Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

“A short drive from Portland, thousands of people, a rural health clinic, businesses, and senior housing are without safe tap water, while some places don’t have running water at all.”

That’s what Oregon Public Broadcasting recently reported from the Warm Springs Reservation. 19 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on the reservation last week, making the lack of water and low water pressure even more urgent. The latest shortage is partially attributed to a break near where a repair was made to address the Warm Springs water crisis in 2019, but infrastructure issues have persisted for many years.

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and in order to maintain appropriate physical distancing, Oregon PSR has closed our downtown Portland office effective June 25th, 2020.

In March 2020, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an approval of the Jordan Cove LNG export terminal and Pacific Connector fracked gas pipeline. They did so on the condition that the project owner, Pembina, must get all necessary permits in order to move forward with the project. Thanks to your efforts, along with thousands of more who have followed the leadership of southern Oregonians opposed to the project, Oregon has not issued any of three essential permits for Jordan Cove LNG. Despite this, the federal government is trying to push the project through and threaten landowners with eminent domain.

On July 23rd, 2020, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility offered this testimony on Police Accountability Legislative Concepts, with a focus on the health impacts of tear gas and flashbang or pressure grenades. We support the concerns raised in the joint testimony submitted by Unite Oregon, PAALF, Urban League, Rose City Justice, and other organizations.

"It has been shocking to see the clouds of tear gas filling American cities and images of peaceful protesters and bystanders caught up in them."

Portland police use tear gas against protesters in downtown Portland. Photo credit: KOIN-6.

We commend and support Portland City Commissioners Jo Ann Hardesty and Chloe Eudaly for calling for a ban on the use of tear gas on protesters demanding justice for Black Lives. We also applaud and support Commissioner Hardesty for calling for the removal of the Gun Violence Reduction Team (formerly known and still behaving as the Gang Enforcement Team), School Resource Officers, and Transit Police from the Portland Police Bureau's budget.

Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) mourns the death of George Floyd and condemns the practices of police brutality that historically and currently target Black communities and communities of color. 

Read Oregon PSR’s letter to Governor Brown detailing our concerns and about incarcerated Oregonians during the Covid-19 pandemic.

On May 18th, 2020, nearly 100 medical professionals and public health experts sent a letter to Oregon leaders asking for wildfire resilience measures to be funded as a preventative measure to protect from smoke during the Oregon wildfire season. Early evidence shows that exposure to fine particulate matter in smoke and air pollution may greatly increase COVID-19 mortality rates. By investing in preventative measures such as wildfire education and air filtration in homes and shelters, Oregon leaders can help increase resilience to COVID-19 as the summer wildfire season intensifies.

We know that young people are vitally important in creating a better world now and for future generations. For the twelfth consecutive year, we have organized the Greenfield Peace Writing Scholarship to encourage Oregon’s youth to reflect on some of the most pressing issues of our time. On Saturday, April 25th, we honored the 2020 high school student winners at our online awards ceremony. The theme of the evening was the intersection between climate justice and immigrant justice.