Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Testimony split at hearing for HB 2577 telehealth-in-schools pilot; private vendor and school-health advocates clash over model
Summary
House Education heard competing testimony on HB 2577, a proposal to fund a $2 million telehealth pilot in schools intended to expand access to behavioral and primary care, with witnesses sharply divided over vendor models and local partnerships.
The House Education Committee on Feb. 5 heard testimony on House Bill 2577, which would require the Oregon Health Authority to establish a pilot program providing telehealth services in schools, set selection and participation requirements, require reporting, allow rulemaking, and appropriate $2,000,000 from the general fund; the bill declares an emergency and would take effect on passage.
Why it matters: Supporters said a state-run telehealth pilot could expand access to behavioral and primary care for students in rural, frontier and linguistically diverse districts facing workforce shortages. Opponents raised concerns about vendor business models, alignment with existing school-based health services, potential long-term costs and whether state funds would duplicate or crowd out local investments.
Supp…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
