Meg Bowen, Winding Waters Clinic

Nestled on the slopes of the Wallowa Mountains in far Northeast Oregon, Winding Waters is one of the newest Federally Qualified Health Centers in the region. The original clinic opened its doors on January 29, 1975 and has served Wallowa County for over 40 years. In a frontier county with a population that hovers around 7,000 people, Winding Waters has been dedicated to meeting the complete primary care needs of Wallowa County residents and visitors. The number of staff has doubled since becoming an FQHC in August 2015, as we work to provide wraparound services to our community.

Bethany Gadzinski, Terry Reilly Health Services

In 2016 the city of Nampa was selected by Reinvestment Fund and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to take part in the new Invest Health initiative. Invest Health is aimed at transforming how leaders from mid-size American cities work together to help low-income communities thrive, with specific attention to community features that drive health such as access to safe and affordable housing, places to play and exercise, and quality jobs.

Lynn Gerlach, Tamarack Communications

Back in the early ‘80s, when the Primary Care Associations of the Northwest were first coming to life, and before the explosion of the region’s community health centers, seeds were sown for one of the most innovative and effective health care systems in the Northwest. Established in 1982, Southcentral Foundation (SCF) has transformed the health care of its patient population to an internationally respected and emulated system that Don Berwick called “the leading example of health care redesign in the nation, maybe the world.”

"I first started at Outside In as one of our low income, at-risk youth patients. I became a Certified Medical Assistant 3 years ago and have focused all my time in the non-profit sector. I now work at Outside In, giving back to the very place that saved me. Compassion and empathy is so important, and a lot of our patients don’t get that while they are out on the streets. I make sure that every patient that I work with feels like they have value, they are being heard, and that I am truly here to help them. We all struggle, but it’s my job to make sure our patients have a helping hand to show them they are not alone."

-Krista Skoczylas, Medical Assistant, Outside In

Feature a fantastic Case Manager in next month's edition! Please send Alyssa Panning a short bio and photo by August 8.

Leslie is NWRPCA's newest intern. Born and raised in Kirkland, WA, Leslie likes to read, travel, learn foreign languages, play the flute, and try new foods. She is currently working on her B.A. degree in English with minors in Spanish and Global Health at the University of Washington. Leslie hopes to learn as much as possible about community health centers, marketing communications, and the nonprofit sector while interning at NWRPCA. She says, "I’m so thankful for the opportunity to get to know everyone here and contribute to the community health movement!"

October 21-24 in Seattle

Together Toward Tomorrow: Celebrating 20 Years of Region 18

Registration is open for the 2017 Fall Primary Care Conference in Seattle, Washington! Gather October 21-24 for exciting conference tracks and sessions, speakers, opportunities to meet with exhibitors, and much more!

November 2016 - September 2017

The next webinar, Strategic Planning, is July 19 at noon PT

This ten-part governance webinar series focuses on a variety of topics that relate directly to Community Health Center Boards of Directors.

Sign up for the remainder of all live webinars, and receive recordings of all previous webinars.

January 2017-December 2017

The next webinar, Brief Interventions: Substance Abuse, is August 9, at noon PT

NWRPCA is offering a series of ten behavioral health webinars that serve as a platform each month for a blend of didactic trainings and interactive opportunities. Each month we examine a different topic via a 60-minute webinar.

Sign up for the remainder of all live webinars, and receive recordings of all previous webinars.

September 18 in Portland, OR

Employee engagement is more than “feel good” event. It is more than having a best friend at work. It is possible for engagement to directly contribute to an organization’s strategy and drive business outcomes. Join Theresa Kinney as she discusses how BlessingWhite’s X Model of Employee Engagement provide a venue for every single individual, manager and senior executive in any organization to contribute to and drive business outcomes through managing their own engagement.

February 22-24, 2018 in Seattle, WA

You are invited to submit an abstract to speak at our 2018 Western Forum for Migrant and Community Health in Seattle, WA! Submissions focusing on health care delivery, outreach and enrollment, policy and advocacy, and workforce leadership and development, and other topic areas that relate to the multi-disciplinary nature of this conference are highly desired.

Abstract submissions are due September 22, 2017.