Murmurs: Rever Grand Pleads

REVER GRAND PLEADS, PROSECUTION OF FOUNDERS CONTINUES: The Oregon Department of Justice announced Oct. 28 that Rever Grand Inc., Oregon’s largest provider of in-home care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, pleaded no contest in Josephine County Circuit Court to one count of making a false claim for a health care payment. As the Oregon Journalism Project previously reported (“Mr. Big,” Jan. 22), founders Raymond Parenteau and Jolene Sesso built the Grants Pass company from nothing into an agency that billed the state $170 million last year. The state’s investigation found that the company engaged in a variety of questionable practices to grow its business. The Justice Department reached the plea agreement—which calls for four years of probation and an independent monitor paid for by the company—with new owners who took over in January 2025. “By requiring independent monitoring, we’re ensuring that this company operates with integrity and that taxpayer dollars are spent the way they should be,” said Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield. Rever Grand’s new owner, Nathan Junkin, said: “I am thrilled we’ve reached an amicable resolution with the state, as it allows us to continue to strengthen our communities and to provide growth and opportunities to so many people.” Meanwhile, the state said it is continuing its prosecution of Rever Grand’s founders, Parenteau and Sesso, on charges of racketeering, false claims for payment, aggravated theft, money laundering and tax evasion.

VEGA PEDERSON QUESTIONS WILSON’S SHELTER EXPANSION: As Portland Mayor Keith Wilson swiftly approaches his goal of opening 1,500 new overnight shelter beds by Dec. 1, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson is offering candid thoughts about that rapid expansion of beds, roughly half of which have lain empty in recent weeks. Vega Pederson tells WW that she “admires Mayor Wilson’s ambition,” but that “we may not need to bring on all of what he envisioned by December if it’s not safely and effectively serving people.” The chair said she wants to work with Wilson to “troubleshoot how to fill these vacant beds before opening more overnight shelters—actions we should take when there are signs that something isn’t working right.” The county has historically been responsible for providing shelter beds, but Wilson in his first year as mayor has raced to open 1,500 new beds by Dec. 1—a strategy leaving many officials wondering what Wilson’s next step will be once he meets that number. Wilson tells WW that shelter occupancy jumped this week to 73%. “Our homelessness response system must not maintain full shelters for some while allowing others to die unsheltered,” he says. “I recognize that Multnomah County faces difficult funding choices, as does the city of Portland and I would urge the county to not let individuals suffer and die unsheltered in Portland.”

WITH MASS LAYOFFS, OREGON INSURER CONTINUES TO DRAW BACK: PacificSource is in retreat. Weeks ago, the Oregon-based health insurance company, which is owned in large part by Legacy Health, announced it would no longer serve the Oregon Health Plan in certain sectors, including the Portland metro area. Most of the 400,000 members of Health Share of Oregon, the largest coordinated care organization in the region, get their Medicaid insurance through other entities, like CareOregon. But some 20,000 of them are members of the Legacy-PacificSource plan and, with PacificSource pulling out, will likely have to be transferred to a new insurer. In statements, Legacy Health and PacificSource both denied that the change would affect any members’ relationship with their medical provider. “Legacy remains committed to serving our Health Share of Oregon Medicaid members and will identify a new administrative partner for 2026,” a spokesperson for the health system said. More recently, PacificSource confirmed to WW that the insurance company would in the coming months lay off about one-fifth of its 1,800 employees. The Lund Report first reported on the latest round of layoffs.

PPS STUDENT OUTCOMES FALL SHORT OF BOARD GOALS: Portland Public Schools saw returns to pre-pandemic levels of proficiency in the Oregon Statewide Assessment System results from the 2024–25 school year. That’s good news, especially as statewide results indicate other students in Oregon are showing few signs of growth. But even as the district as a whole has moved forward, PPS is still not meeting many of the goals established by the Portland School Board to reduce racial disparities in student outcomes. The School Board has long tried to tackle racial achievement gaps at PPS by setting growth goals for Asian, Black, Native American, Latinx and Pacific Islander students across third grade reading, fifth grade mathematics, and eighth grade readiness. (The board targets vary among racial groups, but typically look for an increase of 1 to 6 percentage points in results.) But white students still continue to vastly outperform their peers of color. In an Oct. 28 presentation to the School Board, district leaders outlined that their response would include creating a districtwide improvement plan to establish shared goals and greater monitoring and support for all schools. At an Oct. 2 press conference about the statewide assessment, PPS chief accountability and equity officer Dr. Renard Adams said lagging outcomes among students of color are a reflection of the “remnants of systemic racism” and that change must come from the inside out. “What we continue to do is work on our racial equity, help our staff, through training, understand where their biases may be,” Adams said. “And we continue to insist that everybody hold themselves and every student to high expectations.”