r/PortlandOR

Well... it's not complete, but it's the closest it's ever been.

Oregon's Universal Health Plan Governance Board is finishing up their arduous task of developing a transition plan for our state to move to universal healthcare.

See the draft report here. See all materials from the October 8th meeting here. Click on the + sign on the right of the screen to view all materials.

Their next meeting is in one week, on October 15th.

Submit your public comments directly to the Board here.
Share your written comments by Sunday, October 11th, to be part of the public record for their October 15th meeting.

Register to give verbal public comment 24 hours in advance of the meeting.
Register to speak for ~ 2 minutes here. Register to watch the meeting here.

More Background:
Oregon's Universal Health Plan Governance Board has been tasked with developing a plan for how Oregon can finance, administer, and transition to a Universal Health Plan for every Oregon resident. This Board was created by Senate Bill 1089 in 2022, and they have been working for 31 months developing the best plan in the country for how a state can move to a single-payer system. We can say its the best because... we are the only state with a plan like this.

The Board is discussing, deliberating, and (very likely) voting to complete this report on the 15th of October. The report will go to DCBS (The Department of Consumer and Business Services) for processing and translations, before it is delivered to the Oregon Legislature on December 1st.

Once the report is complete, our legislators will focus on this issue in the 2027 legislative session, and will take this report/framework and put it into a bill. We (Health Care for All Oregon, HCAO) advocate for the legislature to bring this to Oregon voters in 2028.

Take Action:
Sign this petition, to put pressure on our elected officials to prioritize this issue in the 2027 session.

Sign our thank-you letter to the Board. Is there still a lot of work to do in 2027? Absolutely. Is this substantial work, worth applauding? Yes.

Volunteer with Health Care for All Oregon. The next two years will be a wild ride. Join us to help make history?

https://preview.redd.it/fa5v885zsiuh1.png?width=1437&format=png&auto=webp&s=1631160db0d6422641aa10d97ff5e05f16b9e21f

Do people around here just not know how to drive?

The title should have read. This is how Providence save my life. So it all started about 9 days ago when I thought I had the flu and was throwing up dark vial and thought it was something that I just ate. It was possibly coming down with the flu. I had a fever and couldn't hold anything down for like 4 days. By day five I finally got something to eat that I was able to hold down and went in to go to work because I needed money to pay rent. I was able to work only for a couple hours before seeing a close friend come in and her look into my eyes and tell me that I wasn't there. I'm sorry I'm crying right now. The way she looked at me and right through me made me know that something wasn't okay. So I went home. After laying down for a couple hours. I instantly started throwing up violently again more of the same. My stubborn ass wouldn't call 911 and continue to fight it through the night. I reached out to my parents and they told me to get help as soon as I could and so I called my brother and said you need to come get me and take me to the hospital or I'm not going to make it. My brother rushed over got me in the back of his car where I laid down and rushed me to a hospital. She asked me where I wanted to go and the closest hospital was advantis. My brother said the reviews. They were horrible. And so I directed him to go where I'd been contracted for years but never been a patient now. Remember through all this I've never been in a hospital other than working there. So my brother rushed me to Providence medical Center, the cancer Tower to get me help. I went into surgery immediately. I had a separated hernia that had blocked my bowel movement and was not able to get anything out of my body that it made me so sick. They cut me open patched my hernia cut out any dead intestine that there was. That was Saturday. I've been here ever since. Today is now Friday. I had to have another procedure done yesterday to put a drain into my back to remove fluid that wasn't getting out. So that's was one complication. Setting back my recovery. At this point my hospital bill had to be close to $200,000. I came in here with zero insurance. Sarah from Providence financing came in to visit me and wanted to collect money and asked if I had insurance and I didn't had none. So she stayed and prayed with me. This Angel above came back to me within 24 hours and told me she had every penny paid for by the state of Oregon and then my coverage would continue once I left here and anything going further would be covered. The nurses, the doctors. Everyone has been so kind and so amazing. Since I've been here I don't know what I would have done without any of them. I would be dead. I owe my my life in in continuing forward coming out here, not financially strapped to the wonderful people of Providence medical Center and I couldn't say any more than if I haven't said enough. If this comes to a hard read. It's because I'm on a lot of medication right now and I'm trying to fight back tears to get this message out. But that is why I owe my life in a restart and a chance to recover both financially and medically because of Providence. What amazing people. It has inspired me that when I get out of here I'm going back to school because I want to work with them and be part of their team and save people myself. I'm going to become a nurse. So thank you Providence thank you nurses thank you doctors and thank you God.

