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Supporters tell Senate committee expansion, stable funding needed for regional health equity coalitions
Summary
At a public hearing Feb. 27, community leaders and the Oregon Health Authority urged the Senate Committee on Health Care to support bills expanding and stabilizing funding for Regional Health Equity Coalitions (RHECs), citing gaps in rural coverage and the coalitions’ role in outreach and policy change.
Community leaders, regional coalition directors and Oregon Health Authority staff told the Senate Committee on Health Care on Feb. 27 that Regional Health Equity Coalitions are a critical statewide infrastructure for addressing health disparities — particularly in rural counties — and urged passage of Senate Bill 528 and Senate Bill 530.
Senate Bill 528 would fund expansion of RHECs to increase geographic coverage; staff said the bill originally proposed adding five coalitions but a dash-1 amendment reduces that expansion to three. Senate Bill 530 would adjust HEC grant funding, proposing an inflation adjustment; its dash-1 amendment removes an automatic Consumer Price Index adjustment and instead leaves inflation adjustments to the Legislative Assembly and the biennial budget process.
Why it matters: regional health equity coalitions (RHECs) are community-led, cross-sector groups that do outreach, remove barriers and drive…
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