First few Article Sentences
In southern Oregon, there is an unacceptable health problem – rural communities have extremely low health status coupled with economic disparity. The Oregon Office of Rural Health has designated several counties in the region as medically under served areas. Simply put, there are not enough health care providers to adequately serve the healthcare needs of these communities.
AHECSW believes in current research (OHWI, 2011) that states that a strong healthcare workforce will dramatically increase rural health status and improve a community’s economic vitality by adding jobs. Many believe that health is a community issue and communities are most effective when they form partnerships to resolve health care problems.