Fall 2010 Newsletter
Board of Director Recognition
AHECSW would like to recognize Andy Goldner as he has decided to step down from AHECSW Board of Directors. Andy has been a leader, a strong advocate, and a great friend with AHECSW for many years. He first came to AHEC in 1999 and served on the board until 2002. Andy took a year off and came back on the AHEC board in 2003 until resigning in 2010. Andy also served as the Board Chair from 2006 to 2009.I would like to recognize Rachelle Schaaff as the newest member of the Board. Rachelle comes to us with 10 years of experience in upper-level leadership positions in county government and non-profit sectors in rural and southern Oregon. Her skills include strategic planning and policy development, budgeting and fiscal oversight, fundraising, program monitoring and evaluation, supervision of employees and leading volunteers. We look forward to many prosperous years with Rachelle.
We are currently looking for Board Members. If you or anyone you know has a passion for rural health initiatives and is interested in representing your community, consider being a part of what AHECSW is doing to improve the health of people in southwest Oregon. We're looking to add people who are influential in the following areas: ESD Administration, Allied Health Professions, Healthcare Providers, Legislation, Medical Students, Business or Financial Development, and Community Development.
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AHEC Transformation Task Force (ATTF)
If Oregon AHEC were to receive substantial reductions in state funding in the next biennium, a fundamental restructuring of Oregon AHEC and programs might be needed in order to weather the short term down turn in funding. The newly formed AHEC Transformation Taks Force (ATTF) will provide objective assessment of the relative risks and benefits of measures that could be taken to ensure survival of the AHEC organization in the face of short-term budget shortfalls. The ATTF will be advisory to the AHEC and OHSU leadership who will be tasked with implementing short-term budget reductions should they be required. Long-term changes in AHEC structure and functioning will be addressed by a traditional strategic planning process that will take place after the 2011 Oregon legislative session.The ATTF will consider AHEC structure, staffing, programs, budgets, real and potential resources, and unique roles filled by AHEC. The Task Force will make short term recommendations regarding:
• Statewide AHEC structure (expansion, consolidation)
• Staffing levels
• Core programs
• Directions for growth/reduction
• Partnerships
The preliminary meeting took place prior to the Oregon Statewide Advisory meeting on September 23. The next meeting is slated for December 3-4 at OHSU School of Nursing. We need strong AHECSW support, so if you feel as though you could advocate for our region, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it immediately.
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Healthy Communities
AHECSW has been working along side Healthy Active Douglas County and the Douglas County Health & Social Services with a grant through the CDC to do a needs assessment in Douglas County on the Healthy Communities Program. These assessments will specifically identify and address health disparities in the Douglas County community health inventory which will allow the group to create a plan of action to develop a local plan addressing prevention, early detection, and management of chronic diseases based on best and promising practices.
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AHEC Virtual Career Guide
AHEC has contracted Image Stream Productions to use and revise Mercy Medical Center's Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant's previous career video into a multi-sensory career guide. This will be the first in a (hopeful) series of Learning Management System (LMS) modules.
Research and peripheral program development of the product, how to market and implement the product, and how to use it as a pilot for future LMS products is in progress. The launch date will be deteremined at a later date.
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National AHEC Organization (NAO) Funding Update
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted to affirm the HELP appropriations sub-committee budget, which only has AHEC level funded. The Senate then recessed. The vote will need to go to the floor of the whole Senate prior to adoption. The Appropriations committee would not receive any amendments, and it is not expected that there will be any accepted from the floor. There is speculation that these appropriations will not go to a vote soon, but will be put on continuing resolution, meaning AHEC will still stay level funded. The House has AHEC at a slightly higher level - $36.321M. If the Senate does vote on a final number, the two chambers will have to go to conference and work out the difference.In contrast, August 26, DHHS announced grant competitions for Community Health Centers for expansion of services and expansion of sites in several different grants, totaling $1,027,500,000. No, that is not a type-o. NAO members need to increase our efforts to get our message out—CHCs will need staff to meet this expansion. AHEC was designed to develop the workforce that will work in CHCs and other underserved sites!
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