Do you have a friend or family member who has diabetes, depression and a host of other health issues? Many Oregonians have two or more health issues and coping with them can be a challenge.
Columbia Pacific Coordinated Care Organization, which serves Oregon Health Plan Medicaid recipients in four counties, has awarded $7,500 to Tillamook Regional Medical Center to address this problem. The medical center is organizing a countywide system of health providers and human services organizations to improve health outcomes for low-income residents with complex health and social needs.
The system will include hospitals, clinics and agencies that will coordinate the physical health and mental health needs of people who are the most frequent users of care resources. The goal is to improve health outcomes and reduce the overall cost of care by reducing waste and duplication of services.
“We are very excited to get started on this project,” says Gina Seufert, vice president of physician and clinic services at Tillamook Regional Medical Center. “This is the first step in drawing all the different agencies together to collaborate on how to best care for high-risk patients with chronic health conditions in our community.”
The key organizations leading this project are Tillamook County Health Department, Tillamook Family Counseling Center and Care, Inc.
Columbia Pacific CCO recently awarded $57,000 for seven projects as part of its Community Wellness Investment Fund. The CCO’s board of directors created the funding program to encourage innovation, collaboration and health care transformation in the communities it serves. The funds support programs that are sustainable and are aligned with each community’s priorities for addressing unequal access to care and gaps in care services.
