Healthcare group receives $600,000

Northeast Oregon Network, a health collaborative serving Baker, Union and Wallowa counties, has been awarded three grants totaling more than $600,000 to improve healthcare access in the region.

Two grants are from the federal government and the third is from The Regence Foundation, the corporate philanthropic foundation of Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon.

“We know the effects of the recession have been acutely felt here in rural Eastern Oregon, and it’s more difficult than ever for many to find health care,” said Miriam Lederer Farnam, NEON executive director. “As an organization, we’re grateful for these grants to enable us to grow and create jobs locally, and at the same time connect our community with needed healthcare resources.”

Farnam said the grant money will be used to increase access to integrated health care for children and families in the three counties.

The Medicare/Medicaid grant is earmarked for NEON’s “Covering Kids and Families Eastern Oregon” program, which connects uninsured individuals and families to health coverage. Farnam said the money will allow NEON to expand the program to increase enrollment of rural children in insurance plans.

The second grant is from the Health Resources and Services Administration, which awarded NEON $80,000 to conduct a tri-county health needs assessment, as part of a one-year planning process for attaining Federally-Qualified Health Center status, and to apply for designation as a regional Health Provider Shortage Area.

That designation would ultimately provide additional resources to the three counties to help overcome deficiencies in access to healthcare services, according to a statement from NEON announcing the grant awards.

The Regence Foundation awarded NEON $65,000 to extend the reach of its Covering Kids and Families Eastern Oregon program by helping enrollees find primary care providers once they have health coverage.

Currently, up to half of all new enrollees do not have a doctor. Farnam said the Regence Foundation grant will allow outreach specialists to help their clients apply and become enrolled in health coverage. It will also help facilitate an ongoing, patient-centered relationship with a physician suitable for their needs.

“The Regence Foundation believes that access to quality, affordable health care close to home is the cornerstone of a healthy community,” said Michael Alexander, Regence Foundation board chairman.

In the tri-county area served by NEON, at least 15 percent of the population is uninsured and the unemployment rate is hovering between 10 and 15 percent, which Alexander said makes the work of a healthcare collaborative like NEON critical.