OHCA Spring/Summer 2019

www.ohca.com SPRING/SUMMER 2019 The Oregon Caregiver 21 PROFILE health issues like dementia and Alzheimer’s. I’m worried about having a workforce that can deal with these people in a caring and humane way. It is so easy to lose patience. We need regulation, but we need compassionate regulation to truly understand the environment these workers are in. What issues are you most excited about working on this session? Revenue for healthcare is my number one issue. I want a tobacco tax. We already passed the provider tax, which was another important issue. I’d also love to see a revenue package for education. I was getting burned out when I was a nurse. I worry about providers and their burnout levels, and I don’t think we take enough care of them. Working with the elderly whomay have cognitive issues and behavioral issues is challenging. Getting people to work with our at-risk and vulnerable population is very tough, especially when that population has mental health issues like dementia and Alzheimer’s. I’m worried about having a workforce that can deal with these people in a caring and humane way. It is so easy to lose patience.