Bynum warns Medicaid cuts could shutter rural Oregon hospitals at Madras town hall | Madras / Warm Springs News
UPDATE: St. Charles President and CEO Dr. Steve Gordon tells Central Oregon Daily News St. Charles Madras is not at risk of closing. His full statement is available on their website. Our previous reporting is below.
Congresswoman Janelle Bynum rallied a crowd in Madras Thursday night, warning that proposed Medicaid cuts could devastate health care in rural Oregon.
Bynum, a Democrat representing Oregon’s 5th District, said the changes in what she calls President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” would hit small communities the hardest.
“Sometimes when the big city catches a cold, the rural areas catch the flu,” Bynum said. “We know these cuts are going to be devastating.”
She was joined by the Oregon Nurses Association, whose president, Tamie Cline, pointed to an independent study showing St. Charles Madras and Good Shepherd Medical Center in Hermiston are at risk of closure without Medicaid funding.
“These cuts are going to close down hospitals,” Cline said. “Without those moneys, they can’t keep their doors open.”
Attendees echoed those concerns. “I think these cuts are not good, because people just need a little bit of help,” said one audience member. “And if that’s good, why not?”
The event also drew attention to who was missing. Republican Congressman Cliff Bentz was invited but did not attend. A community member brought a cardboard cutout of Bentz, which Bynum addressed directly: “I mean, where are you at, boy?”
Bynum told the crowd she’s taking their concerns to Washington but emphasized that their voices are just as critical to keeping rural hospitals open.
