Community Health Programs
The university’s community health care programs reach out to vulnerable groups in urban areas as well as underserved rural communities throughout the state. These programs span OHSU’s missions and provide a breadth of services that no other entity in the state can match.
Read a sampling of the activities and programs offered by OHSU.
Oregon’s Community Benefit Reporting Program requires health care institutions to report annually on the activities they provide to the community that generate costs that exceed their income.
As the state’s only academic health center, OHSU’s mission includes a number of activities and programs that no other hospital can offer: educating the next generation of health care providers, discovering new cures, providing care for the most vulnerable and difficult cases, and statewide outreach that touches all 36 Oregon counties. OHSU’s case mix index — a measure of the complexity of care provided — is the highest in Oregon, and OHSU provides a number of advanced medical services not available anywhere else in the state.
View the chart details and read about OHSU's community benefit.
Investing in today's youth and tomorrow's health care leaders
OHSU’s Science Education Opportunities program works with communities, schools and a network of teachers throughout the state to provide opportunities to increase students’ interests in careers in health and science.
Clinical outreach partners
Through a network of partnerships, OHSU is enhancing community-based care, serving Oregon’s most vulnerable citizens, increasing access to health care education and bringing groundbreaking health research to rural communities. OHSU’s partnerships allow both providers to share expertise and resources, while avoiding duplicative services.
Find out how partnerships with OHSU provide added access to patient care.
A partner for workers across the state
The Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology is dedicated to health and safety in the workforce. Through basic and applied research, outreach and education, CROET works to prevent illness and injury in partnership with labor, industry, government and the community.
The Toxicology Information Center is an invaluable resource on occupational and environmental safety, and CROETweb provides up-to-date safety and health information by industry sector. CROET also conducts workplace interventions and develops prevention programs to address safety issues, and provides education and information to Oregon’s workforce.
Area Health Education Centers
The AHEC program consists of five regional centers covering the state, each of which provides education and training for current and future health care professionals, and encourages health care practice in rural and underserved areas. Through AHEC programs, OHSU students and residents participate in clerkships, partnering with community physicians throughout the state. This exchange fills a provider shortage and spurs interest in rural health among young professionals.
Through job shadowing, science clubs and other career exploration activities, youths in Oregon have an opportunity to be mentored by professionals and develop strategies for following a health care career path. Various programs are offered at AHEC Centers around the state.
Office of Rural Health
OHSU’s Office of Rural Health helps rural health care systems get established and remain viable. The office works directly with Oregon’s rural communities on community development, strategic planning, hospital board training and leadership development. The office has been designated by the federal government to carry out a program designed to help ensure the financial viability of small rural hospitals. It also is responsible for administering several programs to improve health care for rural Oregonians.