Oregon Rural Health Conference
The 41st Annual Oregon Rural Health Conference will be held October 2 – 4, 2024 at the newly renovated Riverhouse Lodge. Use this link to book your room now at a discounted rate. The discounted room block will fill up, and then available rates will be higher, so reserve early!
Join Us for the 2024 Conference!
Refunds will be given for cancellations until August 15, 2024.
2024 Agenda
Registration fees:
- $399 for regular attendees
- $150 for students (must be a full-time, unemployed student)
Scholarships are available for full-time students and staff from very small health care organizations. Applications are due by August 30, 2024. Apply here.
The conference brings together over 300 providers, policy-makers, public health, hospital and clinic leaders to explore topics of vital importance to Oregonians living in rural communities and to share challenges and solutions. Our presenters are among the most dedicated experts from Oregon and beyond. We look forward to welcoming you to the Conference!
Contact Laura Potter with any questions potterla@ohsu.edu .
Upcoming ORH Conferences
2024 - Oct. 2-4 - Riverhouse Lodge, Bend, Oregon
2025 - Oct 1-3 - Riverhouse Lodge, Bend, Oregon
2026 - Sept. 23-26 - Riverhouse Lodge, Bend, Oregon
Past ORH Conferences
Thank you for celebrating 40 years of Rural Health in Oregon with us at our Conference in Sunriver, October 11 – 13, 2023!
2023 Conference Presentations
Workshop: Providers Clinical Support System Buprenorphine Training
Eleasa Sokolski, OHSU
Documented Compliance in an RHC
Tressa Sacrey, Director, Compliance and Education, Health Services Associates, Inc.
Care Management Services in an RHC
Charles James, North American HMS
Plenary: The CDC’s New Office of Rural Health: Purpose and Priorities
Diane Hall, M.S.Ed., Ph.D., Director, Office of Rural Health, CDC
Suicide and Rural Areas: Why the Higher Rate?
Debra Darmata, Adult Suicide Prevention Coordinator, OHA
Improving Access to Mental Health Treatment in Rural Oregon
Jonathan Betlinski, MD, Director OPAL-A and Public Psychiatry, OHSU; Linda Schmidt, Assistant Professor, OPAL-A
Behavioral Health Services for RHC
Charles James, North American HMS
Resilience for Retention: Practical Retention Strategies for Rural Health Organizations
Allison Whisenhunt, LCSW, Director of Behavioral Health and Care Management, Columbia Memorial Hospital; Rebecca Larson, MSW, LCSW, Care Management Supervisor, Columbia, Memorial Hospital
Sharing is Caring: How De-monopolizing Knowledge Improves Mental Health Care
Jonathan Betlinski MD, Director OPAL-A and Public Psychiatry, OHSU; Ruth Tadesse PhD, OHSU
Health Communications During Crisis, Pandemics and in an Era of Misinformation
Vanessa A. Becker, PIO & Public Health Modernization, Douglas Public Health Network
Federal Policy Update for RHCs
Sarah Hohman, NARHC
Northwest Tribal Community Health Provider Programs: Building a Bridge from Community Health Representative to Community Health Practitioner, Behavioral Health Aide Practitioner, Dental Health Aide, or Dental Health Aide Therapist
Carrie Sampson Samuels, NWPAIHB; Kari Ann Kuntzelman, Dental Health Aide Education Specialist, NWPAIHB; Katie Hunsberger, BHA Student Support Coordinator, NWPAIHB
Health Equity in Our Aging Communities: A Conversation with Three Rural Providers
Diana Burden, Medical Director, Mosaic Community Health, Prineville; Katie Plumb, Health &Human Services Director, Crook Co. Health Dept.; Maureen (Paulie) Bruns, MD, Medical Director, Samaritan Medical Group, Corvallis.; Moderator: Julia Brown, Community Outreach and Engagement Manager, Age+
Oregon's Health Information Technology Strategic Plan Update
Shannon Cengija, Health IT Policy Analyst, OHA; Hope Peskin-Shepherd, Lead Policy Analyst, OHA
Medicaid’s Alternative Payment and Advanced Care Model
Bill Roller, Billing and Administrative Director, Orchid Health; Adrienne Cooke, Operations and Policy Analyst, OHA
Boosting the Rural Workforce through Community Health Support
Madison Riethman, Grant Project and Data Manager, Oregon Coalition of Local Health Officials (OR CLHO); Janessa Wells, Workforce Navigator, OR CLHO; Katie Irvine Minich, THW Doula & Program Director, Doula Training Center; Beck Low, CHW Training HUB Coordinator, Benton County Health Services; Patricia Card, Older Adult Behavioral Health Specialist & Peer Support Coordinator, Klamath Basin Behavioral Health
