Douglas County Health Department starts environmental health services

The Douglas County Health Department is nearing completion after setting up its environmental health services at the start of the month. These services include inspections of things like restaurants, septic tanks, tattoo parlors and child care centers. “Our commitment is to make this a friendly, facilitative relationship where we are helping them, training them, helping them do a good job,” Public Health Director Michael Hill said. “Rather than coming in and smacking them if we think they are doing something wrong.” The health department plans to use a softer touch for most minor infractions, Hill said. Major health concerns will still be punished, he said. The department hopes to have…

With no open beds, Oregon emergency departments are diverting patients to other hospitals, creating patient transport delays and tying up ambulance resources. PORTLAND, Oregon — Healthcare leaders warn that capacity issues in Oregon hospitals continue to worsen, as hospitals grapple with understaffing and other challenges even long after the prior patient surges brought on by COVID-19. “The [healthcare] system is really suffering from dramatic aftershocks from the pandemic,” said Becky Hultberg, president of the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems. “It’s just backed up right now, it is slowly grinding to a halt.” As of Friday, Hultberg said 506 patients were essentially “stuck” in Oregon hospital beds, waiting for…