The Oregon Office of Rural Health (ORH) has partnered with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to coordinate a CDC grant-funded program that will support the capacity of Oregon’s rural public health agencies, Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) by growing the Community Health Worker (CHW) workforce in rural Oregon.

This is a pilot grant program to fund the training of CHWs for employment at CAHs, RHCs and/or rural public health departments in Oregon.

Program details:

• CHWs must work either at an Oregon CAH, RHC or rural public health department or shared between the organizations;
• ORH will coordinate training of 27 CHWs. Training will take place from Jan. 2024 through June 2024;
• ORH grant will cover:
  
  • CHW training tuition through NEON;
  • Course supplies up to $50 (books, pens, paper, etc.);
• ORH will support a peer-to-peer network for CHW students;
• CHWs to work either at a CAH or public health department or collaboratively between the two organizations;
• Participating CAHs or public health departments must have capacity to employ CHW.

Contact:

For more information on this program, please contact Stepha Dragoon at dragoon@ohsu.edu