March 3, 2005                                                                                                               Contact:  Troy Soenen
Technical Assistance Field Specialist
Office of Rural Health

503-494-4450 fax 503-494-4798

www.ohsu.edu/oregonruralhealth

Oregon Office of Rural Health Releases New RHC Report

The Oregon Office of Rural Health at Oregon Health & Science University announces the release of a new report about the challenges facing providers of rural health care. 

The report, �Oregon Federally Certified Rural Health Clinics,� is a comprehensive operations study of the operations of 37 of Oregon�s rural health clinics.  The Rural Health Clinic (RHC) program has been a community option to increase the availability of primary health care services for rural Oregonians since 1978, and was created by Congress so that there would be providers available in rural communities to serve Medicare and Medicaid patients.  In many remote Oregon communities, an RHC offers the only option for primary health care.

Data in this report was obtained through personal site visits by Office of Rural Health field staff and include information about finances, staffing patterns, physical plants and challenges.  In addition, the report offers advice to clinics considering RHC certification, and is intended to serve as an educational tool for communities, health care professionals and policy makers.  It identifies and explores issues facing Rural Health Clinics while using the findings to improve the services provided by the Office of Rural Health through its technical assistance activities. 

Contact Troy Soenen in the Oregon Office of Rural Health, 503-494-4450, for more information, or go to the Oregon Office of Rural Health web site, http://www.ohsu.edu/oregonruralhealth/publcat.html, scrolls to 'Oregon Federally Certified Rural Health Clinics' to view the report on-line.