Nurses Union Works To Head Off Oregon Shortage

Jefferson Public Radio | By Geoffrey Riley,

Published March 26, 2018 at 5:06 PM PDT

Nicole Cantu, David Baca, and Dan Richmond talk nursing.

Roughly a third of the people who work as nurses in Oregon are approaching retirement age. So in a few more years, a shortage could result... with perhaps 6,000 nursing positions unfilled by 2025.

These are figures the Oregon Nurses Association provides and wants to avoid.

ONA is working on several fronts to address the issue, including providing scholarships and other educational incentives to get more people to train for nursing jobs. ONA reps walks us through the issues and possible solutions. Also in the discussion: a possible strike against Providence Medford Medical Center.

Geoffrey Riley

Geoffrey Riley marked his tenth anniversary as the full-time host of the Jefferson Exchange at the end of 2019, and his 35th anniversary as a Rogue Valley broadcaster followed soon after.

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April Ehrlich

April Ehrlich began freelancing for Jefferson Public Radio in the fall of 2016, and then officially joined the team as its Morning Edition Host and a Jefferson Exchange producer in August 2017.

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John Baxter

John Baxter decided to add to his legendary history at JPR by returning as interim producer of the Jefferson Exchange. But John's attachment goes back more than three decades. He worked for many years as the program director at JPR, engineering the split from one station into three separate program services, among many other tasks. We're glad to have John take a hiatus from retirement and join us back in the basement.

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