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Good evening,
Layoffs are going around.
PeaceHealth said it was cutting its workforce by 2.5 percent across Oregon, Washington and Alaska. It didn’t specify how many jobs are being lost in each state, but a union representing workers at PeaceHealth’s RiverBend hospital in Springfield said some workers there are being laid off.
And Springfield-based health insurer PacificSource is cutting 325 jobs, including some locally. The PacificSource layoffs come as the insurer quits offering Medicaid care in Lane County, in the face of a $68 million loss in 2024. Ashli Blow has both of these stories.
The federal government is still closed — mostly anyways. Consequently, Lane County has paused a program that helps low-income people pay their utility bills, since the money comes from the federal government, as Ben Botkin reports. The program is not likely to resume until Congress passes a budget.
While the federal government may be on hold amid harsh national divisions, Springfield Mayor Sean VanGordon has written a guest column asserting that local governments can in fact still work — and serve their communities well.
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DAILY DIGEST
Mass layoff at PeaceHealth; union says cuts include RiverBend
By Ashli Blow
The not-for-profit healthcare system is reducing its workforce by 2.5%. In a public filing, PeaceHealth listed 241 layoffs in Washington but has not said how the reduction will affect Oregon facilities, including RiverBend in Springfield and other Lane County sites.
PacificSource cuts hundreds of jobs as it exits Lane County Medicaid care
By Ashli Blow
The insurer said it is cutting 325 jobs — including positions in Springfield, Salem, Portland, Medford and Bend — as it withdraws from Lane County’s Medicaid system.
Amid federal shutdown, Lane County pauses utility bill assistance program
By Ben Botkin
Citing concerns over the government shutdown and worries over uncertain federal funding, Lane County officials have paused the county’s program that helps low-income households with utility bills. The Low-Income Household […]
Flock Safety surveillance not comparable to smartphone data tracking | Letter to the editor
By Letters to the Editor
Enjoy your evening,
Bob
