A Three-Pronged Approach
Rural communities depend heavily on registered nurses to provide care, but they face disproportionate challenges, including higher workforce shortages, fewer training opportunities, and growing health disparities compared to urban areas.
In response, NEOAHEC has partnered with the OHSU School of Nursing La Grande Campus to launch Rural Ready Nursing Support—a targeted, three-pronged initiative designed to strengthen the rural nursing pathway.
Rural Ready was intentionally modeled after similar efforts developed by Area Health Education Centers in Indiana and Montana.
Clinical Travel Support
Clinical Travel Support includes reimbursement for mileage and lodging during specialty clinical rotations not available locally. For students based in La Grande, gaining experience in areas like inpatient behavioral health or maternal-child care often requires multi-day travel to Boise.
Mental Health First Aid
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an evidence-based training developed in 2000 to help individuals recognize, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges.
Simulation
High-fidelity simulation gives students hands-on practice in high-risk, low-frequency scenarios they may not encounter during clinical rotations. This training is highly valuable to rural healthcare providers beyond just skill practice because they often face these types of situations and have few immediate resources and limited specialist support.
Thank you to our Funders!
We are grateful to the Roundhouse Foundation for their support in launching the Rural Ready Nursing Support program. We also extend our sincere thanks to an individual donor whose generous annual contribution will provide critical, ongoing support for this work.