HERMISTON, Ore.-Good Shepherd Health Care System (GSHCS) hosted a Legislative Breakfast highlighting the last year at the hospital and providing an overview of continued expansion.
Senator Todd Nash (R), who represents Oregon’s 29th Legislative District and Travis Muewissen, Director of Government Affairs for the Hospital Association of Oregon attended the breakfast.
“This is my first time here, it’s always nice to learn more about the district I serve,” said Sen. Nash. “This is a very progressive facility, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how they are moving forward and what they already have to keep patients local and benefit the community.”
Sarah Theall, Field Representative for Congressman Cliff Bentz (R), 2nd District, Jessica Keys, the Eastern Oregon Field Representative for Senator Jeff Merkley (D), Andrew Cutler, the Eastern Oregon Field Representative for Senator Ron Wyden (D), and Representative Greg Smith (R) District 57, who attended virtually, were also in attendance, as were GSHCS Administration and members of the Board of Trustees.
“The most important part of a legislative breakfast is getting to know one another and building working relationships with our legislators and legislative field representatives,” said Art Mathisen, GSHCS President and CEO.
Mathisen provided a brief overview of the health care system’s growth over the past year, highlighting expanded and new services vital to the health care needs of the communities they serve. He spoke to the strategic partnerships with the Hermiston Police Department to have officers on the hospital campus around the clock, and the addition of a Life Flight Network Air Medical Transport Base right on the Good Shepherd campus. Mathisen noted significant advancements such as GSHCS’s investment in six robotic surgery systems and ongoing infrastructure projects, which include expanding the on-campus childcare facility by adding 10,000 square feet and caring for 100 more children.
“We love being a rural community hospital, but we’re breaking the mold of rural healthcare by bringing in specialized care, such as neurology, pulmonology and adult and child psychiatry, to fulfill our mission of exceptional care close to home,” said Mathisen.
Jonathan Edwards, GSHCS Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, followed Mathisen and spoke about the stability of the hospital and the barriers Good Shepherd faces in regard to service expansion.
“Being independent and growth-oriented gives us the ability to accelerate service expansion where and when our patients need us most, but every day we face heavy administrative burdens to providing care,” said Edwards. “The biggest hinderance to the speed of our expansion is State licensing and permitting.”
According to Edwards, bureaucratic red tape, including construction and licensing regulations and presumptive eligibility requirements, are all impediments to providing care, and events such as the Legislative Breakfast are a way to start working through those.
“We love it when our Legislators talk to us and ask if something is a good idea or if it would be a good deal for our hospital,” said Edwards.
Travis Muewissen, Director of Government Affairs for the Hospital Association of Oregon, agreed that bureaucracy has the potential to block care and reported that the Oregon Legislature intends to take a “do no harm” approach to hospitals during the February session.
“What do we really need to focus on to care for patients?” asked Muewissen. “Laws implemented 30 years ago don’t necessarily apply today.”
The Healthcare Omnibus Bill, expected to pass during the Legislative Session in February, does include some fixes to presumptive eligibility, according to Muewissen.
During a question-and-answer portion of the breakfast, Sen. Nash asked hospital leadership what, if anything, would be of help legislatively?
Both Mathisen and Edwards agreed that navigating bureaucratic red tape and streamlining the process to bring on new service lines, is the most pressing need.
Sen. Nash then broached the possibility of working with Rep. Smith in the future to address the issue.
Rep. Smith thanked Good Shepherd for the invite and the service they provide to the community, adding that he’d be willing to work with Nash on navigating the bureaucracy in the future.
“Please reach out, our goal is to serve you,” Rep. Smith said.
Mathisen and Edwards then led attendees on a tour of the GSHCS campus, highlighting the Life Flight Network Transport Base, Medical Plaza renovation, and expansion of the Children’s Center.
“If you have air access, you’re going to save lives,” said Mathisen of the Life Flight Network Transport Base that will be a regional hub and house crew members, saving an estimated 20-30 minutes in response time for patients.
In the Medical Plaza the group toured the Women’s Center, the layout of which will be duplicated on upper and lower levels of the building for expansion of specialty services, before continuing to the Children’s Center to see the expansion underway there.
The Oregon State Legislative Session begins February 2, 2026, and runs through March 9.
