Rogue Valley News, Friday 9/29 – 75 Motor Vehicle Crashes on One Section of Highway 62 This Year Leads Law Enforcement to Conduct Saturation Patrol, Grants Pass Police & Adapt To Partner For Overdose Prevention

Updates for the Smith River Complex North, Anvil and Flat Fires

Area and Road Closure Orders Still in Effect for Anvil, Flat and Smith River Complex Fire Areas

Sept. 28, 2023 — Closure Orders remain in place for areas of the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest for the Anvil, Flat and Smith River Complex Fires. Recent precipitation across the forest allowed for the lifting of Public Use Restrictions, which allows campfires on areas of the forest that are not currently under a closure order. Lifting Public Use Restrictions for campfires does not rescind closure orders. Forest staff are working closely with fire managers daily to re-evaluate closures and look for opportunities to reopen them as soon as safely possible for both firefighters and the public. The following acts are prohibited upon closed areas within the forest. These orders will be effective through October 31, 2023, unless rescinded sooner.

PROHIBITIONS: 1. Being upon a closed road.  2. Going into or being upon land within the Closure Area.  3. Being on a trail within the Closure Area.  Closure Order for Anvil Fire: https://bit.ly/AnvilClosure Closure Order for Flat Fire: https://bit.ly/FlatClosure Closure Order for Smith River Complex North: https://bit.ly/SRCNorthClosure For the safety of firefighters and the public, please respect closure orders.  The current fire danger rating is “moderate” for all five Ranger Districts.  The Industrial Fire Precaution Level is currently at Level 1. For up-to-date information regarding fire season, ongoing fires, and fire restrictions, follow the RRSNF on Twitter/X and Facebook or visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/rogue-siskiyou

Please visit Inciweb bit.ly/AnvilFireOR and bit.ly/FlatFireOR for the latest closure information. Please call 911 to report any signs of new fires.

A list of fire restrictions and closure orders for BLM Oregon-Washington public lands are available at https://www.blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-info/oregon-washington/fire-restrictions. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter @BLMOregon.

 

The Type 3 Team will continue to post to this Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/smithrivercomplexnorth) once a day and additional significant updates as needed. The public may also call 541-646-9177, or email: 2023.smithrivercomplex@firenet.gov NWIMT8 would like to thank all of the firefighters, partners, and support personnel who have worked tirelessly on this fire. And to the communities impacted by the #smithrivercomplexnorth, we are so grateful for your hospitality, Thank You!

Latest monthly data continues to show more than 7 out of 10 Oregonians keeping medical benefits as state reviews eligibility

SALEM, Ore. – The latest renewal data continues to show that more than 7 out of 10 Oregonians are keeping their Oregon Health Plan (OHP) or other Medicaid benefits. So far, around 1 in 8 people’s benefits are ending.

Compared with other states, Oregon has the third lowest benefit closure rate in the nation among  completed renewals. Learn more about the steps Oregon is taking to expand access to health coverage.

OHP renewals after the pandemic – During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government allowed states to keep people on Medicaid and did not require annual eligibility renewals. This ended when the public health emergency ended, and Oregon is currently making sure everyone on OHP is still eligible.

Everyone who has OHP or other Medicaid-funded services and supports will receive a renewal notice by mid-2024. The notice will explain whether the member needs to provide additional information or take action to keep their coverage.

Oregon can process many renewals automatically. Some members need to provide additional information so that we can determine if they are still eligible. Additional information requested from members may include documents such as paystubs or a renewal packet they are asked to review, sign and return.

OHP renewals so far – Between April and September 21, 2023, 807,765 people have come up for renewal. This represents 55.3% of all the OHP and Medicaid members whose eligibility will be reviewed.

• 522,613 people (70.1%) were renewed. Some of these members will also need to provide information to keep their benefits; these members will be recategorized in an upcoming update to our Medical Redeterminations Dashboard .
• 96,530 people (12.0%) were found ineligible and received 60-day notices of termination. Losses of coverage began at the end of June.
• 23,770 people (2.9%) had a reduction in their benefits. Most of these members lost full OHP but were able to continue our Medicare Savings Programs that help pay their Medicare costs.
• We are currently awaiting responses from 12,262 people (1.5%).
• Renewals for 109,218 people (13.5%) are awaiting state action. For instance a member has responded to their renewals and the information needs to be reviewed.

September OHP renewal requests – In September, renewal letters were sent to an additional 142,934 people.

