News

Funding supports health priorities of the Community Health Improvement Plan

Medford, Ore.— Today Jackson Care Connect announced $220,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations serving people in Jackson County. The granted projects include parent education and support for rural families, fire recovery housing, a police liaison program and a barrier-free farmers market.

This funding aligns with the priorities identified in the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), known as All In For Health. The community-wide initiative identified local health priorities of housing, behavioral health and parenting support in 2019. Health equity was added to the plan in 2022 as a fourth priority, in recognition of the immediate need to develop goals and strategies to address equity in our region. Jackson Care Connect is part of the collaboration of health and social services organizations involved in All In For Health.

Several of the CHIP projects provide direct services to community members in need, like the farmers markets hosted by Rogue Food Unites.

“Many of our families attending our free mobile markets are fire- and/or COVID-affected, facing economic conditions that affect their ability to obtain the healthy foods that can positively impact their health,” says Karen Carnival of Rogue Food Unites. “The funding that we received from the CHIP grant will allow us to expand the no-cost mobile farmers market offerings to a rural, hard-to-reach population in eastern Jackson County this spring.”

All of the grant applicants were asked to demonstrate how their projects increase equitable health access and include marginalized populations. Black Alliance Social Empowerment (BASE) appreciated the focus on a more inclusive, safe and productive environment.

"The recent interview process I took part in for the CHIP program was a refreshing reminder that the future of work holds the potential for a more equitable and enriched community,” says Vance Beach of BASE. “Our new groundbreaking Racial Equity Police Liaison Program will focus on cultivating vocally equitable law enforcement policies in our valley and work towards improving the interactions between law enforcement and the Black community.”

Jackson Care Connect is a nonprofit, community-governed coordinated care organization (CCO) serving more than 62,000 Oregon Health Plan members in Jackson County. Jackson Care Connect’s Community Advisory Council (CAC), which is made up of members and community stakeholders, oversaw selection of the grants.

Jacquie Jaquette, one of the CAC members, says the teamwork involved in making grant decisions is an informative and positive experience.

“The CHIP grant process is a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with CAC members to review grant applications, learn about local resource and apply funding to address behavioral health and well-being; housing for all; families matter; and health equity supports in Jackson County,” Jaquette says.

The grant awards are:

Ashland Family YMCA: $20,000

Project: Financial assistance program

Description: Increases access to YMCA membership and programs by providing financial assistance to low-income and underserved populations.

Black Alliance Social Empowerment (BASE): $25,000

Project: Police liaison program

Description: Supports BASE Southern Oregon’s law enforcement liaison program to strengthen communications, trainings and practices to ensure equitable law enforcement responses to the Black community and other communities of color.

Butte Falls Community School Partnership: $10,000

Project: Child and Families Program

Description: Addresses inequalities experienced by rural low-income families and improves their quality of life through parent education, preschool programming and case management.

Coalicion Fortaleza (My Valley My Home): $35,000

Project: Resident-owned community housing project

Description: Supports rebuilding and fire recovery efforts through the creation of a resident-owned housing community mobile home park, specifically for Latinx, farmworker and low-income families.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service: $10,000

Project: Financially Fit Women

Description: Expands program that serves low-income women of all ages, providing one-on-one credit counseling and financial education services.

Familia Unida Bike Builders: $15,000

Project: Outdoor activities

Description: Teaches low-income, disadvantaged youth to build bikes in group and one-on-one settings, providing an environment to build community, motivate youth and build constructive life skills.

Project Youth Plus: $10,000

Project: Eagle Point High School’s Whatever it Takes program

Description: Encourages youth who are on the verge of dropping out of school by connecting them to mentors who help them re-engage, gain skills, set goals and build pathways for healthy futures.

Rogue Food Unites: $25,000

Project: Neighbors Unite – a no-cost mobile farmers market for all

Description: Provides funding for barrier-free, no-cost mobile farmers market program to help reach fire survivors and others who generally don’t have access to or can’t afford fresh food items.

Rogue Valley Farm to School: $15,000

Project: Building Cultures of Health

Description: Expands classes to incorporate nutrition education for children and families, improve quality of food served at schools and create curricula for schools.

Rogue Valley Mentoring: $15,000

Project: Meeting Equity Gaps

Description: Helps address the unmet needs of community members highly impacted by the pandemic and wildfires, including food, housing, medical expenses and gas money. This program will also provide equity and anti-racism training support to community partners.

Unete, Center for Farm Worker Advocacy: $20,000

Project: Interpretation support services

Description: Provides high-quality medical interpretation services for individuals who cannot afford interpretation fees or who do not have OHP coverage.

Youth 71Five Ministries: $20,000

Project: 71Five VoTech Expansion

Description: Supports vocational training for youth to help them prepare for high-demand wage careers, followed by job placement and/or continuing training and education.

For information about Jackson Care Connect, contact Sara King Cole, 503-416-7791 or by cell at 541-601-9011. kingcoles@careoregon.org.

About Jackson Care Connect

Since 2012, when Oregon established coordinated care organizations (CCOs), Jackson Care Connect has been dedicated to serving the whole-person health needs of Jackson County’s Oregon Health Plan members. As a nonprofit CCO, we provide physical, dental and mental health services through the largest CCO network of medical providers in Southern Oregon. Our priorities are guided by our local board of directors, community advisory council, and deep community ties. We proudly partner with organizations that promote a healthy region and work in partnership with our community to address social determinants of health and barriers to health equity. Jackson Care Connect is part of the CareOregon family of companies and is operated by local staff in downtown Medford.