ORH’s Roadtrip to Visit Rural Population Health Incubator Grantees
ORH’s Rural Population Health Program Manager Stepha Dragoon recently embarked on a 10-day statewide journey to visit nine grantees from the 2024–2025 Rural Population Health Incubator Program cohort, along with two additional partner organizations.
The trip began in Astoria, where Stepha met with Kristina Kansteiner of Columbia Memorial Hospital. Kristina, a community health worker (CHW), leads the hospital’s Connected Care Program, which focuses on linking at-risk older adults with non-clinical resources to improve health outcomes and reduce emergency department visits.
Traveling down the coast, Stepha stopped in Coquille to meet with CHW Sarah Cornelison at Coquille Valley Hospital. Sarah gave a tour of the hospital’s developing food pantry program, which will offer nonperishable food to patients and community members facing food insecurity.
In Brookings, Stepha joined a community “dreaming session” hosted by the SCHEC and executive director Jayden Ruff, which incorporated community feedback into their strategic plan to best serve Coos and Curry counties.
Stepha’s journey continued briefly through California’s Redwoods before arriving in Roseburg to meet Natasha Anderson of Evergreen Family Medicine. Natasha shared Evergreen’s new mammography program, which brings essential screening services directly to the community, reducing travel barriers and increasing access.
Next stop: Klamath Falls. Stepha met with Jennifer Little, director of Klamath County Public Health. She also visited Incubator grantee Sky Lakes Medical Center. CHWs Janeene Smith and Katie Peterson took Stepha on a driving tour of the area, highlighting both local health resources and persistent community challenges.
In Bend, Stepha connected with Elizabeth Johnson of the Peaceful Presence Project. Elizabeth shared their work in training and supporting end-of-life doulas, as well as their innovative program that trains traditional health workers (THWs) as “community connectors” to combat social isolation among those with chronic or serious illnesses and their caregivers.
In Madras, Stepha met with Stacy Shaw, Katie Russel and Cecilia Ledford at Jefferson County Public Health. Their Incubator grant supports Stacy’s leadership in implementing a comprehensive systems approach to address modifiable health risk factors, improve Jefferson County’s health rankings, and foster cross-sector collaboration to reduce disparities.
Stepha then traveled east to La Grande to visit Ruby Hemon of the Micronesian Islander Community. Ruby shared garments created during their sewing class and described how guest speakers—including representatives from EOCCO and NEON—use the class as a platform to connect participants with local health services.
The final stop was in Hermiston with Jose Garcia of New Horizons. Jose showed the food boxes and hot meals he prepares and distributes to individuals experiencing houselessness and to seasonal agriculture workers in the area.
You can learn more about the Rural Population Health Incubator Program here.