• 102,700 of those people (71.9%) were renewed without any action needed.
• 30,922 people (21.6%) were asked to provide some information to renew. The most common requests are for income-related proof, like paystubs, or forms of identification, like a government identification or birth certificate.
• 11,231 people (7.9%) were asked to fill out a renewal form.
• 8,123 people (5.7%) had previously reported that they no longer met income limits or other requirements, so received a notice that their benefits will be ending in 60 days.

What to do if OHP is ending:

• First, review the case summary in your letter to make sure the information used to make the decision was correct. If that information has changed, notify the state. You can call the ONE Customer Service Center at 800-699-9075 (toll-free, all relay calls accepted) or find other options to connect at benefits.oregon.gov. If the information on file for you is correct and you disagree with the decision, you can request a hearing. Learn more about hearings here
• Explore options through an employer. If you, your spouse, or a parent are working, you may be eligible for health coverage through that employer. Talk to your manager or Human Resources department to see if you qualify. You will have a special enrollment period to enroll mid-year due to loss of OHP benefits.
• If you have or are eligible for Medicare: For help understanding Medicare options, go to OregonHealthcare.gov/GetHelp to find an insurance agent or a counselor at the Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance Program (SHIBA), or call SHIBA at 800-722-4134. SHIBA counselors and insurance can help you choose the right Medicare options if you’re losing OHP coverage.

If you need to sign up for Medicare for the first time, contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) at 800-772-1213 to enroll by phone or find a local office. You can also enroll in Medicare online at ssa.gov/medicare/sign-up

• Nearly 80 percent of Oregonians qualify for financial help through the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace. Visit OregonHealthCare.gov/WindowShop to answer a few quick questions and find out how much you can save and how much coverage may cost you. You can also call the Marketplace Transition Help Center at 833-699-6850 (toll-free, all relay calls accepted).
• Need free local help figuring any of this out? Visit OregonHealthCare.gov/GetHelp to find professional help near you.

Act right away when it’s your turn to renew

Renewal notices are going out through mid-2024. If you have OHP or other Medicaid benefits, check your mail often for a letter from the state of Oregon. When receiving a letter, you should do what it asks right away to protect your benefits.

The large number of OHP renewals, along with renewals of long-term services and supports, may cause greater wait times, delays, and possible interruptions to people’s OHP benefits. OHP members are encouraged to respond as quickly as possible after they receive a request for information to avoid any possible delays. The fastest way members can provide an update is by going to benefits.oregon.gov and logging into their ONE online account.

Find help for renewing your benefits

1. Learn more about how to renew your Oregon Health Plan medical coverage.
2. Call the ONE Customer Service Center: 800-699-9075 (all relay calls are accepted, and help is available in multiple languages).
3. Stop by or call a local office. People can find their local office at:  https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/Pages/office-finder.aspx
4. Visit a community partner for free, in-person help. To find one near you visit OregonHealthCare.gov/GetHelp (English) or orhim.info/ayuda (Spanish).

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) are committed to transparency and will continue to send monthly information about medical coverage among Oregonians as the agencies continue to track the state’s progress in renewing eligibility for medical programs.To learn more about the marketplace, visit OregonHealthCare.gov or call 833-699-6850 (toll-free, all relay calls accepted).To sign up for Medicare, call the Social Security Administration at 800-772-1213 or go to ssa.gov/medicare/sign-up

Measure 110 data report show gains continued in clients served substance use treatment and other service and supports—-

It may be hard to believe, but, three years after Oregon voters elected to decriminalize drugs, a new study has concluded that the first-in-the-nation law has not led to increased drug use or drug overdoses.

It may be hard to believe, but, Three years after Oregon voters elected to decriminalize drugs, a new study has concluded that the first-in-the-nation law has not led to increased drug use or drug overdoses. The conclusion counters an increasingly common narrative that Oregon’s drug problem is unique in the country — and that decriminalization is to blame.

Researchers at NYU, the Network for Public Health Law and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at 13 states with similar drug overdose rates to Oregon in the three years leading up to Measure 110 going into effect. They then compared overdose rates in Oregon to those same states in the first year after decriminalization.
The study used a similar methodology to look at overdose deaths in Washington where, in 2021, the state Supreme Court threw out a law making drug possession a felony. Washington lawmakers have since passed a new law making possession a gross misdemeanor.

