Oregon Rural Health Conference
Thank you to everyone who attended the 41st Annual Oregon Rural Health Conference!
We had an extremely successful event thanks to our fantastic speakers and partners.
The 2025 Conference will be held at the Riverhouse Lodge in Bend, October 1 – 3, 2025. Registration will open in February; please sign up early. Requests for proposals will go out in late January 2025.
See the 2024 Conference presentations below.
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.
Contact Laura Potter with any questions potterla@ohsu.edu .
Upcoming ORH Conferences
2025 - Oct 1-3 - Riverhouse Lodge, Bend, Oregon
2026 - Sept. 23-26 - Riverhouse Lodge, Bend, Oregon
Past ORH Conferences
Thank you for attending the 2024 Oregon Rural Health Conference!
2024 Conference Presentations
Workshop: RHC Financial/Operational Indicator Report and Best Practices
Ralph Llewellyn, Eide Bailly
Plenary: Revitalizing and Re-energizing Your Team
Jeff Harper, Inquiseek
From Regulations to Rural Excellence
Kate Hill, The Compliance Team
What Rural Hospitals Need to Know About Developing Partnerships
Jeffrey Sommer, Stroudwater Associates
Challenges in Access to Maternal and Child Care in Rural Oregon
Amy Hermesch, OHSU
State of the Rural Traditional Health Workers: Building a Resilient Community Health Workforce
Janessa Wells, Oregon Coalition of Local Health Officials
Financial and Operational Challenges for RHCs: New Strategies
Katie Jo Raebel, Wipfli
Rural Hospital Engagement in Economic Development: Why and How
Marie Barry, Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative
Tribally Led Health Care Systems Addressing Workforce Development
Sasha Jones, and Miranda Davis, Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board
Simplifying Care Management Services and Telemedicine for RHCs
Patty Harper, InQuiseek
Integrating Worker and Patient Safety in Critical Access Hospitals
David Hurtado, OHSU
Breaking the Mold: Rethinking Nursing Shortages in Oregon
Rick Allegeyer, Dawne Schoenthal and Jana Bitton, Oregon Center for Nursing
Leveraging Community Partnerships to Increase Rural Immunization Rates
Jill Johnson, OHA, Katie Russell, Jefferson County Public Health, and Rachel Ellis, Winding Waters Medical Clinic
Rural Health Clinic Regulatory and Legislative Update
Sarah Hohman, National Association of Rural Health Clinics
State and Community-Based Partnerships in the Rollout of Healthier Oregon
Sandi Cleveland Phibbs, OSU Center for Health Innovation, Monica Juarez, OHA, Alex Llumiquinga, Arcoiris Cultural/Olalla Center
Rural Community Palliative Support: Educate and Innovate with Community Health
Erin Collins, The Peaceful Presence Project, Oralia Mendez, Oregon State University
Tackling Workforce Challenges Through Recruitment and Retention
Bill Pfunder, Trixie Lacas, Oregon Office of Rural Health
RHC Plan of Correction
Tressa Sacrey, Health Services Associates, Inc.
Integrating Workforce Wellness into Everyday Organizational Decisions
Lisa Ladendorff, Edna Murrieta, Northeast Oregon Network
Providing Upstream Suicide Prevention Strategies in Rural Communities
Debra Darmata, OHA, Tim Glascock, Association of Oregon Community Mental Health Programs, and Karen Cellarius, Portland State University
The Power and Promise of Mobile Integrated Health
Madison Riethman, Oregon CLHO
Critical Access Hospital Hot Topics
Ralph Llewellyn, Eide Bailly
Health Equity ECHO Program: Peer-to-Peer Learning in Public Health Agencies
Maggie McLain, Oregon ECHO and OHSU
Building a Community-Based Nursing Service in Rural Communities
Seiko Izumi, OHSU School of Nursing, Dana Womack, OHSU Dept. of Medical Informatics & Clinical Epidemiology, and Gina Seufert, Adventist Health in Tillamook
Increasing Access to High Quality Care for Youth: School-Based Health Center
Rebecca Jacobs, OHA, Kate O'Donnell, OHA, Jennifer Harris, Orchid Health, Missy Albrich, Orchid Health, and Katelin Tellechea, Morrow County Health District
RHC - Revenue Cycle and Financial Improvement
Jonathan Pantenburg, Wintergreen
2025 PCPCH Recognition Criteria Overview and Strategies for Rural Practice Implementation
Amy Harris, Susan El-Mansy, Amber Anderson, and Megan Bowen, OHA
Recruitment and Retention of Physicians Via Immigration Sponsorship: Case Examples of How Rural Oregon Employers Filled Their Shortages
Yaschar Sarparast, Sarpa Law
Partnering to Deliver Community Conversations About Behavioral Health
Nicole Breuner, Sandi Cleveland Phibbs, OSU Center for Health Innovation
Public Health Career Technical Education Opportunities
Sarah Baron, Central Oregon Community College, Katie Plumb, Crook County Health Department, Nancy Burham, PacificSource
Enhancing Medical-Forensic Services in Rural Oregon
Meira Pomegranate, Oregon Sexual Assault Task Force
Alzheimer's and Dementia in Rural Communities
Lori Stanton, Alzheimer's Association Oregon and SW Washington Chapter
Transforming Health Care Access: Telehealth and Community Wellness in Rural Oregon
Alexandra Topper, Comagine Health, Tiffany Sopher, Elkton Community Education Center
Translation Is Not Enough: Authentic Partnership to Create a Novel CHW Training Curriculum
Emilie Lamson-Sui, OCCYSHN, OHSU, Joel Pelayo, The Next Door, Inc., Liliana Justo-Bello, The Next Door, Inc., Ana Brooks, Oregon Family to Family Health, and Lindsey Patterson, OCCYSHN, OHSU
Medicaid 1115 Waiver Health Related Social Needs Program
Kali Glenn-Haley, OHA, and Julie Reeder, OHA
Prepaid Health Plan Supplemental Payments
Adrienne Cooke, and AJ Rudd, OHA
ORH Community Listening Tour: Final Results and Takeaways
Sarah Andersen, Oregon Office of Rural Health
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 .