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Deschutes County awarded $582,863 in OHA Rural Health Transformation immediate‑impact funds to expand school and perinatal services
Summary
The county will receive $582,863 in immediate‑impact funding from the Oregon Health Authority to expand school‑based social supports and substance‑use prevention in La Pine and Redmond, restore perinatal care coordination, and expand a nurse home‑visiting program for medically fragile children.
Deschutes County Public Health announced Thursday that the Oregon Health Authority awarded the county $582,863 in immediate‑impact Rural Health Transformation Program funding for projects focused on prevention, healthy communities and expanding existing services.
Public Health Director Heather Keiser and program staff described three primary uses: school‑based programming focused on social supports and substance‑use prevention in La Pine and Redmond schools; restoration and expansion of the county’s perinatal care coordination team after the loss of prior funding; and expansion of the Cocoon Nurse Home Visiting Program for medically fragile children.
Keiser said the state received a large Rural Health Transformation allocation and distributed immediate impact awards to projects capable of launching quickly. "OHA has awarded Deschutes County Services dollars 582,863 to implement projects that align with program element 82," Keiser said.
Nurse practitioner Anne Kilty explained the Cocoon program serves medically fragile children from birth to age 21 and that the county plans a small pilot to assess demand and sustainability for non‑Medicaid patients. Jessica Jacks, prevention and health promotion program manager, described rapid collaboration with school districts to stand up prevention services using existing relationships with school‑based health centers.
The board moved, seconded and approved chair signature on the intergovernmental agreement to accept the funds. Staff said the awards were distributed quickly and that the county will focus on sustainability plans following initial implementation.
Next steps: staff will implement the immediate‑impact projects, coordinate with school districts and report back to the board on program operations and sustainability planning.
