Oregon Models and Innovations

These stories feature model programs and successful rural projects that can serve as a source of ideas. Some of the projects or programs may no longer be active. Read about the criteria and evidence-base for programs included.

Effective Examples

OHSU Rural Surgery Training

Updated/reviewed October 2023

• Need: General surgeons are needed in rural communities.
• Intervention: Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is sending residents to complete a general surgery rotation in rural southern Oregon.
• Results: 39% of the graduates of the rural residency program are now practicing in a rural setting. The residents remain more likely than other OHSU residents to enter general surgery practice and to serve in a community of fewer than 50,000 people.

Other Project Examples

Coast to Forest: Mental Health Promotion in Rural Oregon and Beyond

Updated/reviewed January 2024

• Need: To promote mental health and prevent substance use disorders in rural Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska.
• Intervention: Coast to Forest strengthens local capacity through training, education, and community partnerships.
• Results: In its three years of operation, the project has trained over 500 individuals across the Pacific Northwest in Mental Health First Aid, developed 36 county-level resource guides, organized a series of Community Conversations in three rural Oregon counties, and more.

EMS Live@Nite

Updated/reviewed September 2023

• Need: Distance, time, and cost make it difficult for EMS volunteers to attend continuing education and maintain certification.
• Intervention: Providence Health Training delivers free online training to rural EMS providers via video teleconferencing.
• Results: The EMS Live@Nite program provides free, monthly training to rural EMS providers in the northwestern part of the United States. The program is available through live video conferencing from certified locations in rural communities.

Columbia Gorge Collective Impact Health Specialist

Updated/reviewed July 2023

• Need: To address the specific health needs of north central Oregon and south central Washington.
• Intervention: The Collective Impact Health Specialist identifies community needs, convenes community partners to design initiatives that address those needs, and secures funding for health-related initiatives.
• Results: Thanks to the CIHS, the Columbia Gorge region has received $26.5 million since 2014.

Futures Without Violence in Tillamook County

Updated/reviewed August 2021

• Need: To address intimate partner violence (IPV) in primary care settings as a health concern. To increase healthcare providers' professional understanding about its prevalence and adverse impacts on patient health.
• Intervention: In partnership with Safer Futures, Tides of Change provides an advocate at a local health clinic to give confidential services to IPV survivors and training to medical staff. The advocate uses curriculum and other materials designed by Futures Without Violence.
• Results: Healthcare providers at the clinic reported increased understanding of IPV and its impact on health. As a result, IPV advocates received an increase in referrals from healthcare providers. Patients experiencing IPV reported a reduction in chronic, toxic stress and improved overall health after receiving advocacy services.

NEON Pathways Community Hub

Updated/reviewed July 2020

• Need: Connect individuals to services that address health barriers.
• Intervention: A pay-for-outcomes model utilizing Community Health Workers who help provide community members with tools to address needs associated with improving health.
• Results: Trained Community Health Workers help patients navigate the healthcare and social service systems and provide education about community healthcare resources.

COPD Inpatient Navigator Program

Updated/reviewed December 2019

• Need: Improve readmission rates for rural patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
• Intervention: COPD Inpatient Navigator program implementation in a rural hospital in Oregon.
• Results: With navigator assistance, COPD-associated readmission rate has decreased by almost 50%, with a continued improvement trend.