The Oregonian covers regional hospitals’ financial challenges, noting how a systemic backlog is affecting patient care and is compounded by a depleted health care workforce. Joe Ness, M.H.A., R.Ph., says, “This really was the year we were supposed to put COVID behind us. Instead, we’re facing a whole new set of anxious moments and complications to deal with. It’s tough.”

Referencing data from a forecast by Peter Graven, Ph.D., experts predict cases will start to creep back up in late September and continue to rise through the end of the year.

A story about several U.S. hospitals being subjected to online harassment related to pediatric gender-affirming care notes OHSU has experienced “some unkind Twitter traffic” in recent weeks.

In a CBS News Chicago story on a Chicago-based organization’s challenges collecting melanoma tissue, the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute’s collaboration with the Melanoma Tissue Bank Consortium is mentioned.

In a story about a 15-year-old Willamina girl who was born with the congenital heart defect known as Hypoplastic left heart syndrome, C. Monique Bohun, M.D., says the condition’s cause is unknown, adding: “This is the kind of problem in which you have a deep relationship with the hospital and the cardiology team. There are a lot of invasive procedures that need to occur in order to have the surgeries.”

Current President of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Lisa Coussens, Ph.D., is a member of the newly-formed AACR “Trust in Science” task force, designed to help the public understand and trust the fruits of science.

9-year-old cancer survivor Emma Cranston sells Emma’s Donuts this month at 62 Fred Meyer stores with a goal of raising $50,000 for Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

Save Lives Oregon, a program that expands the availability of naloxone throughout the state, faces ongoing financial challenges. Todd Korthuis, M.D., notes it’s “a big problem” if the organization is not able to secure funding and could put many individuals who struggle with addition at risk.

OHSU continues to negotiate with AFSCME Local 328 to reach agreement on a new contract. OHSU says in a statement that the organization “remains committed to establishing a fair contract that provides competitive, comprehensive benefits in recognition of all AFSCME members’ hard work."

Marcel Curlin, M.D., says a booster shot for COVID-19 is especially important for people living or working near immunocompromised or otherwise vulnerable individuals. Over the long term, he says, “COVID came on as a massive sort of wave. If you want to look at the big picture, it’s going to taper down and be less severe and ultimately fade into the background of endemic.”