CHSE welcomes summer intern Nicole Hernandez, who will be examining peer support models for the Nurture Oregon initiative.

The Project Nurture program began in 2015 by a coalition of maternity care and substance use treatment providers to provide Oregon Medicaid enrollees with peer support, clinical care and links to social services during pregnancy and beyond. The program was renamed Nurture Oregon in 2021 when the initiative expanded to serve participants in rural counties.

The findings Hernandez provides will be crucial to the continued improvement of the Nurture Oregon peer mentor program, a component of the initiative that provides participants with the coaching, insights and guidance vital to success in the program. Focus areas include pregnancy, addiction recovery, parenting and navigating interactions with social services such as child welfare or housing, among others. 

Hernandez is currently a senior at Linfield University in Portland, Oregon, where she will graduate in December of 2022 with a B.S. in nursing and a minor in business management. She is a recipient of the prestigious Ford Family Foundation scholarship, which pays up to 90% of tuition for students who demonstrate exceptional academic and personal potential. A first-generation Mexican-American, she has a strong connection to her heritage. Her experiences helping to care for her grandfather while growing up in rural Oregon ignited her passion for helping to build a more equitable and inclusive healthcare system.

Hernandez is being mentored at CHSE by Biostatistician Ann Martinez and Senior Research Associate Menolly Kaufman.

About the Center for Health Systems Effectiveness

The Center for Health Systems Effectiveness researches health care service delivery with the aim of improving the value and sustainability of the U.S. healthcare system.

To learn more about the CHSE, visit us on the web or email us at CHSE-info@ohsu.edu.