Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Oregon PSR's Kelly Campbell (left) and Washington PSR's Carly Brook (right)

Coalition work is a vital part of PSR and PSR chapters’ efforts to connect our core work on nuclear weapons issues to broader social justice issues and social justice work in communities around the country.

PSR spoke with two key coordinators of coalition work from Oregon PSR and from Washington PSR, who each shared their insights into the importance and value of their engagement with coalitions, what they hope will result from that engagement, the specific projects they’ve worked on with coalitions, and the ways that justice forms a component of their work.

For Lluvia Merello, the decision to protest a crude oil train terminal in Northwest Portland is a simple one.

“If we do nothing, then it’s like we’re agreeing,” said Merello, who is an energy justice organizer with Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility. “So for me personally, it’s about being able to say again and again, ‘We’re not okay with this in our community.’”

Take action today to protect the Southern Oregon coast from the Jordan Cove LNG export terminal. This huge fracked gas liquefaction and shipping terminal would dramatically alter and permanently harm people and wildlife throughout the Coos Bay area. Thankfully, Oregon has a state agency that can stop this project through the Coastal Zone Management Program, which requires Jordan Cove LNG to prove that its project is aligned with local and state laws meant to protect Oregon's Coastal Zone.

Submit a comment to the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development asking them to deny the Coastal Zone Management Act certification for Jordan Cove LNG.

Oregon PSR expresses our sincere appreciation to everyone who joined us on the evening of Tuesday, August 6th at the Japanese American Historical Plaza for the annual Portland-area Hiroshima and Nagasaki memorial event. This year's event, The Unequal Impacts of Nuclear Weapons: Hiroshima & Nagasaki Memorial 2019, explored the disproportionate impacts that nuclear weapons have had, and continue to have, on women, children, indigenous communities, and communities of color around the world.

With the support of our members and volunteers, Oregon PSR’s Healthy Climate Program has been able to participate in effective coalitions and advocacy efforts to protect a healthy climate for all Oregonians, and I would like to take a moment to update you on some of our recent efforts. July 2019 was the hottest month ever recorded, underscoring that the voice of public health in promoting a healthy, stable climate is more important than ever.

Oregon PSR staff and members mobilized to advocate for and against a long list of bills in the 2019 state legislative session in Salem this year. The 2019 session yielded a wide range of progressive, health-protective policies and discussions and concluded with a significant handful of long-awaited victories, including support for nuclear disarmament, better oil train safety measures, equal access to roads for all Oregonians, and a major step forward on cleaning up Oregon's dirty diesel problem. Several dangerous measures that would have weakened Oregon's renewable energy goals and created loopholes for new nuclear power were successfully blocked from passage. We thank all those who volunteered their time and energy to advance our mission to protect public health from the gravest threats to survival in the Oregon state legislature this year.

How does the climate crisis affect human health, and which communities are most impacted? This was the central question asked by the People's Climate Movement when they approached PSR chapters to present the Climate, Health, and Equity Town Hall, a webinar focusing on the health impacts of climate change, which people are on the front lines of the crisis, and what can be done about it. Our Healthy Climate Program Director Damon Motz-Storey was joined by PSR Los Angeles Executive Director Martha Argüello, Dr. Maureen McCue of Iowa PSR, and Barb Gottlieb, Program Director of the Environment & Health Program at PSR's national office in Washington, D.C.

Please save the date and plan to join us on Tuesday, August 6th, 6:00 - 7:00 PM at the Japanese American Historical Plaza (NW Naito Parkway and Couch Street on the Portland waterfront) for the annual Portland-area Hiroshima and Nagasaki memorial event. This year's event, The Unequal Impacts of Nuclear Weapons, will explore the disproportionate impacts that nuclear weapons have on women, children, indigenous communities, and communities of color.

Oregon PSR Advisory Board Member Martin Donohoe, MD, FACP is the host of Prescription for Justice, a cable access television show that explores many of the issues that Oregon PSR works on. His latest episodes deal with immigration, history, imperialism, incarceration, and human rights, and features guest Matthew Anderson, MD, Associate Professor of Family Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and co-editor, Social Medicine.