Hospital To Move Bulk of IT Responsibility
PeaceHealth has announced plans to outsource several Information Technology functions beginning in November. The healthcare system says Tech Mahindra and its healthcare subsidiary, The HCI Group, will assume responsibility for infrastructure and network operations, applications and data services, and service desk support. PeaceHealth says the move is intended to improve system reliability, speed technical support, and expand access to new technology tools. The organization will continue to oversee IT strategy, cybersecurity, and patient information protection. Officials say a small percentage of the workforce will be affected, primarily within the Shared Services Center, and many impacted employees are expected to have opportunities with the new providers.
Hoyle Visits Florence
Congresswoman Val Hoyle was in Florence yesterday to tour a low-income housing project and meet with families who hope to benefit from the development. Hoyle says she recently met with the new commander of the Army Corps of Engineers and is optimistic about finding solutions to move the project forward.
“So I’m going to give him a call and see what we can do about mitigation, protecting our environment, natural resources, wetlands, while also recognizing that we have to build housing and we have to have reasonable accommodations.”
Hoyle says discussions centered on challenges developers are facing with permitting and mitigation requirements involving the Army Corps and the Oregon Department of State Lands. She said balancing environmental protections with the need for affordable housing is critical and called the Florence project an exciting effort to address housing needs in the community. Congresswoman Hoyle will be a guest on the August edition of Our Town.
Air Academy Cancelled – Focus Turns to ’27 Event
The 2026 Florence Air Academy has been canceled after eight years of providing local youth with hands-on aviation experiences. Following the announcement, the Boys & Girls Club of Western Lane County and the City of Florence released statements explaining their perspectives on why the program will not move forward this year. The Boys & Girls Club of Western Lane County announced the eight-year-old program will not take place this year, citing what it called “unforeseen operational restrictions” affecting the Florence Municipal Airport. The organization says those restrictions made it impossible to move forward and added that the Florence Hangar Owners Association is working with the City to bring the program back next year. The City of Florence, however, says it did not cancel the event. Assistant City Manager Megan Messmer says the Air Academy was approved in March, that approval remained in place, and nothing in City policy prevented it from taking place. The City also says a new Special Events fee would not have applied to the Air Academy and has not yet been implemented. The City says it learned of the cancellation through public inquiries and hopes the program can return in 2027.