Health Care

Portland’s healing community is at the heart of a state known for innovation in healthcare delivery, biomedical breakthroughs, and rigorous exploration of alternative therapies. It began with the Sisters of Providence in the days before statehood. Portland was an early adopter of the Kaiser model during its shipbuilding heyday in the 1940s, and Kaiser Permanente Northwest—as well as its Center for Health Research—continues to be a trendsetter in health care. This spirit of experimentation paved the way for the exciting advances in health reform and cutting-edge legislation that comprised the Oregon Health Plan. Initiated through a series of laws enacted from 1989 to 1995, this program provides health insurance to low-income residents, including the working poor, seniors, people with disabilities, children, and pregnant women. While, like most states, budget shortfalls have recently strained the Oregon Health Plan, Oregon is well prepared to meet the challenges of national health care reform because of this important public health experience.

Another notable trend suggests that Portland is in the forefront of a worldwide movement to integrate health-care modalities: a growing number of health plans offer coverage of visits to chiropractors and acupuncturists. The Western States Chiropractic College, Oriental College of Oriental Medicine, National College of Naturopathic Medicine, and East-West College of Healing Arts, which train these practitioners, are thus important features of the health-care landscape; these institutions offer, in addition to their training programs, clinical services for a variety of conditions.

Portland is also the home of influential medical research. Notably, Oregon Health and Science University’s (OHSU) Brian Druker and his laboratory developed the first chemotherapy drug that specifically targets cancer cells and leaves healthy cells alone. This drug, called Gleevec, works by preventing the proteins in chronic myeloid leukemia cells from binding together—and therefore from multiplying. This drug proved for the first time that targeted therapy was feasible and effective—the shot heard round the world in the war on cancer.

Overview

The Portland healthcare landscape is defined by a number of major health systems: Kaiser Permanente, Legacy, Providence, Oregon Health & Science University, and Adventist health systems are the anchors of the healthcare system, especially if you have health insurance. The hospitals associated with these systems are listed below, but each of these hospitals also has associated clinics and other services for routine care. State of Oregon tax law requires hospitals to report on their benefits to the community, and each of these systems produces a comprehensive report detailing these benefits; these are available on the health systems websites and are invaluable resources detailing their activities and priorities.