The Oregon Caregiver FALL/WINTER 2024 www.ohca.com 26 Representative Hoa Nguyen, (D-District 48) POLICY MAKER Representative Hoa Nguyen currently represents District 48, which encompasses Damascus and a large section of East Portland. She serves on many committees, including House Education Committee for K-12, House Early Childhood and Human Services, and the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education. She will be serving as Vice Chair on the House Early Childhood and Human Services committee and is very passionate about education equity. Serving as the Vice-Chair in the House Early Childhood and Human Services committee, what have you learned about Oregon’s long term care sector that you didn’t know before you took office? It’s expensive! As care costs rise, it becomes increasingly difficult for families to afford quality long term care. Medicaid, while covering some, does not always cover the full spectrum of care needed, leaving many middle-income families with difficult financial choices. It seems like we are often overlooking the critical needs of our elderly population. I believe that this committee can bridge that gap by expanding its scope to address different challenges in long term care and senior services. I’m at the age where I have aging parents and family members, and I just have been through this process recently, and it was tough navigating the Medicaid system. Even with the knowledge I have and my background in policy, I still had a hard time. I don’t think the system is meant for all working people to navigate. Tell us about your policy interests and why they are important to you. What are you most excited to work on in 2025? As always, my policy interests revolve around anything having to do with K-12 education, as well as childcare, and anything related to human services. This includes foster youth, our aging population, and supporting our immigrant and refugee communities. The thing I am most excited about for this upcoming session is raising awareness of chronic absenteeism. I am currently co-chairing a legislative work group with Senator Weber to address chronic absenteeism in the state of Oregon. I have worked in public education for over ten years addressing this very issue, and in this work, I have case managed hundreds of students and families, addressing challenges around homelessness, poverty, housing, and mental health. I am grateful to be able to bring in my professional lived experience to this work group. We will introduce a series of policies, which will help school districts build out capacity and resources to support students and families to improve their attendance and educational outcomes. What is your favorite thing about Oregon? My favorite thing about Oregon is the trees! I was born and raised in the south, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Coming to Oregon, the trees are one thing I make sure to never take for granted, and I just love the abundance of trees we have here. How will the Legislature continue to help Oregonians prepare for and support the rapidly growing aging population? The aging population is often overlooked. Preparing and supporting a rapidly growing aging population requires a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach. Residents of long term care facilities are entering care with more complex health issues, often including multiple chronic conditions, dementia, PROFILE
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