After asking several organizations for specific information on the loss of doctors at Oregon Medical Group (OMG) I still don’t have good data. What I do know is that when our local medical community is expressing alarm, and the number of patients without doctors now could be in the thousands, we have a growing crisis in access to basic health care. The Oregonian covered the story on March 27.

House Bill 4136, sponsored by Rep. Nancy Nathanson, D-Eugene, and backed by five other lawmakers with ties to the area, includes money to fund an extra Eugene-Springfield ambulance crew, a new path for out-of-state nurses to get temporary licenses and an "innovation fund" to help Lane County pay for pilot programs meant to reduce the area's reliance on hospitals and emergency medical services. Register-Guard Feb. 16, 2024 Listen to OPB Think Out Loud March 5, 2024: How the closure of Eugene’s only hospital is impacting emergency services.

State Rep. Nancy Nathanson, a Eugene Democrat who is cosponsoring the new bill, told The Lund Report that pharmacies continue to be driven out of business by pharmacy benefit managers, the outsized intermediaries that negotiate drug prices between insurers and manufacturers. “The bottom line is that patients need access to affordable prescription drugs,” Nathanson said. “And one fundamental piece of that is keeping pharmacies open to fulfill those prescriptions.” Full article in The Lund Report, Jan. 30, 2024

In the ever-evolving landscape of the digital age, Oregon is gearing up to fortify its defenses against cyber threats with a groundbreaking initiative—the Oregon Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (OCCOE). Representative Nancy Nathanson—co-sponsor of the bill—emphasized the urgency. “The threat of cyber warfare and ransomware is real and not just a theoretical discussion,” Nathanson stated. PSU Vanguard February 1, 2024.

Oregon state Rep. Nancy Nathanson was a champion for the installation of this camera and helped secure some state funding for it.