All Weekend

Portland Retro Gaming Expo 2026 | Oregon Convention Center
Roux 2026 | Multiple venues (The Hoxton & Pamana, Gado Gado, Fireside, CASCADA)
Stranger Things the Musical Parody | Funhouse Lounge
Guys & Dolls | Dolores Winningstad Theatre

Friday, Oct 9

Adivino Gallery Opening Celebration | Adivino Gallery
Laura May at NW Growlers | NW Growlers
The Dresden Dolls | Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Carín León – De Sonora Para El Mundo Tour 2026 | Moda Center
Free Game Fridays | The People's Courts
Red Yarn at Sellwood Community House | Sellwood Community House

Saturday, Oct 10

PSU Farmers Market Bike Ride | SE Clinton and 41st
Matt Rife: Stay Golden World Tour | Moda Center
Great Willamette Cleanup | Multiple sites along the Willamette River
Sharktoberfest at OMSI | OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry)
The Color Run – Portland | Portland International Raceway
Foot Traffic & Altra Fantasy Run and Walk | Foot Traffic on 23rd

Sunday, Oct 11

Corvidae BC Fall Foliage Bike Ride | Peninsula Park
Jimbo Scott & Yesterday's Biscuits | Alberta Street Pub
Sunday Funday Drag Brunch | Darcelle XV Showplace
DJ Skills For Beginners | North Portland Library

I send out these lists every day in a newsletter, free to subscribe

I have almost seven years of security experience. I Do have security licenses from my hometown in Florida, but they’re going to be expired soon. I five years of working as a warehouse, and a year of hospitality experience and have been applying to jobs for over a month, have had interviews as well.

Who is hiring? What else can I do, my resume is specific.

Thank you

Hi everyone!

Thank you so much for the incredible response to the initial idea for an 18+ platonic meet-up/ “meh-up” group!

It’s clear there is a huge demand for a space focused purely on building genuine, platonic friendships—whether you’re single or taken, introverted or extroverted, 18 or 75+, no cap.

Our goal is simple: create a relaxed, safe environment with clear boundaries and zero expectations.

How Gatherings Will Work

• Low Social Friction: Unstructured "mingle" events can be tough for introverts. To remove social anxiety, we’ll use micro-facilitation—gathering as a group and then splitting into small clusters of 3 to 4 with optional, low-stakes discussion prompts.
• Strictly Platonic: To keep everyone safe and comfortable, romantic solicitation and commercial promotion are strictly off-limits. This is purely about authentic friendship.
• Free & Accessible: Gatherings will be anchored in free public spaces (parks with covered shelter, libraries, and local cafes) with transit access.

Current Location Ideas

• Parks: Pier Park (St. Johns), Glenn Otto Park (Troutdale), Red Sunset Park (Gresham), A.M. Kennedy Park (Beaverton), Elizabeth Caruthers Park (South Waterfront), Wallace Park (NW Portland).
• Indoor Spaces / Libraries: East County Library, St. Johns Library, West Linn Library, Ledding Library (Milwaukie), Midland Library, and Attention Coffee (Sellwood).

(Have another free/accessible community space in mind? Let me know!)

Next Steps & How to Get Involved

I am finalizing the group culture and safety guidelines so everyone knows what to expect before attending.

RSVP / Connect: DM me here, email me at alchemyph1@gmail.com, or join the new subreddit at 

r/platonicbydesign.

Pre-Event Check-in: Before our first in-person gathering, I’ll coordinate a quick virtual meet-and-greet/check-in so everyone can get introduced and review group norms together.

Thank you again for all the support—I’m looking forward to building this community with you all!