After 27 Years, Oregon Health Action Campaign closes doors; passes torch to others. Groups such as Allies for a Healthier Oregon have formed to take on networking and advocacy roles. The Oregon Health Advocacy Helpline has been taken over by Health Advocacy Solutions to help Oregonians struggling with healthcare eligibility, enrollment, access, affordability, or quality issues.
The Board of Directors of the Oregon Health Action Campaign (OHAC) announced today the dissolution of the organization after nearly three decades of service advocating for affordable, quality healthcare for all Oregonians.
The Oregon Health Action Campaign was originally founded in the 1980s. Over the years, OHAC led coalition efforts statewide for expanded access to healthcare, beginning with advocacy leading to the development of the Oregon Health Plan, to more recent collaborative developments including Healthy Kids, the exchange/Cover
For more than 15 years, OHAC ran a free statewide health helpline providing personalized enrollment assistance, financial aid guidance, and patient advocacy, serving thousands of Oregonians. OHAC led the effort to remove barriers for access to the Oregon Health Plan by working with partners and state agencies to simplify the enrollment process. Many policies were changed as a result of this work. OHAC worked tirelessly in policy and legislative debates to educate and advocate on behalf of the state’s most vulnerable citizens, including children, immigrants, the elderly, rural populations and people of color.
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The Board of Directors is grateful that healthcare allies statewide are taking the lead in carrying on OHAC’s public mission. Recently, groups such as Allies for a Healthier Oregon have formed to take on networking and advocacy roles. In addition, the Oregon Health Advocacy Helpline has been taken over by a close partner, Health
Advocacy Solutions. Oregonians struggling with healthcare eligibility, enrollment, access, affordability, or quality issues can reach the Helpline at 866-HLTH-HLP (866-458-4457) or at helpline@HASolutions.org.
Board Chair Bob Brown has praise and appreciation for board members as well as present and former staff. “This is a bittersweet moment for the board of OHAC. We are proud of the many accomplishments of the organization throughout the years. We also recognize that times have changed. With the passage of national and state reform,
and the surge of new advocacy efforts by other organizations and advocates, the role of OHAC has diminished in this crowded field. That doesn’t mean the work is done, and we believe the focus on the health needs of consumers and low-income people, including those on the Oregon Health Plan and the uninsured, must and will
continue. The board and staff remain united in the cause of achieving universal access.” Brown went on to note that the close out of OHAC was amicable and professional.
