Oregon is a picturesque landscape of vast forests, volcanic peaks, fertile valleys, plateaus, and a rugged ocean coastline. With its large reserves of standing trees, Oregon is a leading producer of lumber and plywood, having to consistently balance the needs of the timber industry with environmental concerns. Oregon covers 95,997 square miles, with a 2006 estimated population of 3,700,758 people – 839,222 living in rural Oregon (USDA-ERS). Salem, the capital, is located in the northwestern region of the state. The state’s largest cities are Portland, Eugene, and Salem. According to the 2005 Census, 90.8% of the state’s population is white, 3.4% is Asian, 1.8% is Black/African American, 1.4% is American Indian, and 9.9% is of Hispanic/Latino origin.
According to the Oregon Office of Rural Health there are 58 acute care hospitals in the state with 29 of these being identified as rural hospitals. Twenty-five of the rural hospitals are designated as Critical Access Hospitals. Also, there are 44 Rural Health Clinics in Oregon, and 21 Federally Qualified Health Centers provide services at 131 sites in the state. Most Oregonians have some form of health insurance coverage, although 16% of its residents lack any health insurance (Kaiser, 2004-2005.)
According to the Economic Research Service, the average per-capita income for all Oregonians in 2005 was $32,289, although rural per-capita income lagged at $26,425. 2004 estimates indicate a poverty rate of 14.9% exists in rural Oregon, compared to a 12.9% level in urban areas of the state. Data from 2000 finds that 18.8% of the rural population has not completed high school, while only 13.6% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma. The unemployment rate in rural Oregon is at 6.6%, while in urban Oregon it is at 5.4% (USDA-ERS, 2006).
For a national comparison, please see an overview of the United States.
Data Sources:
U.S. Census Bureau: State & County QuickFacts
USDA Economic Research Service: State Fact Sheets
Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts
Oregon Office of Rural Health
Organizations
Community Action Directors of Oregon (CADO)
State/regional organization
A private, non-profit association comprised of the Executive Directors of Oregon's Community Action Agencies, the Oregon Human Development Corporation and associate member agencies. Mission is to eradicate the causes and conditions of poverty that exist in Oregon.
HUD Community Development Block Grants: Oregon
Federal government
Contact information for the State CDBG program. Provides funding for community development projects.
Oregon Area Health Education Centers (AHEC)
Academic/Research
A partnership between OHSU and Oregon communities. Its purpose is to improve the education, training and distribution of health care professionals in Oregon.
Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (OAHHS)
State/regional organization
A statewide, nonprofit trade association that works closely with local and national government leaders, business and citizen coalitions, and other professional health care organizations to enhance and promote community health and to continue improving Oregon's innovative health care industry.
Oregon Department of Education: Special Education (ODE)
State government
Supports and monitors special education programs.
Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS)
State government
Assists people to become independent, healthy and safe.
Oregon Department of Human Services: Developmental Disabilities (DD)
State government
Provides a variety of programs, support and resources for people with developmental disabilities.
Oregon Department of Human Services: Health Systems Planning
State government
Strengthens the ability of Oregon's health system to serve Oregonians by improving access to primary care, reducing disparities in health care services, improving quality, patient safety, and the level of patient centered care.
Oregon Division of Child Support
State government
Dedicated to establishing paternity and child support orders, and enforcing child support obligations in cases involving families who are receiving or have received public assistance, and in certain non-assistance cases.
Oregon Economic and Community Development Department (ECDD)
State government
Provides economic and community development and cultural enhancement throughout the state, and administers programs that assist businesses, communities and people.
Oregon Employment Department
State government
Supports economic stability for Oregonians and communities during times of unemployment through the payment of unemployment benefits. Serves businesses by recruiting and referring the best qualified applicants to jobs, and provides resources to diverse job seekers in support of their employment needs. Develops and distributes quality workforce and economic information to promote informed decision making. Provides access to child care that is safe, high quality, and affordable.
Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS)
State government
Oregon's housing finance agency, providing financial and program support to create and preserve opportunities for quality, affordable housing for Oregonians of lower and moderate income.
