordable, comprehensive primary care and this bill aims to do that by reducing barriers to care. Most insurers will need to provide three primary care visits annually without cost sharing; most specialized mental health services will not need prior authorization from an insurer; and insurers will need to assign a primary care provider if someone doesn’t select one.
* HB 2394 - Long Term Care Isolation Plan: I drafted HB 2394 to address the devastating mental and physical impacts of social isolation in congregate care I witnessed in my clinical duties during the pandemic. It requires long term care, residential care, and adult foster homes to have isolation prevention plans that allow residents to communicate with friends and family members during emergencies.
* HB 2591 - Student Based Health Centers: To learn and thrive, students need their basic needs met, including health care, but many rural students, low-income students, and students of color have no other link to effective healthcare than schools. This bill supports those students by funding grants for school based health centers, school nurses, or school based telehealth pilot programs.
* SB 844 - Prescription Drug Affordability Board: SB 844 will set up a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to assess whether large increases in drug prices create accessibility issues, and then cap the amount anyone has to pay for that drug. If SB 844 passes, Oregon will have a path towards drug price transparency, and fairer prices at every point along the supply chain, especially the consumer. Oregonians deserve access to the medications they rely on to treat their medical conditions.

[link removed]
This video explains why we need transparency in the drug supply chain and why we must address our rebate system.

In the Senate
HB 2564 - Willamette Falls Locks: This bill will create a public corporation that will own, operate, repair, and maintain the Willamette Falls Locks, opening up our river way for tourism, economic prosperity, and boundless recreational opportunities. It has been voted out of the full House and a Senate Committee and will be scheduled for a vote in the full Senate to send the bill to the Governor’s desk:
Passed the Legislature
* HB 2395 - Willamette Falls Paper Company: When the legislature took the important step towards addressing our waste crisis with the plastic bag ban, the definition of paper bag didn’t anticipate new products and possibilities like the ones being offered by Willamette Falls Paper Company. This bill amends that definition to support both a local business and sustainable innovation.
* HB 2508 - Telehealth: During the pandemic, the state required insurers telemedicine be reimbursed at the same rate as if the services were provided in person. This saved lives and expanded access across the state. While the coronavirus is a specific, temporary barrier to delivering quality care, the barriers to accessing health care remain just as high in a post pandemic world. HB 2508A puts the life saving telehealth changes into law, lowering some of those barriers, and giving Oregonians access to continuous, quality health care.
* SB 554B - Safe Storage, Safe Buildings: My colleagues and gun violence survivors and advocates have worked for years to pass this life-saving policy. The bill requires that a gun be stored safely, with either a cable lock, a locked storage container, or in a gun safe, and requires an owner to report their gun lost or stolen. It also allows the boards of public universities, community colleges, and school districts to prohibit concealed carry of firearms on campuses, and designates the State Capitol as a gun-free zone. It respects the rights of gun owners while reflecting the best research available, and it will save lives.

[link removed]

Please email me (mailto:[email protected]) if you have specific concerns. Our office will do all we can to help and protect all Oregonians.

Covid-19 Resources:
Oregon Information and Resources ([link removed])
Oregon Health Authority Updates ([link removed])
Federal Government Response ([link removed])
Senator Merkley’s Response Page ([link removed])
SEIU Worker Resource Page ([link removed])
Oregon Unemployment ([link removed])

Thank you for reading and stay safe.

Sincerely,
Rachel Prusak

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