Health Care

"It's been a really challenging couple of years for many reasons and a lot of youth have behavioral health challenges and we need to find the solution," said Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, from Oregon's 1st Congressional District. "There's a lot of issues weighing heavy on the minds of our youth today. The isolation that came from the pandemic, it's been really tough and a lot of students feel like they don't have a place to reach out or someone they can talk to."

Representatives of the University of Oregon and Portland Public Schools briefed Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici on Tuesday about plans for a new degree program that will focus exclusively on children's mental and emotional health.

Linda Reinstein is co-founder and president of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO). Faye Park is president of Public Interest Research Group (PIRG).

Although Congress has yet to pass the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now (ARBAN) Act, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) continue to champion the bill for reintroduction. If passed, the ARBAN Act would prevent thousands of Americans like Alan from suffering or dying from asbestos exposure.

U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici advocated for the funding, along with other projects around the Portland metro area. "I led the effort to provide Virginia Garcia with additional funding to enhance their outstanding care system and expand their dental, pharmacy and primary care services," Bonamici said in a statement. "I'm grateful to President (Joe) Biden for signing the funding bill that will make this expansion possible, and I will continue working to increase access to affordable health care."