Oregon governor Dr. John Kitzhaber resigns

Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, MD, announced his resignation today, which takes effect Wednesday, Feb. 18, nearly one month prior to being sworn in for an unprecedented fourth term, according to The Oregonian.

Despite stepping down, the criminal investigation and state ethics review against Gov. Kitzhaber (D) and his fiancee, Cylvia Hayes, will continue. The investigation is probing the role Ms. Hayes has held in his office and whether she used that role to obtain private consulting work, according to a USA Today report.

Before being elected as governor, Gov. Kitzhaber served one term in the Oregon House of Representatives and three terms in the State Senate, where he served as chief author of the Oregon Health Plan, the state's Medicaid program. Under his leadership, Oregon has also entered into a five-year, $1.9 billion agreement with CMS to transform its Medicaid program through coordinated care organizations.

Dr. Kitzhaber also established and previously served as director of the Center for Evidence Based Policy at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, where he graduated from medical school.

Secretary of State Kate Brown will be sworn in as Oregon's governor, although no official date has been announced yet.

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