We Can Do Better

09/20/2026

An end of a chapter, We Can Do Better(formerly The Archimedes Movement) current & former staff, board members and founder former Governor John Kitzhaber, M.D. met to celebrate 20 years of work transforming healthcare in Oregon.

Thank you to so many more volunteers and former board members (Travis Stovall, Edna Nyamu, James Barta and more) for helping create this space for healthcare civic engagement in Oregon. It was a good run!

(pictured outgoing Executive Director Amy Fellows, Founder John Kitzhaber, Allies for a Healthier Oregon Coordinator Suzanne Hansche, former founding staff: Julie Magers, Matt Webber, Rick Ray outgoing Board Members: Kimmy Schenter, Laura Raymond, Helen Ying and founding Executive Director Liz Baxter)

04/21/2026

Content Warning: solitary confinement, mental illness, incarceration

Solitary confinement doesn't just isolate — it makes people sicker. And for people with mental illness in prison, it makes symptoms worse and strips away their basic humanity. Being locked in a 6×9-foot cell for 23 or more hours a day, cut off from human contact and denied adequate care are civil rights violations hiding in plain sight.

The Oregon Justice Resource Center is fighting to end this practice and hosting a one-day symposium in that's worth your time.

Hear from disability rights advocates, policy experts, and people who survived solitary confinement in Oregon prisons — and leave knowing how to take action.

🗓 May 2 | Hoffmann Hall, Portland State University
🥐 Light breakfast + hearty lunch included

Tickets:
• General admission: $45
• Students: $25
• Formerly incarcerated: Free
• Oregon attorneys (CLE credits pending): $100
• Scholarships available

👉🏼 Register at ojrc.info/solitary-conference

04/18/2026

Upcoming Opportunities for Public Input from I/DD Community 📣

Oregon's Office of Developmental Disability Services (ODDS) is hosting a series of Community Conversations around the state as ODHS prepares its Agency Request Budget for 2027-2029.

Make your voice heard! Come share what matters most to you about I/DD supports and services.

Upcoming Community Conversations:

For Self-Advocates, Families, and Caregivers
🔹April 21 - Oregon City
🔹April 22 - Portland
🔹April 23 - Redmond
🔹April 29 - Pendleton
🔹May 6 - Eugene
🔹May 7 - Medford

For Partners and Providers
🔹April 21 - Oregon City
🔹April 22 - Portland
🔹April 24 - Redmond
🔹April 29 - Pendleton
🔹May 7 - Medford
🔹May 8 - Eugene

For All Community Members
🔹May 11 - English language Zoom meeting

🔗Learn more and register here: https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/engagement/pages/odds-engagement.aspx

04/08/2026

Autonomous vehicles could expand transportation options for people with disabilities — but only if accessibility is required from the beginning.

The City of Portland’s current proposal does not guarantee equal, direct service for wheelchair users. As written, accessibility is treated as a goal, not a requirement.

That leaves too much room for companies to fall short.

Wheelchair access is a civil right. It must be built into the system — not added later or outsourced.

We’re urging the City to pause and make changes that:
• Require companies to provide their own wheelchair-accessible vehicles
• Ensure equal service in availability, response times, service area, and pricing
• Strengthen safety and liability protections

📧 If you’re in Portland, email a public comment by Friday, April 10 to
[email protected]

Then stay updated at: portland.gov/transportation/code-rule-updates/news/2026/2/18/updates-trn-1434-automated-vehicles

Thank you for sharing your opinion and this post, so more people can weight in!

02/26/2026

Oregon lawmakers want more information from PeaceHealth as the organization shifts to a different emergency medical care provider.

02/11/2026

🚨 Save Our ER Docs! PeaceHealth is threatening to replace local hospital ER doctors in Springfield, Florence and Cottage Grove with temporary workers from a large, out-of-state corporate medicine group. Sign on to support local providers and stop PeaceHealth from outsourcing your healthcare! https://ow.ly/7aZg50YcYu6

02/10/2026

PeaceHealth's decision to change emergency room staffing means long-time doctors, including one with deep community ties, are leaving. bit.ly/4kuHihU

02/08/2026

02/08/2026

🏛️ Tell Your Legislators—No Cuts to Disability Services!

Oregon lawmakers are facing a big budget shortfall. The state has fewer federal dollars coming in, and stakes are HIGH for people with disabilities. Parental Income Disregard (PID)—the policy that allows children with disabilities to access critical services—is one of the programs on the chopping block.

Before PID, hundreds of Oregon children with intellectual and developmental disabilities were institutionalized. This policy changed lives. Cutting it sends a message that our most vulnerable children are disposable.

🎥 Watch this powerful video from an Oregon mom fighting to keep services for her child: https://ow.ly/Vrwr50YawAz

👉 Then take 2 minutes to email your legislators using this form: https://ow.ly/uXo650YawAy >

Our message is simple: NO CUTS TO DISABLED CHILDREN'S SERVICES.

01/30/2026

Take Action and Stay Updated There are lots of ways you can take action. Share why an issue is important to you, follow us, sign petitions and ask your legislator to support the rights of people with disabilities, and subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay informed. Advocate for Accessible Hous...