Think Out Loud

Menstrual products like tampons typically have an absorbency level listed on the side of their packaging. But until recently, that absorbency had never been measured with actual blood. Saline, a simpler and less viscous fluid, has been the default test liquid since absorbency standards were first set in the 1980s. However, researchers at Oregon Health and Science University recently tested the absorbency of products like menstrual cups, discs and period underwear, in addition to tampons and pads, with real blood in an effort to better diagnose heavy menstrual bleeding.

Bethany Samuelson Bannow is an associate professor of medicine at OHSU and a co-author of the study. She joins us to explain why research like this hasn’t been conducted before and what the findings could mean.

In Southwest Oregon, Douglas firs are dying. And warmer temperatures along with more severe droughts are making the problem worse. What does this mean for the future of forests in places like Ashland? How should fire prone communities handle stands of dead trees which can act as fuel for wildfires? Max Bennett is a retired extension forester with Oregon State University. He led research on Douglas fir mortality. Chris Chambers is the forest officer for the city of Ashland. We learn more about what this means for the region, what's being done to reduce wildfire risk and how Oregonians should be thinking about forests. 

Nearly 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in statehouses across the U.S in 2023. While many were defeated, the ACLU has tracked more than 80 bills that were passed into law. These include measures banning gender-affirming care for minors, banning trans athletes from playing in K-12 sports and prohibiting minors from attending drag story hours and shows. While some of these laws are currently being challenged in court, the growing number of these types of laws is leading to a queer migration of people to places like Oregon that have stronger protections for the LGBTQ+ community, according to service providers here.

Katie Cox is the executive director of the Equi Institute. Meg Miranda is the integrated health program manager at Outside In. And Jesse, whose full name we won’t be using for his protection, is a transplant from Missouri. They all join us now to share more on this trend and what it means for Oregon as a whole.

Next month, the city of Vancouver will open the newly redesigned Chelsea Anderson Memorial Play Station at Marshall Park. But this isn’t your typical playground. For one thing, wood chips have been replaced with smooth surfaces to allow children in wheelchairs easy access to play features, including a merry-go-round and swing, modified for their use and enjoyment. Instead of an abundance of steel and plastic, natural elements also abound, from a sensory garden to water features and a sandy play area for kids to explore and interact with. Harper’s Playground, a Portland-based nonprofit, entered into a partnership in 2018 with Vancouver city officials to design and raise the funds to build the $4 million fully accessible playground. G Cody QJ Goldberg, the co-founder and chief play officer of Harper’s Playground, explains his model for “radically inclusive” playgrounds and the personal motivation which drives his work. 

Tim Bond will become Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s newest artistic director at the end of this week.  He takes over at a time of turmoil for the company, which is still fundraising millions of dollars to cover the costs of the 2023 season. OSF’s executive director left in January. The previous artistic director, Nataki Garrett, left in April after leading the organization through the pandemic and multiple fires, and facing death threats for her play choices. Bond joins us to talk about what comes next for the nearly 100 year old organization. 

On Sept. 1, people who suffer from fentanyl addiction in the Portland area will have a new place to go for 3-7 days while they get treatment. The nonprofit Recovery Works NW used Measure 110 funding to open the 16-bed treatment center, which will be staffed around the clock 365 days a year. Recovery Works NW has been working with doctors providing outpatient medical assisted opiate treatment for years, and aims to provide better treatment for fentanyl users with this inpatient model. Joe Bazeghi, the director of engagement with Recovery Works NW, tells us about the new center and the need for this kind of treatment in the Portland area.

Ann Patchett’s latest novel is set during the pandemic, but it is also set in the past. The main character, a mother of three adult daughters, tells her children the story of her own youthful romance with a man who is now a famous movie star. The story is told over long days picking cherries on their family farm, where everyone has gathered together for the lockdown. Though the central story revolves around the mercurial movie star, the real focus of the book is the relationship between mothers and daughters, the lives that parents led before they were parents, and what the stories of our past tell us about ourselves. Ann Patchett joins us for a conversation about her new book, "Tom Lake," ahead of her event in Portland.

Sophia Weiss is the owner of Firebird Farms, a working ranch nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains outside of Ashland. But you won’t find any Angus beef cattle roaming and grazing on the rolling hills of her 200-acre property. Instead, you’ll find a herd of about 80 Tibetan yaks which Weiss has carefully bred and built up from a pair she acquired nearly a decade ago off a Craigslist ad. 

In October, the USDA Rural Development office awarded Weiss nearly $235,000 to market and develop a range of new products made from her yaks. The federal agency awarded similar grants to 10 other small Oregon farms which it announced last month, in honor of “National Ag Day 2023”. Weiss is now using the grant dollars to work with mills in the Pacific Northwest to process the yak wool she harvests by hand to make into yarn and other textile goods in the coming months. Sophia Weiss joins us to talk about her farm and why she’s bullish about the future of yak ranching in Oregon and the nation. 

A new audit from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office found that the current healthcare structure for Medicaid pharmacy benefit managers lacks transparency and is too complex to properly measure its value. Pharmacy benefit managers are the go-between for drug manufacturers and wholesalers. They are responsible for paying and processing prescription drug claims, creating preferred drug lists, negotiating on behalf of pharmacies and more.  Ian Green is the audit manager for the Secretary of State's  audits division. He joins us to share more on what his office found and the changes they’re recommending.

The city of Portland has had the dubious distinction of being the only city of its size where police officers do not wear body cameras. Last spring, the police union and the city came to an agreement to move forward with body-worn cameras. Now, 150 officers are wearing them in a 60-day pilot project that began this week. OPB’s Jonathan Levinson joins us with details.