Inside Salem
By Senator Deb Patterson, District 10, for The West Side Newspaper
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I hope you enjoyed the Fourth of July celebrations that happened throughout our community. I had a great time walking in the Monmouth-Independence Rotary Grand Parade. It was great to see so many friends and neighbors out enjoying the day. This July 4th marked the 250th anniversary of our country’s independence, and while there is still much work to do to make this a more perfect union, I am glad to be doing this work here in Oregon.
Recently, I have been visiting local organizations to learn about their work in our community. I met with the staff of Abby’s House at Western Oregon University, which provides food, clothing, peer support, and other services to students who have experienced interpersonal violence. I visited a home for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, which is run by the non-profit organization Shangri-La. I also toured a family housing shelter in Salem, which is operated by Church at the Park.
I have also been meeting with stakeholders about protecting critical services that are important to Oregonians. Just over one year ago, Congress passed the federal budget bill known as HR1, which slashed funding for Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as food stamps). Since then, 70,000 people in Oregon have lost their food assistance benefits, at a time when more people are struggling to afford food. This is making it even harder for families to stay afloat.
HR1 will also make it harder and more expensive for people to get the health care they need, due to the massive cuts to Medicaid. This is why I am leading a workgroup to protect patients’ access to care when contracts break down between hospitals and insurers. I am also meeting with other health care leaders about how to protect health care coverage for patients on the Oregon Health Plan, which is the Medicaid program in our state.
When the Senate convened recently to consider nominees to various state boards and commissions, I was inspired by how many people have stepped up to serve. I was also reminded that there are people all across Oregon working hard to serve our communities. I am grateful to be working together with our partners to build an Oregon that works for everyone.
If you have questions or comments about the issues I am working on, please let me know. You can contact my office at (503) 986-1710 or Sen.DebPatterson@oregonlegislature.gov.
I look forward to hearing from you.