What's NEOAHEC up to?

Andrea Flores-Reyna, Juntos Coordinator in Hood River and Wasco Counties, has been a driving force behind the MedQuest Day Camp experience since 2022.

Nick West walks the walk of a rural provider.

The closure of the Baker City Obstetrics department has highlighted the urgent need to address maternal healthcare challenges in rural Eastern Oregon. Interprofessional health professions students from the Northeast Oregon Campus for Rural Health, community members, and local healthcare educators and professionals will partner to develop OB simulations tailored to meet the needs of our region.

NEOAHEC will illustrate the positive effects of the lasting investment in healthcare workforce development.

NEOAHEC’s purpose is to develop a pathway for growing our own healthcare professionals and create sustainability in our rural healthcare workforce. This is not easy work because it takes years of investment and consistent dedication to the mission to be considered successful. Read NEOAHEC's 2024 Annual Report to find out how we shape the healthcare workforce in rural Eastern Oregon.

When we talk about growing our own healthcare providers, many think about investing in the next generation of children. But for people like Nikki Billman, growing our own means investing in healthcare professionals at every stage of their careers. A La Grande local, Nikki recently earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) through Oregon Health and Science University’s (OHSU) innovative distance program. Since graduating in June, she has taken on a vital role as an outpatient provider at New Directions Northwest in Baker City, Oregon, serving the mental health needs of her community. Nikki’s story is a testament to the power of opportunity, persistence, and the belief that we can build strong rural healthcare professionals—right here at home.

NEOAHEC has been operating in eastern Oregon since 1991. During that time, our programming has been featured in the La Grande Observer, East Oregonian, and other local newspapers. We have compiled a selection of these articles over time.

NEOAHEC is building a robust simulation program that prepares healthcare students and professionals and for high-risk real-life medical scenarios.

NEOAHEC is celebrating National Rural Health Day! Rural communities are wonderful places to live and work, which is why nearly 61 million people call them home.

Investigators of Science—a STEM day-camp for middle school students hosted by Northeast Oregon Area Health Education Center (NEOAHEC) and Eastern Oregon University (EOU)—held its 2024 event at the EOU campus on November 2, 2024.