NEWS RELEASE

Contact:  Tanya Gross, (503) 986-1605                                                                                                                For Release:  February 15, 2006

 

President Courtney Names Health Commission

 

            Salem–Senate President Peter Courtney today announced appointments to the Senate Commission on Health Care Access and Affordability, a new bipartisan panel of legislators, business leaders, community leaders and health care experts charged with recommending ways for the Legislature to cut costs and provide more access to health care.

            “There is no more important issue today than health care. Oregonians are hurting. They can’t pay their medical bills. We have to go after the problems,” said Courtney (D-Salem/Gervais/Woodburn). “This group of great people has the raw talent and ability to come up with ideas the public and the legislature will support.”

            Courtney named Sen. Alan Bates chairman of the commission. Bates said, “More than 600,000 Oregonians do not have health insurance. We want to increase access to affordable health care for these Oregonians who have nowhere to turn.”

            Members of the new Senate Commission on Health Care Access and Affordability are:

 

Chair

§         Sen. Alan Bates (D-Ashland): Doctor with a 25-year private practice as an osteopath in southern Oregon. State senator representing Ashland, Jacksonville, Medford, Phoenix and Talent. Senate Interim Committee on Natural Resources and Alternative Energy member. Senate Budget Subcommittee on Human Services member in 2005 legislative session. Elected to Oregon Senate in 2004 and Oregon House in 2000.

 

Vice Chair

§         Sen. Ben Westlund (I-Tumalo): State senator representing Bend, Redmond and Sisters. Emergency Board member. Senate Human Services Agency Oversight committee vice-chair. Appointed to Oregon Senate in 2003. Elected to Oregon House in 1996.

 

 

Members

§         Ken Allen: Oregon AFSCME Council 75 executive director. Oregon AFL-CIO vice president. AFSCME International vice president. Port of Portland commissioner. Inside Oregon Enterprises board member.

 

§         Ike Apodaca: Donde (Latino marketing and public relations firm) managing partner.  Governor’s Small Business Council member. Medford/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce Latino Network chair. Former health care supplies business owner.

 

§         Michael Becker: Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon vice president and director of public policy and community affairs. Former senior associate general counsel and interim chief legal officer for Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon.

 

§         Jan Buffa: Marion Polk Community Health Advantage Plan chief executive officer. MVIPA Mutual Employers Trust executive plan administrator. Mid Valley Independent Physicians Association chief executive officer. Salem Hospital Foundation board member.

 

§         Jerry Cohen: AARP Oregon State Director. Former AARP legislative representative in Kansas City, Missouri. Former University of Missouri-Kansas City head of research and training center on aging and developmental disabilities.

 

§        Russ Danielson: Providence Health System in Oregon chief executive. Former Providence Portland Medical Center chief operating officer. Oregon Business Council board member. Transition Projects, Inc., board member. Citizens Commission on Homelessness member.

 

§         Dr. Bruce Goldberg: Oregon Department of Human Services director. Former Oregon Department of Human Services’ Office for Health Policy and Research administrator. Former Oregon Health and Science University faculty member. Family physician.

 

§         Maribeth Healey: Oregonians for Health Security executive director. Former Service Employees International Union Florida state director. Former Save Our Everglades deputy campaign director. Florida Democratic Party director of field operations.   

 

§         Maribeth Healey: Oregonians for Health Security executive director. Oregon Medical Insurance Pool Governing Board member. Former Oregon Health Policy Commission Cost work group ad-hoc member.

 

 

§         Dr. Weston W. Heringer, Jr.: Oregon Dental Association president. Salem dentist. Oregon Health and Science University School of Dentistry pediatric dentistry residency program director. Former Salem Hospital dental department chairman.

 

§         Susan King: Oregon Nurses Association executive director. Registered nurse. St. Vincent’s Medical Center emergency room nurse. American Nurses Association board member. Former community health nurse. Former Oregon State Board of Nursing board member.

 

§         Dr. Norwood Knight-Richardson: Oregon Health and Science University adjunct associate professor of psychiatry. Former Legacy/Emanuel Hospital chief of psychiatry. National Advisory Mental Health Council member.

 

§         Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson (D-Gresham): Registered nurse. Former community health nurse. State senator representing Fairview, Gresham, Troutdale and Wood Village. Senate Committee on Children’s Health Care chair. Senate Health Policy Committee chair in 2005 legislative session. Elected to Oregon Senate in 2004 and Oregon House in 2000. 

 

§         Dr. John C. Moorhead: Oregon Health and Science University Department of Emergency Medicine professor. Oregon Medical Association past president. American College of Emergency Physicians member.

 

§         Sen. Frank Morse (R-Albany): State senator representing Corvallis, Albany and surrounding communities. Legislative Emergency Board member. Public Commission on the Oregon Legislature member. Elected to Oregon Senate in 2002. Samaritan Albany General Hospital Board chairman. Samaritan Health Services board chairman.

 

§         Steve Petruzelli: Willamette Dental Management Corporation president and chief executive officer. Wye River Group on Healthcare/Foundation for America Health Care Leadership member. National Association of Dental Plans member. Pacific University School of Dental Health Science steering committee member.

 

§         Megan Sweeney: SEIU Oregon State Council executive director. Former Americans for Health Care senior health policy analyst. Former SEIU research analyst. 

 

§         Carl Wojciechowski: Fred Meyer vice president for human resources. Society for Human Resource Management member. International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans member. Oregon Teamster Employees Trust employer trustee. Oregon Bakers Union Trust employer trustee. Portland Area UFCW 555 Employees Health Trust employer trustee.

 

§         Dr. Richard Wopat: Family physician in Lebanon, Oregon. Oregon Health and Science University clinical professor of family medicine. Vice president and chief quality officer for Samaritan Health Services in Benton, Lincoln and Linn counties.