Health care will lead job growth in Oregon, Portland Business Journal (June 14, 2016)
The health care sector will lead long-term job growth in Oregon, according to a new report from the Oregon Employment Department.
Health care and social assistance are expected to contribute the most new jobs, at 46,300 over a 10-year period, along with professional and business services, at 45,700 new jobs. (Read more…)
Baby boomers give room for Oregon employment to grow, Oregonian (June 13, 2016)
Between 2014 and 2024, 6 out of 10 job openings in Oregon will have been created by retiring workers, according to a Monday release from the state Employment Department.
The release said a total of 440,100 jobs will be created by retiring workers in that time, while another 260,200 will be created as a result of job growth. (Read more…)
Warning over shortage of endoscopy nurses, Nursing Times (June 16, 2016)
A shortage of specialist nurses is compounding a capacity crisis in endoscopy, a leading nurse in the field has warned.
Endoscopy nurses and healthcare support workers are “often missed out” in discussions about how to improve endoscopy capacity in the NHS, according to Irene Dunkley, a nurse consultant in gastroenterology and endoscopy. (Read more…)
Oregon projects strong growth for health care jobs, State of Reform (June 14, 2016)
The Oregon Employment Department has updated its long-term industry and occupational projections, forecasting more strong growth in the health care sector.
The state’s total employment is expected to grow by 260,000 jobs between 2014 and 2024, according to the projections. Health care and social assistance will account for just over 46,000 of those jobs, adding the most of any industry. (Read more…)
Lawmakers discuss rural health care issues, The News-Review (May 29, 2016)
Southern Oregon’s struggling economy and growing health care work force needs received attention from lawmakers last week as supporters of Oregonians for Rural Health provided testimony during hearings held by the State Interim House Committee on Higher Education, Innovation and Workforce Development and the Senate Education Committee.
Those testifying called for building a regional allied health medical college to grow the economy, provide jobs and ensure health care access. (Read more…)
Migration in of retirees, migration out of youth pose economic challenges, The News-Review (May 22, 2016)
Southern Oregon — the state’s longtime Timber Belt — is gaining a reputation as a retiree magnet. Drawn by the lower cost of living among other factors, retirees, ages 60 to 65, are moving into the region in higher numbers than any other age group. This is a stark contrast to the pronounced out-migration of youth, ages 20 to 29, the region has experienced. As the region struggles to recover from the recession, such demographic shifts pose both present and future economic challenges.
“One of the biggest obstacles facing rural and southern Oregon is demographics. An aging population can result in a lower labor force participation rate, which is cause for concern in stifling future economic growth,” said Josh Lehner, senior economist with the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis. “Rural Oregon, like its national counterparts, faces population losses among young working age groups. Those in the root-setting years, between 25 and 34 years old who are beginning careers in earnest and settling down, are important to the long-term vitality of the economy.” (Read more…)
Health care workers needed as demand grows, The News-Review (May 15, 2016)
An aging population coupled with substantial increases in health care insurance enrollment is driving up the demand for services in many communities across Oregon, particularly in rural areas. That has health care providers steadily expanding services and working steadfast, often creatively, to ensure an adequate number of health care workers are available to deliver care.
“Health care demand has spiked in recent years,” said Chris Guastaferro, executive director of the Area Health Education Center of Southwest Oregon, a nonprofit that works to improve health in underserved or unserved communities in the region. “This influx of new patients comes at a time when there are already not enough health care providers to meet growing community needs, especially in our rural areas. (Read more…)
Health care training can boost economy, The News-Review (May 8, 2016)
For decades, Southern Oregon’s economy thrived on timber and wood products, providing steady jobs handed down from one generation to the next.
Yet, logging restrictions coupled with a range of other factors, including tough market conditions through the Great Recession, have taken a significant toll on the industry. And, while some recovery is now taking place, one group, Oregonians for Rural Health, has mobilized to diversify the regional economy by capitalizing on the steady strength of healthcare. (Read more…)
Mental health crises rising among Coos County children, teens, The World (April 30, 2016)
COOS COUNTY — Suicide attempts and other psychological crises among Coos County children as young as 4 are on the rise, and Bay Area Hospital isn’t equipped to deal with them.
In 2011, Bay Area Hospital logged 27 child psychology consultations and six admissions. By 2014, the last year for which statistics are available, those numbers had grown to 101 consultations and 62 admissions. (Read more…)
Northwest faces nursing shortage, report says demand will grow, KATU (April 25, 2016)
PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon and Washington will be short a combined 13,000 registered nurses by 2025, a federal report finds.
The report, released by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), predicts Oregon will need about 6,000 more nurses than it will have trained by 2025. (Read more…)
Timber execs, county officials slam BLM plan, News-Review (April 22, 2016)
Adopting the latest plan from the Bureau of Land Management could lead to the financial ruin of Douglas County, timber executives and a county official said Thursday.
Timber industry executives, advocates and Douglas County Commissioner Tim Freeman spoke to The News-Review, emphasizing that the bureau’s recently announced plan for managing forestland in Western Oregon continues to squeeze timber harvests so downsizing, for private companies and the county itself, is inevitable. (Read more…)
BLM’s Western Oregon forest plan disappoints everyone, Capital Press (April 13, 2016)
Timber industry groups believe the federal Bureau of Land Management’s proposed new forest management plan for Western Oregon is a disaster that locks up 75 percent of the land, will cost jobs and leave forests more vulnerable to fire.
One group called it a “lose, lose, lose” plan for the environment, wildlife, and rural communities. (Read more…)