The NYU study only looked at fatal overdoses because that is the most reliable data available. Nonfatal overdose data is difficult to collect for a number of reasons. Reporting standards vary widely across emergency services providers in the country and hospital data isn’t easily acquired. The data is typically sold to private companies, which then resell it to researchers. Buying the needed data for all 50 states could cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Despite losing handily in the state’s rural counties, ballot Measure 110 passed with 58% of the vote. Now polls suggest voters might be rethinking their decision to decriminalize drugs. An April poll by DHM Research found that 63% of voters support bringing back criminal penalties for drug possession.

Despite a reduction in arrest rates, the study released on Wednesday didn’t find a corresponding reduction in overdoses. That might be because the data was limited to the first year of implementation and the positive impacts of fewer arrests might be slower to materialize, the study’s authors wrote.

Measure 110 providers reported continued increases in the number of clients served statewide in all seven network service areas, according to new program reports filed with Oregon Health Authority (OHA).

Overdose prevention and peer support services accounted for the largest client gains in the quarterly reporting and over all three quarters. Substance use treatment providers reported 41 percent more clients in quarterly gains and 104 percent over the first three quarters.

The latest reporting encompasses activity from Jan. 1 through March 31, 2023 — the third quarterly reporting period since the Measure 110 networks were established.

Among the highlights:

• Over the three quarters, providers reported the largest percentage of client gains in supported employment and housing services at 365 percent and 190 percent respectively.
• Providers reported more than 7,000 people received substance use disorder treatment — a 104% increase over the three quarters.
• Providers reported more than 47,000 service encounters for people seeking substance use treatment — a 134% increase over all three quarters.

“It’s encouraging to see the reported client gains by Measure 110 service providers. It’s another sign that the statewide networks are taking hold and more people are getting treatment along with critically needed services and supports,” said OHA Behavioral Health Director Ebony Clarke.

Behavioral Health Resource Network (BHRN) providers report the number of clients they serve, and the number of encounters they have with their clients as a measure of overall engagement. Some clients may receive multiple services within a network or within multiple service networks.

OHA has developed a comprehensive Measure 110 data reporting dashboard that includes quarterly data, expenditures, key demographic information, and aggregated narrative summaries for the 42 statewide service networks.

Also starting this reporting period, the dashboard will contain stories of how Measure 110 is working to save lives, support people in recovery, stabilize youth and families and help people find housing and employment.

The third quarter reporting shows that investments are trending away from the emphasis on capital expenditures and toward sustained treatment and recovery services.

The largest expenditures continued to be housing services at more than $8.7 million in the third quarter, representing the historic investment the Oversight and Accountability Council has made in building new recovery housing across the state.

Preliminary data also showed more client engagement among communities of color. Over the three quarters the number of people seeking substance use treatment increased by 126 percent for people identifying as Hispanic/Latino, Latina or Latinx, 49 percent for people identifying as Black/African American and 180 percent for people identifying as American Indian/Alaskan Native.

The Measure 110 program continues to refine service data collection for communities of color and other disproportionately affected communities, as the networks transition toward implementing Race Ethnicity and Language Disability (REALD) standards in their data collection.

More than one-third of the providers credited Measure 110 funding for enabling them to expand services and decrease wait times for accessing treatment, while nearly 40 percent cited staff retention and recruiting as an ongoing challenge.

One provider cited an example of decreased wait times: “Our transitional home was opened, and we had immediate placement of one family, including a mother and her infant.”

The deadline for the next round of reporting is Oct. 2 for expenditure data and Oct.16 for operational and will cover the time between April through June 30, 2023.

Background: In November 2020, Oregon voters passed Measure 110, the Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act of 2020, which became effective Dec. 4, 2020, to better serve people actively using substances or diagnosed with a substance use disorder. In July 2021, the legislature passed SB 755, which amended the act and made it more feasible to implement.

People who provide drug treatment and recovery services and advocates for criminal justice reform wrote Measure 110 in response to the high rate of drug addiction and overdoses in Oregon, and the disproportionate impact of those outcomes on Oregon’s communities of color.

Their goal was to establish a more equitable health-based and effective approach to substance use disorder.

Morgan Fire near Bly UPDATE

Marsh Fire in Klamath Marsh National Forest

The Marsh Fire is now 2,661 acres and 50% contained, according to a news release from Fremont Winema National Forest.

“With the increased containment firefighters will transition from fire suppression to suppression repair, working to restore the containment line and areas impacted by initial attack efforts,” the release said. “In addition, crews will continue patrolling and mopping up hot spots within the perimeter.”

PETA is campaigning against Oregon Health & Science University

The animal rights organization wants the university’s obstetrics and gynecology students to use surgery simulators instead of performing surgery on pigs during their training. PETA claims invasive procedures have been done on up to 48 live pigs at the school.

