March 26, 2026 | Oregon’s Primary Care on the Brink, Part 1: Hope for the future?
Lawmakers and officials for years have been talking about the need to boost family medicine practitioners. And yet, more than ever, the system seems on the brink of collapse. In this Oregon Health Forum, we heared from people on the front lines and in leadership about new developments in the policy space, and whether they are enough. First of a two-part series.
Panelists
Chris DeMars – Director, Delivery System Innovation Office, Health Policy & Analytics Division, Oregon Health Authority
Chris DeMars directs the Delivery System Innovation Office at the Oregon Health Authority and previously ran the agency’s Transformation Center. Before joining OHA in 2013, Chris worked as a Senior Program Officer at the Northwest Health Foundation and a Senior Health Policy Analyst at the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Dr. Antonio (Tony) Germann – Full spectrum family physician practicing at a local Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC); Vice-Chair, Oregon Health Policy Board.
Dr. Antonio (Tony) Germann is a full spectrum Family Physician practicing at a local Federally Qualified Health Center and serves as Vice-Chair of the Oregon Health Policy Board. He previously served on Governor Kate Brown’s COVID-19 Medical Advisory Panel and teaches Family Medicine at OHSU.
Sen. Lisa Reynolds – State Senator, District 17
Lisa Reynolds, MD, represents Oregon Senate District 17, serving Portland’s Westside, Cathedral Park and NE Washington County. A practicing pediatrician, she focuses on policies addressing poverty, gun violence and access to health care. Reynolds chairs the Senate Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral Health and serves on the Senate Health Care and Senate Human Services committees.
Dr. Mark Meyers – Family Physician, Independent Clinic (Eugene-Springfield)
Dr. Meyers has been practicing at Springfield Family Physicians for the last 27 years, and is serving as their Executive Director in addition to his work seeing patients. He previously served on the board of Trillium Community Health Plan and is currently on the Industry Advisory Panel for the OHA.
Additional Panelists To Be Announced
Moderator
Nick Budnick – Editor-in-Chief, The Lund Report
Budnick has served as editor-in-chief of The Lund Report, the nonprofit newsroom covering health care in Oregon and southwest Washington, for four years. Previously, he worked in newsrooms in California and Oregon, including Willamette Week, Portland Tribune, Bend Bulletin and the Oregonian/OregonLive. His work has been recognized by Investigative Reporters and Editors, Best of the West and a Sunshine Award from the national Society of Professional Journalists.
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