[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 57 (Thursday, March 26, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E274]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                HIGHLIGHTING OREGON'S HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. VAL T. HOYLE

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 26, 2026

  Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, after 35 years PeaceHealth 
Hospital, the only level 2 trauma center between Corvallis, Oregon and 
Crescent City, California, abruptly ended its contract without the 
local emergency room staffing and the group of Eugene Emergency 
Physicians.
  With little notice and significant local opposition, PeaceHealth has 
awarded the contract to a Georgia based management and medical staffing 
firm. Beyond losing locally based physicians who have met or exceeded 
performance standards in a hospital that has refused to address the 
lack of adequate patient care rooms, Apollo group appears to be a shell 
company set up to get around Oregon's ban against corporate practices 
in medicine law.
  Apollo group bills itself as ``physician owned'', however their 
office houses around 40 ``local'' groups in Atlanta which is also 
housed in the same office as Valor Bridge, a venture capital fund 
managed by the same person who manages the Apollo staffing firm. When 
my office asked PeaceHealth CEO Jim McGovern about this obvious 
conflict he said--and I quote--``that's just a side hustle. A side 
hustle.''
  Allowing venture capital firms and hedge funds to siphon off money 
from our healthcare systems instead of providing quality, affordable 
and appropriate care to our communities is what's wrong with our 
healthcare system. We need to follow Oregon's lead and make this 
practice illegal. And I assure you, we will fight to keep local 
providers caring for our community.

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