New law will enable Tribes to report disease outbreaks to the Oregon Health Authority

By Nicole Montesano

Smoke Signals staff writer

A new law taking effect this month will allow the Oregon Health Authority to enter agreements with federally recognized Tribes and Tribal epidemiology centers “to allow the Tribe or center to accept reports of reportable disease and investigate case of reportable diseases.”

The difference will be significant, according to Tribal Executive Director of Health Services Kelly Rowe.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek had asked the state Legislature to approve the law and signed it in June 2025. It went into effect Jan. 1. During the government-to-government summit in October 2025, Kotek held a second, ceremonial signing. Rowe spoke at the summit as well, telling Kotek and the assembled dignitaries that “Instead of relying on county or state agencies, with the passing of SB 841, the nine Tribes of Oregon, in collaboration with the Northwest Tribal Epidemiology Center, can now choose to enter into agreements with the Oregon Health Authority Public Health division.”

She continued, “The agreements are to investigate reportable diseases in our communities and access information to complete investigations similar to the processes we had in place during the pandemic. At Grand Ronde, we have a health system founded on trust, relationships, excellent healthcare and good medicine, so we can go into our own community to do these investigations where people know us and we know them. Familiar faces get more replies and faster responses, which can stop disease spread and save lives. We can monitor disease outbreaks and intervene quickly.”

In an email to Smoke Signals, Rowe said the bill “also provides for data sharing agreements between the Northwest Tribal Epidemiology Center and the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, so further research and education can be conducted on the opioid epidemic that plagues Tribal communities. The issues with racial misclassification or lack of data access are significant, so this access will provide important information for the (NTEC) and the nine Tribes.”

She said the bill “is an excellent expression of self-governance by supporting our ability to do what is right for Grand Ronde and it respects Tribal sovereignty by protecting the health of our community. The collaboration between the Tribes and the Oregon Health Authority to implement real time disease reporting directed by the Tribes strengthens our public health system—something we are continuously seeking to improve.”

Other Tribes in Oregon also expect the bill to be beneficial.

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla testified in a letter to the Legislature that its Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center “is one of only two Tribal health clinics that currently has the infrastructure to accept reports and investigate our reportable disease cases.”

However, the letter said, “We are limited by lack of access, jurisdiction and data parameters that do not serve Tribal public health programs. Our current data is skewed based on testing location, county decision making and state software. SB841 is the first step in providing more comprehensive communicable disease data to the Tribes, which would allow us to better plan for short-term and long-term public health programming and workforce development.”