Former Governor John Kitzhaber to Address Healthcare Crisis in October

As Senate President, Kitzhaber authored and implemented the groundbreaking Oregon Health Plan.

Former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber speaking at Oregon State University

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber will address the growing national health care crisis and promote his grassroots Archimedes Movement on Tuesday, October 9th from 4:00 to 5:00 PM at the Buckley Center Auditorium on the University of Portland campus, 5000 N. Willamette Blvd.

Kitzhaber, a medical physician who governed Oregon from 1995-2003, launched the Archimedes Movement in January 2006 in an effort to effect statewide health care reform. His initiative is intended to build a meaningful opportunity for engagement through which the growing concern over the health care system can be channeled into effective action.

Attendees will be invited to ask questions following Kitzhaber's presentation. Complete information on the Archimedes Movement can be found at archimedesmovement.org. Kitzhaber is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Oregon Medical School. He practiced emergency medicine in Roseburg for more than 15 years before being elected to the State House of Representatives in 1978. Following a two-year term, Kitzhaber served in the Oregon Senate for 12 years (1981-93), the latter eight as Senate President.

As Senate President, Kitzhaber authored and implemented the groundbreaking Oregon Health Plan. Since 2003, Kitzhaber has served as President of the Estes Park Institute, which conducts six annual educational conferences for community hospitals. He also serves as the Director for the Center for Evidence Based Policy at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, and holds an endowed Chair on Health Care Policy with The Foundation for Medical Excellence, an Oregon-based public, non-profit educational foundation. For more information, contact Anna Lageson-Kerns at (503) 943-8327 or lageson@up.edu.