{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://bynum.house.gov/media/press-releases/bynum-urges-odoj-approve-deal-protect-oregonians-access-healthcare", "Bynum Urges ODOJ to Approve Deal to Protect Oregonians\u2019 Access to Healthcare", "2026-08-07", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "House", "OR", "Janelle S. Bynum", "B001326", "bynum.house.gov", "bynum", "https://bynum.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Today, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05) urged Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield to urgently approve the proposed affiliation between Salem Health and Santiam Hospital. Without action, Santiam Hospital is facing financial challenges that could disrupt care and leave tens of thousands of Oregonians without access to reliable healthcare.\n\nSalem Health proposed an affiliation with Santiam to maintain high quality care and preserve local employment and services. Now, Oregonians are waiting on the Oregon Department of Justice to issue their final decision to approve the affiliation.\n\n\u201cThis is people\u2019s healthcare we\u2019re talking about,\u201d said Rep. Janelle Bynum. \u201cWe can\u2019t afford to wait around for the government to wrap this deal in red tape \u2013 our communities need quality care. I\u2019m calling on our state government to step up to do the right thing, now: get all hands on deck, work through the night if you have to, and approve the proposal.\u201d\n\nIn the letter, Rep. Bynum emphasized the potential impact of a lapse in care on Oregonians, writing:\n\nAt its core, this matter is about ensuring that Oregon families continue to receive reliable healthcare close to home\u2026 Residents throughout the Santiam Canyon and surrounding communities depend on local emergency care, surgical services, primary and specialty care, women\u2019s health and maternity services, and coordinated community-based programs\u2026 If Santiam\u2019s condition deteriorates or services are disrupted, patients and families \u2013 not institutions \u2013 will bear the consequences.\u201d\n\nHospital employees, patients, and local leaders alike are also calling for the affiliation to be approved.\n\n\u201cAs both a patient and the Mayor of Stayton, I support Santiam Hospital because I know firsthand the quality of care it provides,\u201d said Stayton Mayor Brian Quigley. \u201cSantiam Hospital helped save my life, and I will always be grateful for the skilled, compassionate professionals who were there when I needed them most. As mayor, I also recognize the hospital\u2019s vital role in the health and strength of our community. Supporting Santiam Hospital means supporting the people and families who depend on local high-quality healthcare every day.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs a Santiam Hospital employee for the past 12 years, I have had the privilege of caring for the women and families in our community and seeing firsthand the difference compassionate, local healthcare makes,\u201d said Jenna Styoles, Santiam Women's Clinic Manager. \u201cMy connection to Santiam runs deep\u2014my grandmother helped open the doors of this hospital as a member of the very first nursing staff in 1953, and my family, friends, and neighbors have relied on the care provided here for generations. The families in Stayton and our surrounding canyon communities deserve the same access to skilled, timely healthcare as anyone else, because where you live should never determine the care you receive\u2014and when emergencies happen, the minutes truly matter- I have witnessed this firsthand, over and over again. I respectfully ask that this partnership move forward quickly so we can continue protecting access to care for the people who depend on Santiam Hospital.\n\nBackground\n\nSantiam\u2019s current situation:\n\nSantiam experienced a $7.5 million operating loss in 2023 and was unable to stabilize long-term sustainability in 2024 and 2025.\n\nIn the second quarter of 2026, Santiam reported more than $1 million in losses, with projections showing continued unsustainable losses.\n\nIn addition, Santiam faces a major challenge in securing or replacing their electronic health record agreement which expires in June 2027.\n\nThe merger:\n\nThe proposed affiliation with Salem Health includes a $35 million capital investment, assumption of $22 million in debt, access to a replacement Epic electronic health record platform before Santiam's current agreement expires in June 2027, and preservation of local employment and services.\n\nSalem Health has made a commitment to retain employees and continue investing in services.\n\nSantiam leadership believes the affiliation is essential to prevent future insolvency and maintain local access to healthcare in rural Oregon.\n\nThe full text of the letter is available HERE.", 1, "2026-08-08T05:41:38Z", "2026-08-08T05:43:24Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://bynum.house.gov/media/press-releases/bynum-urges-odoj-approve-deal-protect-oregonians-access-healthcare"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.167769940569997, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}