Blog & News
Q&A with OHA: Oregon’s Public Health Conversation
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has been spearheading dozens of efforts to quell the COVID-19 pandemic–massive data collection, testing expansion, policy changes, guidance development, standing up the field of contact tracing, research into emerging medical evidence from here and around the world, and so much more. In addition to that work, they have created regular ways to communicate this work with various communities in Oregon. As part of the community service array in Oregon, OSSA has been joining the weekly Community Partner...
read moreFinding the Path Forward
Our society is currently consumed with finding a way back to “normal” after months of staying home. But what of the other part of that line–staying safe? We have succeeded in “flattening the curve” here in Oregon, meaning that we have slowed this disease from tearing through our population at the deadly pace at which it began. But we have done so at great cost, through the extraordinary measures of closing down businesses, schools, recreation, and non-essential medical care. How do we keep from undoing all of our...
read moreThe COVID-19 Impact on Oregon’s Budget
We are all tired. Tired from worrying about how we’ll meet our needs without work or support. Tired from caring for our families and keeping them well and safe. Tired from adjusting, constantly, to our changing world. And the last thing we all want to talk about right now are budget reductions. That is true for our government officials, our state agency leadership, and each and every person attached to social services in Oregon. But, this is where we are–the Office of Developmental Disabilities, at the request of the Governor’s Office, has...
read moreSocial and Emotional Wellness While Staying Home
Oregonians all across the state have worked hard to keep up with the changing rules and realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. It asks of us a near-constant recalculation that is exhausting: is it okay for me to engage in this action? How can I get this need met safely? Am I doing everything I can do for the people who matter to me? What can I do now to prepare for what’s next? Our logical brains are overloaded, and our emotions are all over the place, as we grieve habits and people lost to us, and worry about the world around us. How do...
read moreCOVID-19 and Oregon’s Brokerage Community
Oregonians are all working incredibly hard to keep up with the changing rules and realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. For our social service entities, this has meant delaying long-term projects and other critical work in order to pick up the work of sharing goods, resources, and information with their communities. Health and safety in the time of COVID-19 is an ever-changing effort. It requires an immense amount of extra work, communication, and personal connection with people, even as in-person contact is limited. To hear a problem and...
read moreResource Round-Up: Economic Impact (COVID-19 Stimulus) Payments
The rapid spread of COVID-19 has our entire society sprinting to keep up with new realities, and taking action to respond and manage the impact. Our Oregon IDD advocacy community has been working to keep abreast of that information flow, and share it with people in the ways that they need. The federal Economic Impact Payments are the stimulus funds coming to most Americans to help mitigate the personal financial impact of COVID-19’s protective measures. For members of our community, this is good news, quickly followed by a host of...
read moreQuestions Corner: Medical Support in the Time of COVID-19
Many of our usual ways of getting things done have been up-ended by the COVID-19 pandemic. Meeting our medical needs has been affected by our efforts to contain the disease, and the tremendous stress that illness is putting upon our health systems. We’ve put together some tips and resources to help you nevigate the changing world, and get the help you need. Do you have additional questions about what services are allowed? Put them in the comments below, or on our Facebook page. We will do our best to get the answers for you in a future...
read moreCOVID-19: Staying Apart, Getting Together
You’re being good. You’re following the Governor’s Executive Order to stay home and save lives. You have checked out some amazing virtual tours and resources, and now all that is missing is . . . someone with whom to talk it over. Good news: video chatting is easier than ever before. Thanks in large part to the improvements in phone cameras, and a couple of new video chat applications, you can be face-to-face with a friend in no time. This article walks you through the pros and cons of Zoom versus Google Hangouts. Note that,...
read moreQuestions Corner: DD Services in the Time of COVID-19
If you are enrolled and receiving DD services, chances are you have felt the shift in those routines, along with everything else. You may be wondering what is allowed, in this new world, and how you can get your needs met. We’d like to help by sharing the information we have currently. Please note that, due to the incredibly fast rate of change in the pandemic situation, change in policy is happening quickly as well. It’s important that policy move quickly to keep up with changing needs. However, that pace of change means that...
read moreResource Round-Up! Staying Apart, Getting Away
We in the Brokerage community will be sharing more information and ideas for how to support one another as the COVID-19 epidemic continues to change our shared landscape. It feels lonely right now, and frighteningly different. But the truth is, our future is shared, and we are all experiencing this together. We are making decisions that affect each other, and we are caring for one another by staying home, and taking care of ourselves. Thank you for joining the effort of the Oregon DD community to make it through this crisis stronger, and with...
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