Health & Medicine

Friday afternoon, about 200 moms, dads, and children marched along the sidewalks outside PeaceHealth Medical Center RiverBend in Springfield. They rallied in protest of the hospital’s planned closure of the Nurse Midwifery Birth Center.

Eugene’s low-income residents can soon get improved -and more accessible- care for their teeth and gums.  As KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, the White Bird Clinic is building a new dental facility.

On May 7th, PeaceHealth Oregon announced plans to close their Nurse Midwifery Birth Center by the end of summer. The hospital also made public a partnership with a Eugene-based physician’s group to provide Lane County mothers and families with a range of birth plan choices.

KLCC’s Tiffany Eckert follows up on the controversial Birth Center closure plan and speaks with the CEO of Women’s Care about their plans to pick up where PeaceHealth expects to leave off.

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has a dubious distinction right now. It’s top-ranked nationally as the worst for allergies, according to pollen.com. 

The modern American diet – with its on-the-shelf processed foods in grocery stores, Big Macs and Doritos Locos Tacos at drive-through eateries – has sparked super-sized health problems. That’s bad in itself, but data shows Native Americans suffer higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease than the general population, and diet is a factor.

There’s been a push among tribes to promote traditional, indigenous foods to offset these issues, as well as instill cultural identity among members.  As KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, this effort isn’t without its challenges.

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month and each week KLCC has been addressing a topic surrounding mental health from a local perspective. This week, we’re talking about decriminalizing mental illness and the importance of community.

PeaceHealth Oregon abruptly announced last week that their Nurse Midwifery Birth Center in Springfield will close at the end of August. Soon after, a consumer advocacy group for the Birth Center started a petition to save it.

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. Each week, KLCC addresses a topic surrounding mental health from a local perspective. This week, we’re talking about the mental health of children in Lane County.

PeaceHealth Oregon announced last week it will close the Nurse Midwifery Birth Center in Springfield at the end of August. Some midwives say this will have a significant impact on the Lane County midwifery community and options for expectant mothers.

KLCC’s Tiffany Eckert speaks with retired midwife Sue Trezona who has delivered 3,029 babies in Lane County. Trazona reflects on the history of midwifery in Eugene and the future of the practice following the announcement that PeaceHealth Oregon plans to close the Nurse Midwifery Birth Center in Springfield by the end of August.

PeaceHealth Oregon, the largest health care provider in the region, has announced plans to close its Nurse Midwifery Birth Center in Springfield at the end of August.

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. Over the coming weeks, KLCC will address a variety of topics surrounding mental health from a local perspective. This week, we look at how Lane County Public Health works to prevent and treat mental health issues in a diverse population.   

Expanded walk-in services and a telephone crisis line are part of White Bird Clinic’s new crisis center being developed near Eugene’s Whiteaker neighborhood.

For the past 20 years a local nonprofit has helped Lane County immigrants find support and build community through gardening. KLCC’s Melorie Begay caught up with one family that cooks with food they grow as a way to keep their culture alive.

The Oregon Health Authority announced Friday a third-party review is underway to consider expanding Medicaid coverage for certain chronic pain conditions.

A team of medical providers from Oregon and Washington recently returned from McAllen, Texas where they volunteered at a respite center administered by Catholic Charities. The center, which serves about 300 refugees per day, provides shelter and basic services, including medical care, to migrants who’ve been detained at the U.S. Mexico border.

Flu season saw a spike in late December but in Oregon, health officials report we’ve just hit the peak.