As CEO of the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Care Systems, Becky Hultberg has a close-up view of the crisis gripping the state's health care sector — and she spends sleepless nights thinking about what the future holds.

More than two and a half years since the start of the pandemic, hospitals and skilled nursing homes continue to face historic staffing shortages, and it's left Oregon's hospitals and health care systems in deep financial turmoil.

"Like many of you, I have family members whose lives have been saved in hospitals," Hultberg said. "And it feels really scary and desperate to me to think about living in a place or being in a time when there's not an emergency department bed that's open in a reasonable time, or there's not a hospital bed available when someone I love needs that care."

Hultberg and Samaritan Hospital CEO Laura Hennum were guests on this week's episode of Straight Talk to discuss the hospital crisis, what caused it and possible solutions.