The organization has a billboard up to encourage the practice to stop. The university says it will adopt non-animal trainings when they become scientifically approved.

U.S. Postal Service Hiring Across Oregon

The U.S. Postal Service welcomed job-seekers to job fairs at dozens of post office locations throughout the state Thursday. The USPS is trying to fill thousands of openings for full-time, part-time and seasonal jobs. Salaries range around $19.94 to $24.05 an hour, depending on the position.

Whether you are an early-riser or night owl, the Postal Service has positions to accommodate varying schedules.Here’s information from the USPS announcement:

Our goal is to fill thousands of positions all over the state. In most areas, the need is especially urgent for mail carriers, clerks and mail handlers. However, interested applicants should always check with their local Post Office for information on available positions.

The Postal Service continues to aggressively hire in many locations across the country. With a workforce of more than 635,000, USPS is one of the nation’s largest employers with ongoing attrition needs. And combined with the ongoing nationwide challenges faced by most employers, we are hiring for the holidays — and beyond.

A postal job offers employees the ability to work where they live, good pay, stability, lifelong benefits and career advancement opportunities throughout the entire agency.

Our employees are our greatest asset, and we are investing in our new personnel by providing robust training and on-the-job support. The Postal Service offers stability, competitive wages and benefits, and career advancement opportunities.

Starting pay varies depending on the job. But starting pay for carriers ranges between $19 and $20 per hour paid bi-weekly. Applications are accepted online at www.usps.com/careers.

Applicants must be 18 years of age and be able to pass drug screening and a criminal background investigation. Although in some instances, interested candidates can also be 16 with a high school diploma.

Applicants must be available to work weekends and holidays. Refer to the job announcement for full details, duties, responsibilities, job requirements, and benefits information. Job postings are updated frequently, so check back often for additional opportunities.

For additional information regarding available positions in all areas, applicants can go to our website at www.usps.com/careers. Jobs are uploaded every other Tuesday until filled. Potential applicants can also visit any Post Office location for more information.

Stabilizing our workforce to ensure we consistently service nearly 165 million addresses across the country is one part of the Postal Service’s 10-year Delivering for America plan to achieve financial stability and service excellence.

# # # Please Note: The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to nearly 165 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a 10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America, to modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial sustainability, dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories, and maintain the organization as one of America’s most valued and trusted brands.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube Channel and like us on Facebook. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com.

Oregon State Parks ready for Oct. 14, 2023, annular solar eclipse

Oregon State Parks offers prime viewing spots for the Oct. 14, 2023, annular solar eclipse. Visitors to parks within the path of annularity will watch the moon partially cover the sun, which creates a ‘ring of fire’ because the moon appears slightly smaller as it passes.

“Our park staff are ready to help visitors safely view this phenomenon,” said JR Collier, deputy of Statewide Operations.

He added that a limited number of free eclipse glasses will be available at Oregon State Parks on the day of the event.

He also emphasizes that safety is crucial while observing an eclipse.

Use ISO 12312-2 certified solar filters, avoid damaged filters, and consider projection methods. The eclipse glasses from the 2017 event are expired and shouldn’t be used.

Travelers coming to Oregon should prepare for potential traffic congestion, check local weather conditions, and pack essentials, including water, food, sunscreen, and bug spray.

Whether you’re an experienced eclipse enthusiast or a first-time observer, prioritize safety, and plan your trip to witness the ‘ring of fire’ against Oregon’s breathtaking landscapes and clear skies.

For more information and updates about viewing the eclipse from an Oregon state park, please visit https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=v.feature-article&articleId=327.

Become The Judge

Do you love weed? Are you a little bit judgy? Then this could be the job for you:
High Times is looking for 2,100 Oregonians to determine the state’s marijuana for the 2023 Cannabis Cup.

Anyone 21 and over can be a judge for the cup, which is returning for the first time since 2020. Judges will get to sample gummies, cannabis flower, pre-rolls, concentrates and more, depending on the category they select, and then report back on what they they thought of the products.

Kits will be available Friday, Sept. 30, at many dispensaries around the state and you can visit cannabiscup.com/preregister to preregister. But, bad news for anyone who was hoping to get high for free – these kits will cost money.

Kits will be sold based on category on a first-come, first-serve basis. The kits will cost between $40 and $90 before tax but will include five to 13 different products and a tie-dye or black High Times tote bag. For more information and a list of retailers selling the judging kits, visit cannabiscup.com/oregon-2023.