The committee is a federally mandated body that advises the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and the Department of Human Services on the operation of Oregon’s Medicaid program, including the Oregon Health Plan. The new members are Tamara Bakewell, Regina Dehen, Jeremiah Rigsby and Maria I. Rodriguez of Portland, and Miguel Angel Herrada of Bend. The committee develops policy recommendations at the request of the Governor, the Legislature and OHA.
“These leaders bring unique and diverse perspectives to the Medicaid Advisory Committee,” said Lori Coyner, Oregon’s Medicaid director. “Having members on the MAC who represent medical education, the insurance industry, coordinated care organizations and Oregon families helps ensure that Medicaid policy decisions are relevant and effective.”
Tamara Bakewell, Oregon Center for Children and Youth with Special Health Needs and Oregon Family to Family Health Information Center
Tamara is the family involvement coordinator at the Oregon Center for Children and Youth with Special Health Needs. She also is project coordinator for the Oregon Family to Family Health Information Center. Her career as an advocate and trainer for families of children with special health needs began in 1990, when her daughter entered early intervention and special education services. Over the years, she has provided a family voice to many policy efforts, learning from families all around Oregon. She has conducted listening sessions and trainings about health care advocacy and resources to families throughout the state, and her hope is to bring those family and consumer voices to the Medicaid Advisory Committee.
Tamara joined the committee December 1, 2016, and will serve through November 2018.
Regina Dehen, ND, National University of Natural Medicine
As the chief medical officer at the National University of Natural Medicine, Dr. Dehen creates and administers the clinical curriculum and is responsible for developing clinical policies and procedures together with the clinical faculty. Chairing clinical supervisor meetings, establishing professionalism guidelines and monitoring, continuously improving clinical quality measures and assessing clinical outcomes and adherence to guidelines also falls under her purview. She develops and evaluates competencies for evidence-based clinical judgment, provides oversight of all didactic classes with clinical impact and evaluates and manages clinical supervisors and interns. As a clinical supervisor, Regina has an active practice at the university clinic.
Regina joined the committee December 1, 2016, and will serve through November 2018.
Jeremiah Rigsby, JD, CareOregon, MAC co-chair
Jeremiah Rigsby is senior manager of state and federal regulatory affairs at CareOregon. Before moving to Oregon to attend Lewis and Clark Law School, Jeremiah was a congressional aide to U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and U.S. Congressman Kurt Schrader (D-Oregon). During his time on Capitol Hill, he worked on a number of policy issues, but focused on health care policy through the development and passage of the Affordable Care Act. After completing law school, Jeremiah joined CareOregon to support and advocate for Medicaid and Medicare policy development.
Jeremiah joined the committee January 8, 2017, and will serve until January 7, 2019.
Maria I. Rodriguez, MD, MPH, Oregon Health & Science University
Maria I. Rodriquez is an obstetrician gynecologist who has completed sub-specialty training in family planning. She is a committed leader in evidence-based reproductive health policy and practice. She worked with the World Health Organization for five years, generating evidence-based reproductive health guidelines, and currently serves as Oregon's medical director for the Title X contraceptive program. Maria’s career centers on building the evidence and partnerships necessary to bridge the clinical, research and policy worlds, using evidence to inform policy that will improve reproductive health outcomes for all women.
Maria joined the committee September 7, 2016, and will serve through September 6, 2018.
Miguel Angel Herrada, PacificSource Health Plans
Miguel Angel Herrada is the health equity and diversity strategist at PacificSource. For some years he combined his career as a music teacher with social work, implementing educational programs geared towards social service through the dissemination and promotion of the arts in poor communities in Mexico. Miguel is a graduate of Developing Equity Leadership through Training and Action (DELTA), a program of the Office of Equity and Inclusion at the Oregon Health Authority, and currently volunteers as a medical interpreter for Volunteers in Medicine in Bend. He is a member of both the Advisory Board of the Institute of Development and Disability (IDD) for Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and the Board of Directors of Mosaic Medical Group in central Oregon.
Miguel joined the committee December 1, 2016, and will serve through November 2018.
These members join Laura Etherton (co-chair), Glendora Claybrooks, Bob DiPrete, Alyssa Franzen, Marcia Hille, Anna Lansky (DHS ex-officio), Ross Ryan and David Simnitt (OHA ex-officio).
Meetings of the Medicaid Advisory Committee are open to the public. For more information about the committee, visit the committee's website.
Oregon health leaders join Medicaid Advisory Committee
Governor Kate Brown has appointed five health leaders to Oregon's Medicaid Advisory Committee (MAC).
April 7, 2017
