Providers and community programs tell Senate panel SNAP, Medicaid cuts will worsen hunger and health in rural Oregon

Community providers, health‑system researchers and food‑bank leaders told the Senate Interim Committee on Health Care that changes under HR 1 and the end of some pandemic‑era supports threaten food access and health outcomes, particularly in rural and frontier Oregon.

Marcy McMurphy, director of Frontier VeggieRx, testified by remote connection that rural areas lack the part‑time jobs, transportation and training opportunities necessary for residents to meet new SNAP work requirements. “The changes appear fair on paper, but in rural Oregon, they're deeply harmful and unrealistic,” McMurphy said, urging the committee to reconsider or delay implementation for frontier ZIP codes and consider local waivers.

Research evidence and clinical programs: Sarah Roth of Providence’s Center for Outcomes Research and Education summarized decades of research linking food insecurity to worse physical and mental health, greater emergency‑department use and higher rates of chronic disease; she noted that SNAP and WIC participation reduce household food insecurity and that produce‑prescription and clinic‑based food programs can improve diet and some clinical measures.

Providence speakers described practical clinic‑level work to address food needs. Shelley Yoder, Providence’s director of population health, said Providence screens patients for food needs and embeds resource navigators and community partnerships to connect patients to food resources. “Food is the number one need through those screening areas,” Yoder said. Heidi Davis, manager of Providence’s Community Teaching Kitchen, described on‑site culinary education, an on‑site pantry and a campus garden; she reported that in the first six months of 2025 the program served about 2,000 individuals and distributed more than 18,000 meals.

Food bank perspective: Rick Gapo of Marion‑Polk Food Share described rising pantry visits, constrained USDA food supply and increased demand since pandemic supports waned. He said Marion‑Polk Food Share distributes roughly 9 million pounds of food per year (transcript value presented as approximate) and warned that reductions in SNAP and other supports will push more people to pantries and Meals on Wheels providers, creating difficult choices for households.

Academic take: Mark Edwards of Oregon State University said the policy changes risk multiplicative harms when reductions in health coverage and nutrition assistance occur simultaneously: poorer food access will worsen health, and worse health limits work and income, in a reciprocal cycle.

What they asked lawmakers to do: Providers urged the committee to (1) seek flexibility for rural and frontier areas, (2) prioritize continuing investments that support clinic‑to‑community programs (e.g., food pharmacies, teaching kitchens), and (3) consider transitional or waiver mechanisms so that communities with limited jobs and transportation are not disproportionately penalized.

Next steps: Presenters said they will continue community engagement and asked the legislature to consider supports for food‑is‑medicine efforts, SNAP outreach and backing for food banks and community partners as the state models fiscal impacts of HR 1.