Oregon Office of Mental Health and Addiction Services
State government
Provides services and information for mental health care consumers and providers.
Oregon Office of Rural Health
State/regional organization
Coordinates efforts to improve rural health systems, provides technical assistance to rural communities, recruits health care providers, advises hospitals about the Critical Access Hospital option, and serves as a clearinghouse for information on rural health issues.
Oregon Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (OVRS)
State government
Assists Oregonians with disabilities to achieve employment and independence.
Oregon Primary Care Association
State/regional organization
A nonprofit member association, provides advocacy on public policy and assistance to members in order to help decrease health disparities and increase access to comprehensive health care for low income and vulnerable people in Oregon.
Oregon Rural Health Association (ORHA)
State/regional organization
Works to improve the health of rural Oregonians by providing leadership on rural health issues through advocacy, communication and education.
Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network (ORPRN)
Academic/Research
An active clinical research network spanning rural communities throughout the state of Oregon. The mission is to improve the health of rural populations in Oregon through conducting and promoting health research in partnership with the communities and practitioners we serve.
Oregon State Protective Services
State government
Responsible for administering adult protective services for all adults with developmental disabilities who receive services in the community. Protective services are those steps taken to prevent abuse or neglect and to keep people safe.
Oregon State Commission for the Blind
State government
A resource for visually impaired Oregonians, as well as their families, friends, and employers.
Oregon State Public Health
State government
Protects and promotes the health of all the people of Oregon; protects individuals and communities against the spread of disease, injuries, and environmental hazards; promotes and encourages healthy behaviors; responds to disasters and assists communities in recovery; and assures the quality and accessibility of health services.
Pacific Health Association (PHA)
State/regional organization
PHA is comprised of the California Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems and Washington State Hospital Association. Formed to provide information, support and representation to current members of the three state associations and future members. PHA provides a vehicle for the three state associations to collaborate and provide better service to their members on a multi-state basis.
Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Helps rural communities in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming to improve community infrastructure.
Rural Development Initiatives, Inc. (RDI)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Helps build the capacity of rural leaders and facilitates the development of collaborative partnerships that undertake economic and community development initiatives. Works with local community leaders, volunteers, and partners to proactively address opportunities and challenges.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Oregon
Federal government
Works to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing. The HUD state office provides information about HUD housing programs and local contacts for the state.
USDA Rural Development Oregon State Office
Federal government
Committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America. The Rural Development State Office provides information about Rural Development programs and applications for financial assistance.
Tools
ERS State Fact Sheet: Oregon
Web site
Statistics on population, educational attainment, employment, income, farm characteristics, and farm financial indicators for the state.
National Healthcare Quality Report State Snapshot: Oregon
Web site
Health care quality report for the state, based on the National Healthcare Quality Report.
Oregon QuickFacts
Web site
Basic demographic and economic statistics for the state, with links to county-level data.
Oregon Community Level Information on Kids (CLIKS)
Web site
Provides data on child well-being for the state.
Oregon Health Centers Data
Web site
Provides access to information on Federally Qualified Health Centers for the state. Includes a map of FQHC locations, as well as information on the populations served by health centers, services provided, staff, patient visits, costs of care, and use of electronic health information.
Oregon Health Workforce: Highlights from the Health Workforce Profile
Web site
Highlights compile 2000 data on levels of employment, projected growth and key environmental factors that affect demand for health care. Details for medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, mental health and aides.
Oregon State Health Facts
Database
The latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation. Individual state profiles and 50-state comparisons.
Oregon State Medicaid Profile
Web site
Provides data on Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) for the state.
State Profiles- Oregon: Health Information Technology (HIT)
Web site
Profiles the state’s health information technology (HIT) issues. Contains sections on demographics, HIT legislation, telemedicine, Health Information Exchanges (HIE) & Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIO), grant funded HIT projects, and HIT survey information.
See also: Resources for All States: Tools Funding
Regence Foundation Grant Program
The Regence Foundation works to transform health care and address core problems in our health care system with innovative solutions.
Start Line
Provides computer workstations, training and technical support for Head Start programs.