Delivering Prenatal Care in a Rural Oregon Health System: An Implementation Case Study to Improve Rural Family Health
Candice Hunter, FNP, Orchid Health
Case Study: Asymptomatic Bacteriuria Quality Improvement Projects in Critical Access Hospitals
Natalia Martinez-Paz, Program Manager; Rupali Jain, PharmD, Center for Stewardship in Medicine
The Best Health Care Includes Good Culture
Jeff Harper, InQuiseek, LLC
Novel Strategies for Stabilizing the Pharmacy Technician Pipeline in Central Oregon
Sheila Salido Jordan, Managing Director, workability, LLC
Health Promotion and Access for Rural Oregonians with Disabilities
Lindsay Sauve, OHSU; Kelsey Weinstein, Linkage Coordinator, OHSU
Improving Access to Subspecialty Pediatric Care
Henry Lin, Attending Physician, OHSU; Linda Muir, MD, OHSU; Jamie Klapp, OHSU medical student
Rural Health Clinic Development: Start to Finish
Patty Harper, InQuiseek, LLC
Improving Wellbeing and Retention Within the Rural Health Care Workforce
Lisa Ladendorff, Development and Training Program Director, Northeast Oregon Network (NEON); Jenn Rolfes, DBH, President and CEO, Health Equity Solutions
Bridges to Recovery: Addressing Substance Use Disorder and Overdoses in Lincoln County
JoAnn Miller, Director of Community Health Promotion, Samaritan; Shelagh Baird, MPH, Community Health Improvement Specialist
Making Your Quality Program Stick
Angie Charlet, VP Education & Development, Canopy Associates
Strategies for Ongoing RHC Compliance
Kate Hill, The Compliance Team
Giving It Our Best Shot: How EMS Can Play a Significant Role in Public Health in Rural Communities
Hailey Palmore, Director of Public Health Services, Mist-Birkenfeld Rural Fire Protection District
VA Health Care Use and Decision Making: Rural Aging Veteran Perspectives
Traben Pleasant, Qualitative Researcher, Portland, Veterans Affairs
Clearing the Air for Cancer Screening
Durinda Haukap, Admin. Dir. CMH/OHSU Knight Cancer Collaborative; Chris Laman, VP of Strategy, Columbia Memorial Hospital; Julian Dillon, Executive Director, American Lung Association
The State of Rural Health Care: Looking Forward
Katie Jo Raebel, Wipfli; Eric Volk, Wipfli
Reproductive Healthcare in the Post-Roe Era: A Guide for Rural
Shaalini Ramanadhan, MD, Assistant Professor, OHSU Center for Women’s Health
Breakfast and Plenary: Breakfast Brings Benefits: and Other Nutritional Strategies in Community Health
Erin Fredericks, MScN, FAMILIAR Foods
Creating Health Equity for Klamath County's Hispanic Population Through Community Partnerships
Oscar Herrera, Chair, Healthy Klamath Coalition’s Hispanic Health Committee
Data-Driven Rural Health Care: Identifying Barriers and Access Needs
Brent DeMoe, Director, Polk County Family & Community Outreach; Dave Guile, President, Sounds of Silence Inc.
School-Based Rural Clinics
Clayton Ipsen, President, HealthForce
Oregon Recruitment and Retention Efforts: A 5-Year Review and Look to the Future
Jill Boyd, Health Care Provider Incentives Project Coordinator, OHA; Leah Festa, MPA, Health Care Provider Incentives Coordinator; Bill Pfunder, Incentives Program Manager, Oregon Office of Rural Health
Mental Health Crisis Assessment and Stabilization Facilities in Rural Oregon: A Case Study
Brianna Manfrass, Associate Principal, Pinnacle Architecture; Adam Goggins, Crisis Program Manager, Deschutes County Health Services
From Chaos to Clarity: A Lean Culture Transformation in Rural America
Jodi Thompson, Outpatient Quality Review Nurse, Good Shepherd Health Care System; Devin Goldman, Director of Quality Management, Good Shepherd Health Care System
Promoting Access to Care for Rural LGBTQ+ Patients
Bari Laskow, MD, Full Circle Idaho; Camille Evans, LCSW, Cornerstore Whole Health Care Organization
Barriers and Solutions to Nursing Workforce Retention and Attraction in Rural Areas
Rick Allgeyer, Research Director; Dawne Schoenthal, Program Director, Oregon Center for Nursing
Contact us if you would like to receive PDFs of any presentations. Email Laura Potter.
If you would like information from past conferences or events, contact Laura Potter .