News and Events
Media coverage
The I-CAN project is all about getting out in the community, and from time to time we receive media attention for the work that we're doing. We've been covered in internal and external publications, and have been featured on local news.
- I-CAN Faculty-in-Residence Kristen Beiers-Jones and former I-CAN student and OHSU pediatric nurse Kate Ballard were interviewed on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Thinking out Loud for their work on the SB 698: SMART pharmacy legislation.
- I-CAN’s work with Catholic Charities in Southeast Portland was profiled in the Catholic Sentinel.
- Katherine Bradley, I-CAN Program Director, was awarded the Oregon Public Health Association Lifetime Achievement Award for her service to the Oregon Health Authority, OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, and OHSU School of Nursing
- I-CAN students were recognized for their work in the June 2020 Polk County Service Integration Newsletter
- I-CAN West Medford NCAPP, led by Dr. Heather Voss, celebrated five years of partnership and was recognized in a Medford Mail Tribune article.
- Former I-CAN Core Team Member, Launa Rae Mathews, was awarded the Oregon Public Health Association Lifetime Achievement Award for her work on the I-CAN program and service to the OHSU School of Nursing.
- The I-CAN program was mentioned in Chapter 7 of Curriculum Development and Evaluation in Nursing Education by Kimberly Baxter.
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The ribbon cutting celebration for new I-CAN Neighborhood Rockwood was featured in a segment on KATU-TV.
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The expansion to I-CAN Rockwood was featured on OHSU News Hub.
- I-CAN Faculty-in-residence, Beth Doyle, featured in Oregon Health &Science University School of Nursing Get to Know Us series
- Monmouth I-CAN program participants interviewed by the Polk County Itemizer-Observer.
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OHSU School of Nursing, Ashland campus and I-CAN site was recognized with the Southern Oregon Child and Family Council Community Partner Award from Southern Oregon Head Start, an I-CAN partner.
- Two I-CAN Community Partners were recently recognized for outstanding service, La Clinica Health Centerreceived the Outstanding Community Partner Award from OHSU Center for Diversity and Inclusion. Another I-CAN partner, Lutheran Community Services was a finalist for the award.
- Beth Doyle, I-CAN Faculty in Residence in the Old Town Neighborhood, won the OHSU School of Nursing Excellence in Teaching Award in 2017.
- I-CAN Director, Peggy Wros, was recently interviewed by the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education.
- I-CAN was featured on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing website (AACN).
- An article about the I-CAN project was published in the Winter 2013 Oregon Health & Science School of Nursing Connections Newsletter
- We were featured in The Skanner in March 2013
- Our launch event in Medford in October 2013 was covered by KOBI news and KMVU news stations.
Jackson Care Connect: Community Health Improvement Plan Grant
Jackson Care Connect has provided a generous grant to the I-CAN program to establish the Ashland Street Health Nursing Team. The need for this program is high - there were 727 people experiencing houselessness in Jackson County according to the 2020 Point in Time Count. An estimated 40% of this population are chronically homeless and navigating chronic conditions (Jackson County Continuum of Care, 2020). Local issues with houses lost to wildfires and job loss due to the COVID pandemic have resulted in a further increase in unsheltered people. Those who are ‘rough sleepers,’ defined as being unsheltered and living in alleyways, urban encampments, tents, or under bridges, have higher rates of illness and die on average nearly three decades earlier than the housed population, most commonly due to preventable and treatable chronic medical conditions (Street Medicine Institute, 2021).
The Street Health Nursing Team expands upon the vision of the OHSU Foot Soak Clinic in Ashland, which provides an opportunity for nursing students to work 1:1 with individuals experiencing houselessness in a setting that is free of the power structures this population encounters in clinics and hospitals. The foot soak clinic has led to an increase in patients seen on La Clinica’s Mobile Health Unit as once trust is established, the OHSU team can facilitate entry to care. The vision of the Ashland Street Health Nursing Team is to establish trust, respect dignity, and care for people exactly where they are. The team focuses on improving social and health outcomes for people who are currently unsheltered or transitioning into housing.

Have more questions? Feel free to reach out to ican@ohsu.edu