Congressman Peter Defazio

DEFAZIO TO VISIT BENTON AND LINN COUNTIES WILL ANNOUNCE INCREASED HOSPITAL PAYMENTS FOR GOOD SAM, TOUR MICROPRODUCTS BREAKTHROUGH INSTITUTE, MEET WITH ASOSU, AND TOUR LBCC MECHATRONICS FACILITY

October 11, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC--U.S. Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Springfield) will be in Benton and Linn Counties today, Monday, October 11, 2010. DeFazio will hold a press conference with local doctors at Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis to announce increased hospital payments, tour the Microproducts Breakthrough Institute, meet with the ASOSU, and visit the LBCC Mechatronics Program in Albany.

DeFazio will begin the day at Good Samaritan Hospital at 9:30 a.m. He will be joined by Dr. Larry Mullins, President/CEO of Samaritan Health Services, and Dr. Kevin Ewanchyna, Chief Medical Officer, to announce increased hospital and physician reimbursement rates under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Good Samaritan will receive $1.18 million in increased payments over two years, and physicians will receive increased Medicare reimbursements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which Congress passed earlier this year. DeFazio threatened to vote against the bill unless increased reimbursements for doctors in Oregon and 16 other under-reimbursed states were included, and they were.

DeFazio will then tour the Microproducts Breakthrough Institute (MPI). He will be joined by Oregon State University President Ed Ray and Dean of the College of Engineering Ron Adams. The MPI is a collaborative effort between OSU and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to develop and commercialize microchannel-based technologies for energy, medical, environmental and national security applications. The MPI has brought valuable high-tech research and manufacturing jobs to Corvallis, and stands to bring many more with the future commercialization of its products.

In the early afternoon DeFazio will meet with the Associated Students of OSU for a question and answer session. This will give OSU students an opportunity to weigh in on federal policies and ask questions of DeFazio. DeFazio will also talk about recent federal student aid reforms, which he supported, that will help lower the cost of education for students in Oregon.

Later on DeFazio will tour the Linn Benton Community College Mechatronics Program. The program certifies students as mechatronics technicians, who troubleshoot, maintain, and repair mechanical equipment that is controlled by computer systems. This kind of equipment is used in a wide variety of applications, from renewable energy to industrial manufacturing. Mechatronics technicians are essential to maintaining a strong manufacturing and industrial base here in America, and LBCC’s mechatronics program trains students to meet this need.