Think Out Loud

What Medicaid cuts could look like in Eastern Oregon

In Umatilla County, 39% of residents [https://www.oregon.gov/oha/hpa/analytics/pages/medicaid-enrollment.aspx] are on Medicaid. In Malheur County, that number jumps to almost 52%. Both of these counties and more in Eastern Oregon have higher than average rates of Medicaid enrollment compared to the rest of the state. Changes to Medicaid made by the Trump administration will mean major cuts to the program that provides healthcare for many in Oregon.   Ann Ford is the CEO of GOBHI, a mental healthcare provider for this side of the state. She's also the president of Eastern Oregon CCO, the organization that manages the Oregon Health Plan for much of the east side of the state. Ford joins us to share the challenges of providing care and what Medicaid cuts could mean for patients.

How data centers have changed Hermiston

In the Hermiston and Boardman area, there are more than seven active data centers owned and operated by Amazon Web Services. Last year [https://www.opb.org/article/2025/09/10/hermiston-oregon-data-center-amazon-eastern-ai-technology-power/], the city of Hermiston annexed 800 acres of land to AWS, paving the way for more in the future. And while some have shared concerns [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/08/20/think-out-loud-new-data-centers-eastern-oregon-concerns/] about the environmental impact these data centers have, they have brought their communities millions of dollars. For the city of Hermiston, Amazon’s operations have funded renovations [https://www.hermiston.gov/economic-development/page/greater-hermiston-enterprise-zone] to the library, city hall and most recently, a water treatment facility [http://eastoregonian.com/?G2I_ActionId=102139&returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fhermistonherald.com%2F2026%2F08%2F14%2Fumatilla-aws-officials-cut-ribbon-on-120-water-treatment-plant%2F%3FclearUserState%3Dtrue] for Umatilla County.

As nitrates continue to be a challenge for Eastern Oregon, irrigators share their thoughts

Last week, a $6.2 million settlement [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/08/12/oregon-farm-madison-ranches-settlement-lower-umatilla-basin-nitrate-pollution/] was made between Madison Ranches and residents living in Morrow and Umatilla Counties whose wells were polluted with nitrates. The Lower Umatilla Basin has been grappling with high levels of nitrates for  decades, affecting drinking water in wells in various communities. Food processors and farms using fertilizers are regarded as the source of the problem [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/19/lower-umatilla-nitrate-monitoring-rules/].   J.R. Cook is the founder and director of the Northeast Oregon Water Association. He joins us to share irrigator's perspective on the issue and solutions they’d like to see.

As new data centers are headed to Eastern Oregon, opponents share their concerns

Earlier this year, Amazon recently purchased more than 1,000 acres near Boardman, OR. As reported in the Oregonian/OregonLive.com [http://oregonlive.com], it could be the site for the state’s first “exscale” data center. [https://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/2026/03/plans-call-for-oregons-first-exascale-data-center-on-amazon-site.html]    Kaleb Lay, director of policy and research at Oregon Rural Action, says that an uptick in data centers brings a number of concerns to the group, including water contamination, water use and growing demand for electricity. He shares more on their concerns.

CTUIR sees lower fish returns than last year

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation have seen lower fish returns this year. According to Jerimiah Bonifer, the program manager for the tribe’s fisheries program, there are a number of factors that could be influencing this, including ocean conditions and drought.   At the same time, the tribe has recently completed the Coonskin Creek Fish Passage Project, making it easier for fish to pass through. Bonifer joins us to discuss the low fish yields and more.