Ben Botkin - Oregon Capital Chronicle
Ben Botkin covers justice, health and social services issues for the Oregon Capital Chronicle. He has been a reporter since 2003, when he drove from his Midwest locale to Idaho for his first journalism job. He has written extensively about politics and state agencies in Idaho, Nevada and Oregon. Most recently, he covered health care and the Oregon Legislature for The Lund Report. Botkin has won multiple journalism awards for his investigative and enterprise reporting, including on education, state budgets and criminal justice.
Moving beyond addiction: Oregonians have mixed feelings about new deflection programs
Those who responded to a Capital Chronicle survey expressed concerns about long-term funding and access to treatment in newly-established deflection programs.
Moving beyond addiction: In eastern Oregon, drug use often lurks in the shadows
Small Oregon communities have the same addiction problems as big ones but they often have far fewer resources, with people spread out over large areas.
Moving beyond addiction: Clatsop County’s deflection program shows some success
Clatsop County has one of the state’s highest homeless rates and is awash with fentanyl but its new deflection program is steering some drug users toward recovery
Moving beyond addiction: Portland-area advocates, police see signs of improvement
New deflection programs in Multnomah and Washington counties try to steer people towards treatment, but officials do not expect a quick turnaround.
Oregon union asking lawmakers to pass worker safety bills
Health care workers, prison staff and state hospital employees are among those with safety concerns, a survey shows.
Oregon health researchers, Wyden decry Trump’s ‘lawless’ efforts to cut funding
Trump’s desired research funding cuts – now blocked by courts – would hamper Oregon research into Alzheimer’s, cancer and diabetes.
Oregon U.S. Rep. Salinas pushes for mental health care in bill
U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas wants to set a minimum standard of three free behavioral health visits a year for people enrolled in Medicaid or Medicare.
Providence reaches tentative agreement with Oregon nurses on strike
Nurses at eight Oregon hospitals will remain on strike while members vote on the tentative agreements with Providence this week.
Amid mounting scrutiny, Oregon Department of Corrections shakes up health care division
The state corrections agency ousted two top health care officials, including its chief of medicine, and plans a comprehensive review.
Oregon judge issues 14-day temporary order halting Grants Pass homeless ordinance
A judge blocked a Grants Pass law that restricts homeless people to pitching tents at one site in the city.