Collective Impact Health Specialist Brings Health and Collaboration to the Columbia Gorge Region

Photo in the beautiful Gorge region taken by ORPRN's Rose Gunn, MA.

In the past three years the Columbia Gorge region has received more than $5 million in funding to support community-led initiatives that promote healthy living. This support was made possible by Providence Hospital which identified that the Gorge community lacked the necessary resources to obtain important grants that could better the health of the community. To address this problem, Providence hired a Collective Impact Health Specialist (CIHS) to work exclusively in the Gorge region. The CIHS collaborates with community members from different sectors to identify community needs, craft initiatives to address them, and pursue funding opportunities for implementation. In order to engage with an initiative the CIHS must collaborate with at least two community partners which builds a strong culture of collective responsibility and empowerment in the region.

In just three years the CIHS and community partners have made amazing strides. With their $5 million in funding they have initiated numerous programs including the Veggie Rx program in which people suffering from food insecurity (which includes a significant number of people living in the Gorge) can receive a “prescription” from their doctor which buys them $30 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables every month. The funding has also gone toward initiatives such as establishing a school-based health center, and training for more than 80 community health workers.

We are so proud of the work by the CIHS and Columbia Gorge community members and hope that their model can expand to promote health, happiness, collaboration, and empowerment in other parts of rural Oregon.
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Inspired by an article by Paul Lindberg, JD, Collective Impact Health Specialist: http://bit.ly/2slNQoW
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Learn more about the Veggie Rx program: http://www.gorgegrown.com/veggierx/

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