Denise Krause, the Democratic nominee for Oregon Senate District 3, says her background in public health would shape her approach to health care access, education and housing in Southern Oregon.
Krause said her priorities are protecting health coverage, learning from school reforms in Mississippi and building housing local workers can afford. She also said she wants to work across political divides.
Krause faces Republican Brad Hicks for the seat held by state Sen. Jeff Golden. JPR had invited Hicks to participate in its candidate forum but had not received a response by the interview. That invitation remains open.
Expanding health care access
Krause said her 25-year career in health care focused on identifying barriers to care and bringing people together to address them. In the Legislature, she wants to help stabilize the Oregon Health Plan and expand access to providers.
She said federal funding cuts threaten health coverage and the hospitals and clinics that depend on it. She hopes to serve on the Senate’s health care committee and build on the work of the late state Sen. Alan Bates, a Southern Oregon physician.
Krause also said she wants to explore whether a physician training program at Southern Oregon University could help address regional doctor shortages while supporting the university financially.
“If we could train our own, that's the way to get more physicians into the area,” she said.
She envisioned a partnership with Oregon Health & Science University, similar to the existing nursing program in Ashland. Her idea includes using the Ashland Community Hospital campus as a teaching hospital and offering clinical rotations and residencies at local hospitals and clinics.
Krause said Rogue Community College, Oregon Institute of Technology and local high schools could also help prepare students for health care careers. She described the idea as a possibility she wants to discuss further with the community.
Education and affordable housing
Krause said Oregon needs to invest more in education while examining how schools teach students and support teachers.
She pointed to Mississippi, where her son attended elementary school, as a model Oregon could study. She cited improvements in student performance often described as the “Mississippi Miracle” and said Oregon should examine changes in curriculum and teacher support.
“If Mississippi can do it, so can Oregon,” she said.
On housing, Krause supports increasing supply but said new homes need to be affordable to local workers.
“We need housing that people can afford,” she said.
She also wants stronger restrictions on private equity’s role in the housing market, saying she is concerned about investors driving prices beyond local residents’ reach.
Working across political divides
Krause said she grew up with conservative Republican parents in a small Kansas farming community and later became a Democrat. She said that background helps her connect with voters across the political spectrum.
A former professor of population health at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Krause later moved to Southern Oregon. After running for Jackson County commissioner, she led the Jackson County for All campaign to make commissioner elections nonpartisan, expand the board and reduce commissioners’ salaries.
She recalled approaching conservative voters during her county commissioner campaign in Gold Hill with the message “red and blue together.” She said the encounter led to a 45-minute conversation and the discovery of common ground.
Krause said she wants to bring the same collaborative approach to Salem that she used in public health.
“It was all about bringing people together to work on a common problem and come up with solutions,” she said.
Guest
- Denise Krause, Democratic candidate for Oregon Senate District 3
