Resilience in Support of Equity (RISE)
Oregon enters a new phase of the pandemic
The Omicron surge has passed. The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has dramatically tapered in Oregon. The people of Oregon got vaccinated, wore masks and scaled-back get togethers to protect each other. And it worked – we saved nearly 6,000 lives and had lower COVID-19 infection and death rates than most other states.
After more than two years of taking effective, science-based public health actions to slow the spread of COVID-19, Oregon has reached a new phase in the pandemic.
Now it’s time to focus on building our resilience to keep COVID-19 at bay. For all of us, that means understanding how we keep informed and protect vulnerable people in our lives. For state health experts, that means supporting decisions people in local communities make to manage their COVID-19 risks. It means listening to local voices to hear how Oregon can foster healthy, thriving and cohesive communities moving forward. And most important, it means working with local partners to finally eliminate the health inequities COVID-19 exposed and worsened in Oregon.
In coming months, as public health interventions lift, our goals will be to save lives by strengthening the resilience of people, schools and communities so they can protect themselves from COVID-19.
RISE – Oregon's 5-point plan for the next phase of COVID-19
This plan – Oregon RISE: Resilience in Support of Equity – outlines priorities Oregon will pursue to monitor COVID-19 spread, shield people at highest risk, reinvigorate our communities and repair our social fabric. Oregon’s five-point plan includes:
- Protecting people who have been most harmed by COVID-19
- Protecting people who are most vulnerable to COVID-19
- Expanding access to vital health care and support a thriving workforce
- Keeping schools open for students, staff and families, and helping students recover instructional time
- Restoring social cohesion by listening to and supporting the priorities of local communities and the steps people can take to protect themselves and others
Our path forward will be shaped by the voices of community as we engage groups throughout the state in the coming months to chart our future. We all have an opportunity to come together to keep COVID-19 in retreat while we recover and rebuild from the far-reaching impacts of the pandemic. Every person in Oregon has an opportunity to RISE.
Oregon’s immediate priorities to strengthen local resilience and speed recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic
In the next 6 months:
- Oregon will collaborate with local partners across the state to develop long-term COVID-19 plans and strategies to keep people safe and eliminate the long-standing health inequities the pandemic has intensified.
- Oregon will distribute thousands of masks, tests and vaccine doses to migrant and seasonal farmworkers and other people at risk in priority communities through partnerships with more than 140 local non-profits, health clinics and other community groups.
- Oregon will continue to keep hundreds of thousands of people in priority communities informed about COVID-19 risks, as well as access to vaccinations, testing and treatment, in 12 languages.
Essential tools for personal COVID-19 protection
COVID-19 is contained but we can’t drop our guard yet. Just like we bring essentials like a map, rain gear and a first aid kit on a hike into new territory, we all need some essentials to help us navigate the next stage of the pandemic. Here are 5 essential tools you can rely on to protect yourself and other people from COVID-19.
Read the plan
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