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OHA asks lawmakers to expand state volunteer registry so nonlicensed volunteers can serve year‑round
Summary
The Oregon Health Authority told the Senate Health Care Committee March 18 that Senate Bill 837 would expand and modernize the state emergency volunteer registry (ServeOr) so volunteers—including certain nonlicensed medical‑support and administrative personnel—can be mobilized without a formal emergency declaration and can serve year‑round.
Acting Chair Lisa Reynolds heard testimony March 18 on Senate Bill 837, which would allow the Oregon Health Authority to activate and manage the State Emergency Registry of Volunteers in Oregon (ServeOr) without a formal emergency declaration and expand membership to include medical‑support and administrative volunteers.
Why it matters: OHA said the registry—established in statute 17 years ago—mobilized more than 5,000 volunteers during the COVID‑19 pandemic and delivered tens of thousands of service hours for testing and vaccination missions. The bill would formalize nonemergency uses, allow year‑round volunteer deployments for activities such as health fairs and preventive care events, and clarify liability and deployment authority.
Naomi Adlin Biggs, OHA public‑health director, described ServeOr’s scale and said the dash‑1 amendment clarifies that administrative and support health‑care personnel may join and that ServeOr volunteers would be agents of the state for liability purposes when deployed under the registry. Biggs said the changes aim to reduce freelancing, improve coordination with emergency managers and tribal partners and encourage training and safe deployments.
OHA said enactment would trigger a rule‑making process with partners, new screening and monitoring protocols for nonlicensed volunteers, and expanded evaluation and reporting plans. Committee members asked a few clarifying questions; no opposition testimony was recorded at the hearing.
No formal action was taken; OHA staff said they would respond to follow‑up questions in writing as committee members requested.
