Local Stories
Welcome to Tim Lynch!
Please join CLHO in welcoming Tim Lynch as the new local health administrator of Coos Health & Wellness in Coos County!
Tim brings a wealth of expertise to Coos County - he holds a Doctorate in Public Health from Walden University and a Master’s in Healthcare Administration and Management from Colorado State University.
Healthy Rural Oregon Celebrates One Year!
The Oregon Office of Rural Health (ORH) and CLHO recently concluded the first year of a three-year award from HRSA’s Rural Public Health Workforce Training Network grant. The funded project, called the Healthy Rural Oregon (HRO) program, aims to grow the public health and healthcare workforce in rural Oregon by training, engaging, and supporting the employment of community health workers (CHWs) and community EMT/paramedics (CPs) in both core and supplemental skill sets that meet rural communities’ needs.
Reflecting on National Public Health Week
We’re proud to say that National Public Health Week was a huge success! Thank you to all of our partners and supporters who came to Salem and shared their experiences about working in public health. It was great for legislators to hear directly from their County Commissioners and Local Public Health Administrators about the public health needs in their own communities. We had many impactful meetings with legislators and were able to connect with long-time and newly identified legislative advocates. These relationships are critical as legislators are tasked with identifying their budget priorities, and we want public health to make their shortlists!
The 2023 Legislative Session - March Update
Before we dig into what the legislature has been up to so far, we wanted to flag that CLHO’s legislative toolkit is now live on our website! There is a public-facing section that contains a lot of helpful information about how to interact with legislators, and links to CLHO’s Lunch and Learn series. And for members, you can find additional strategic resources in the Member Legislative Toolkit, found in the Legislative Committee Library.
The 2023 Legislative Session
The 2023 Legislative Session is off and running! Over the next five months, CLHO staff, with the help of CFM Advocates, will strive to keep you apprised of the significant happenings that could impact public health as thousands of bills move through the legislative process. Here are some of the major highlights from January and early February.
On January 9th, Tina Kotek was officially sworn in as the 39th Governor of Oregon. The same day, she issued three executive orders to address the housing and homelessness crisis. On January 31st, she released the Governor’s Recommended Budget (GRB), Mission Forward, which named housing and homelessness; mental health and addiction services; and early learning, child care, and K-12 investment as her key priorities.
Welcome to Jaime Aanensen!
Please join CLHO in welcoming Jaime Aanensen as Columbia County’s new Public Health Director!
Jaime was born and raised in Rainier, Oregon. She attended college in Idaho, first at Lewis-Clark State College, where she played volleyball, and then at Boise State University. She majored in health promotion and athletic training at Boise State University. While completing a health promotion internship at a local health system in Boise, she discovered a passion for public health after engaging with infection prevention hospital staff. She decided to pursue her Master of Health Science with an emphasis in health policy.
Washington and Linn Counties Recognized for Breastfeeding Peer Support Programs
Please join CLHO in congratulating Washington County Public Health and Linn County Public Health for earning WIC Breastfeeding Awards of Excellence for their breastfeeding peer support programs! The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced these awards in August in alignment with National Breastfeeding Awareness Week.