FW: June and July Statewide Tour
Stephanie Tama-Sweet
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From: Jeremy VANDEHEY [mailto:jeremy....@state.or.us]
Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 3:23 PM
To: Stephanie Tama-Sweet
Subject: June and July Statewide Tour
Opportunity to
discuss health reform in Oregon - coming to a
county near you
I am the Community Engagement Coordinator for the
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and the nine-member, citizen Oregon Health Policy
Board. I will be traveling to
communities around the state in June and July to meet one-on-one and obtain
input regarding health reform in Oregon for the Board.
What are OHA and OHPB?
OHA and the Board were created by House Bill 2009 and have been given the task of making recommendations to the Legislature in December 2010 on a number of health policy reform topics, including:
- Developing a comprehensive plan to provide and fund affordable, quality health care for all Oregonians by 2015; and
- Creating a business plan for an insurance exchange in Oregon, including the feasibility of a public plan to operate within the exchange and an essential benefit package that all plans must offer in the exchange.
In addition, the Board is tackling a number of other health reform issues to the triple aim of:
- Improving the health of the population;
- Enhancing the patient experience of care (including quality, access, and reliability); and
- Reducing, or at least controlling, the per capita cost of care.
Purpose
The trip will include one-on-one and small group meetings outside of the north Willamette Valley with those who are interested in learning about the Board's work, would like to learn how to be further engaged, and would like to provide input on some specific policy areas. I will meet with a combination of representatives from hospitals, safety nets, other providers, consumer advocates, small business leaders, health insurance agents, local elected officials, local health departments and others.
The purpose of the trip is to provide an additional input opportunity, particularly for communities around the state that cannot easily access the Board meetings, while also setting the stage for future meetings and engagement opportunities throughout the year. All of the input I receive will be submitted to staff and the Board. While I likely will not be able to meet with everyone in each community, this also won't be the last chance to have your voice heard!
Schedule
Below is the schedule of approximate dates that I will be in each county.
6/9 - 6/12: Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa
6/14 - 6/19: Baker, Grant, Harney, Malheur
6/21 - 6/25: Lake, Klamath, Deschutes, Jefferson
6/28 - 7/1: Hood River, Wasco, Gilliam, Sherman, Wheeler, Crook
7/5 - 7/9: Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Curry
7/12 - 7/16: Coos, Douglas (coast) Lane (coast), Lincoln, Tillamook, Clatsop
7/26 - 7/30: Columbia, Lane, Linn, Benton, Polk, Yamhill
After scheduling the meeting, I will send out materials on specific policy areas and questions so you can pick the areas that are most important to you to discuss in the meeting. These materials will just be a framework and I'm happy to discuss other issues and concerns.
Contact Information
If you're interested in meeting, please contact me at jeremy....@state.or.us or 503-602-1646 with some possible dates and times in which you can meet. If you're unable to meet during while I'm in your community, please still contact me so we can try to connect at another time.