Jackson County health leaders outline OHA-required Public Health Modernization Plan

Stacy Brubaker, Director of the Health and Human Services Department, and Laura Lui, Program Manager II, presented the Oregon Health Authority-required Public Health Modernization Plan to the Jackson County Board of Commissioners and clarified the Plan does not require Board approval.

Lui told the Board that "the Plan has three main strategic investments: technology, community partnerships, and accountability and operational improvement," and said the county is behind in digital recordkeeping, with three clinical programs still using paper charts. She said the department will move forward with implementing Ocean Epic, a unified electronic health record system that will interface with the State, and will deploy new tools to manage large data sets and improve data collection.

Commissioner Colleen Roberts asked whether the county has gaps related to OHA's equity-centered framework and raised a distinction between equity and equal access to services. Brubaker and Lui provided historical context and supplied the Board with a copy of the proposed Plan for reference. The presentation also noted that a portion of OHA modernization grant funds supports a Regional Modernization Partnership between Jackson and Josephine Counties and that the annual Health Fair receives OHA funding to connect community organizations with residents.

The briefing closed with a short question-and-answer period about service gaps and timelines. The Board requested further information about equity-related gaps; no formal action was required or taken.