12/05/2022
The Healthy Oregon Workforce Training Opportunity (HOWTO) Grant Program is seeking people to serve on the HOWTO Grant Program Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee). You are eligible to apply to this committee because massage therapy is regulated under health care. If you are a motivated leader committed to advancing health equity, trauma-informed workspaces, and expanding the health-care workforce in Oregon, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) wants to hear from you.
OHA is committed to working with communities to transform the state’s health-care workforce. By co-creating solutions alongside community members, OHA wants to eliminate health inequities by 2030. If you are interested in serving on the Advisory Committee, review the following information that explains more about the HOWTO Grant Program and Advisory Committee members.
If you are interested in applying to the HOWTO Grant Program Advisory Committee, please apply before December 15, 2022, at https://forms.office.com/g/sCfBP0jkXY.
About the HOWTO Grant Program
The HOWTO Grant Program was created in 2018 and is intended to expand health professional training within the state to address current and future shortages in the health-care workforce in rural and medically underserved areas of Oregon. The program supports innovative, transformative, community-based training initiatives that address identified local health-care workforce shortages and expand the diversity of the health professional workforce.
Workforce shortages and a lack of diversity in many areas of health care are a problem worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, stemming from historic underinvestment, current economic and social forces, and systemic racism. There are barriers to entry and advancement for people of color in the health-care workforce, and to receiving culturally and linguistically responsive care for people experiencing health inequities. OHA has committed to ensuring the HOWTO Grant Program supports innovative training programs for the health-care workforce that creates culturally responsive and culturally specific care.
Advisory Committee Members
The HOWTO Grant Program established an Advisory Committee that meets periodically to provide information on the needs of the health-care workforce in Oregon. The focus of the Advisory Committee is to partner with the HOWTO Grant Program as it develops Oregon’s health-care workforce to address shortages and needs across disciplines and the state while ensuring the system, programs, and individuals are working to advance health equity and to contribute to Oregonians achieving optimal health.
OHA invites applications from people who represent the following perspectives:
- People who experience racism or racial injustice
- Representatives of federally recognized tribes
- Residents of communities experiencing inequities or rural areas
- Equity advocates or professionals
- Bilingual or non-English speakers
- Traditional health workers
- Representatives from all levels of educational institutions
- Representatives from health-care training programs
- Workers in the field of primary care
- Workers in the field of behavioral health
- Workers in the field of oral health
- Representatives from health-care provider organizations (coordinated care organizations, health plans, hospitals, practices)
- Representatives from professional associations
Commitment and Applications
OHA anticipates scheduling an introductory meeting mid-January. The committee will meet twice a year for an hour or two, once in the spring, once in the fall. Committee-member terms will be two years. Meetings will take place virtually using Zoom or Microsoft Teams. All committee meetings are public. Members will need to disclose any potential conflicts of interest and excuse themselves from decisions when appropriate.
If you are interested in applying to the HOWTO Grant Program Advisory Committee, please apply before December 15, 2022, at https://forms.office.com/g/sCfBP0jkXY.
Questions?
OHA is here to help. Contact us at HOWTO.grant.program@dhsoha.state.or.us.
For more information, visit www.oregon.gov/oha/HPA/HP-PCO/Pages/howto-grant-program.aspx.