Inactive Funding
Inactive Funding Opportunities -
Lists additional funding programs for this state that are not currently accepting applications. Programs that are inactive may be offered again in the future.
Documents, Reports and Other Publications
Demographic and Economic Profile: Oregon
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
Presents demographics, economics, and research on Oregon. Includes statistics, data, maps, charts, and graphs.
Date: 05 / 2006
Small Business Profile: Oregon
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Small Business Administration
Profile of the state's economy, covering the number of firms, industry composition, small business income, banking, women and minority business ownership, and employment.
Date: 2006
State Profiles - Oregon: Reforming the Health Care System
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
Detailed profile of the state's health care system. Covers demographics, expenditures and financing, health status, utilization and quality of services, health care providers, Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance coverage, and key trends.
Date: 12 / 2005
See also: Resources for All States: Documents Journals
Oregon - ORH Newsletter
Electronic newsletter providing information on news, events, funding opportunities, legislation and more.
Success Stories
An Innovative Model of Primary Health Care Delivery to a Rural Population Involving a Coalition and Hospital Affiliation
In early 1994, four local providers of health and human services formed the Upper Rogue Health Care Coalition to assist the physician search committee.
Angel Flight West: A Higher Level of Kindness
Angel Flight West provides free, private air transportation for people with medical and other needs.
Board and Executive Team Facilitation: Medford, Oregon
Describes a Board and Executive Team facilitation of strategic planning for hospitals.
EMS Live @ Nite
EMS Live @ Nite is an interactive video conferencing program to help educate volunteer emergency medical services personnel who don’t have easy access to training sites.
Grant County Rural Outreach Network
The Blue Mountain Hospital District designed the Grant
County Rural Outreach Network to improve access to
preventive and primary health care in the four remote
communities of Monument, Seneca, Dayville, and Long
Creek.
Harney County Rural Health Outreach Program
Consortium partner members designed the Harney County Rural Health Outreach Program to expand and enhance an established mobile primary clinic through patient education, increased trips per month, and increased patient visits per trip through a dial-a-ride program.
Heart Health: A Rural Prevention and Treatment Program
The high incidence of cardiovascular disease and stroke, coupled with the growing over age 65 population in Josephine County supports the critical need for this proposed rural outreach project entitled Heart Health: A Rural Prevention and Treatment Program.
Integrated Primary and Behavioral Health Care
This project provided case management, integrated behavioral health care, risk reduction services, provider retention initiatives, and transportation for targeted low-income and working-poor families.
Pathways to Care Network -- Grant Pass, OR
The Pathways to Care Network was developed to improve the health care delivery system in Josephine County. The area is predominately white/Caucasian with a lot of senior aged residents and various culturally diverse groups.
Rural Chronically Ill Women: Online Support Network (aka "Women to Women")
The Women to Women Project (WTW) aims to help isolated rural women with chronic illnesses adapt more successfully to living with their conditions in the face of limited access to health information and services.
Rural Health Care Services Outreach Project
The Rural Health Care Services Outreach project will establish a program of integrated primary and behavioral health using elements of successful, HRSA-sponsored Health Disparities Collaborative models.
Rural Health Outreach (Gold Beach, Oregon)
The project's overriding mission was to stabilize the local clinic while providing health promotion and prevention opportunities in the core areas of heart, breathing, cancer, and diabetes.
Rural Health Outreach Program (La Grande, OR)
Union, Oregon, once a prosperous and economically healthy town in eastern Oregon, experienced an economic downturn in the 1980s that led to a significant loss in local services, including the town physician and dentist.
Senior Peer Counseling Project
Composed of 16 agencies and professional organizations that provide services to seniors in the region, this project was developed to serve seniors age 60 and above who were suffering from mild to moderate situational depression.
Steps to Wellness/Pasos a Salud
This project is intended to improve the emotional and physical well-being of our rural community residents by providing individual and group support and education to people suffering from diabetes and/or obesity.
Suislaw Community Connection Project / Florence Family Resources
Many Lane County, Oregon, programs are understaffed, poorly funded, and restrict their services to narrowly defined mental health problems.
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