Willamette Health Council

12/22/2025

📅 Save the Date for the 4th Annual Marion-Polk Children, Youth, & Family Services Summit hosted by the Marion-Polk System of Care.

Theme: Igniting Hope
Date: March 4, 2026
Time: 8:00 am–4:30 pm
Location: Salem Convention Center

This annual summit brings together partners, providers, and community members committed to strengthening supports for children, youth, and families across Marion and Polk counties.

More details and registration information coming in early January.

12/19/2025

The WHC office will be closed next week, December 22–26. Limited staff will be available during this time, but we encourage you to reach out if something urgent comes up.

12/15/2025

Last week, WHC staff and partners came together for the System of Care (SOC) End-of-Year Celebration, bringing together members from the Visioner’s Team, Barrier Busting Team, and Youth Leadership Team.

During the evening, SOC members organized around the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) objectives that the System of Care will champion in 2026, celebrated team and collective accomplishments, and heard reflections on successes presented by SOC Champions Karin Perkins, Lisa Harnisch, Amber McClelland, Claudia Rodriguez, and Alex Sosa Navarro.

The celebration also included catering from youth-chefs at Handle Your Business and time to connect while decorating winter-themed cookies together.

Thank you to everyone who contributes to the System of Care all year long and to the shared work of supporting children, youth, and families across our region.

12/11/2025

Our 2025 End-of-Year e-newsletter is now live!
Inside you’ll find:
• Announcement of $2.4 million in Community Impact Grants awarded to 27 local organizations for 2026 projects
• A new Community Partner Spotlight on Northwest Hub and how they’re helping break down transportation barriers across Marion and Polk counties.
• A save-the-date for our upcoming annual Children, Youth & Family Summit by our System of Care team
— and more important updates and opportunities for 2026. Read the full newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/willamettehealthcouncil/endofyear2025

Thank you to everyone in our community — partners, committee members, and neighbors — for making this work possible. Here’s to continued collaboration and impact in the year ahead!

12/10/2025

Yesterday, a few WHC staff attended Capaces Leadership Institute’s End-of-Year Celebration, a festive gathering, complete with a tamale breakfast.

The bilingual program included a letter from Representative Andrea Salinas and recognition of Capaces’ ongoing work to train bilingual and bicultural Community Health Workers, along with appreciation for the partners who help make this training possible.

We were thrilled to join them and to celebrate their accomplishments from the past year. Thank you, Capaces Leadership Institute, for your partnership and commitment to community leadership.

12/04/2025

🚲 Our newest Community Partner Highlight on the WHC blog features the Northwest Hub, a local nonprofit that helps people get where they need to go by providing reliable, affordable bikes.

Transportation can be a big barrier for many people in our community. The Northwest Hub Hub fixes bikes for free, gives out refurbished bikes, and now, thanks in part to WHC’s support, can bring repairs and services directly to neighborhoods with their new outreach vehicle.

As Director Kirk Seyfert said, “A bike can mean the difference between keeping a job or losing it, getting to school or missing class, feeling isolated or being connected.”

Their work is creating real, long-lasting impact and opportunities for families across Marion and Polk counties.

Read more on our blog ➝ willamettehealthcouncil.org/blog
Learn more about Northwest Hub ➝ thenorthwesthub.org

12/01/2025

Several WHC staff and committee members recently had the honor of attending Salem for Refugees’ Thrive Fundraiser, an inspiring celebration of resilience, community, and the collective work happening to support refugee families in the Mid-Willamette Valley. 🌍

Salem for Refugees defines a refugee as a person who has been forced to flee their home country due to persecution, war, or violence and cannot safely return. Their work ensures that families arriving here are welcomed, supported, and empowered as they rebuild their lives.

The event highlighted powerful stories of courage and community partnership. We’re grateful for the opportunity to attend and to walk alongside partners who are strengthening belonging and wellbeing for all.

Thank you, Salem for Refugees, for your leadership and for a truly meaningful event.

11/27/2025

The WHC offices will be closed Thursday and Friday, November 27-28 this week.

11/26/2025

We’re excited to announce that the Willamette Health Council has awarded $2.4 million in Community Impact Grants to 27 organizations serving Marion and Polk counties! These 2026 projects were selected from more than 100 applicants and align with the 2026–2030 Community Health Improvement Plan priorities:
✔️ Access to Healthcare
✔️ Mental Health & Substance Use
✔️ Housing Stability

This community-driven process is shaped by WHC’s community committees, which include Oregon Health Plan (OHP) members and local residents with diverse lived experiences. They developed the priority criteria, reviewed applications, and recommended the final awards.

Highlights from the awarded projects:
• One-third of awardees are first-time Community Impact Grant recipients
• Many projects serve rural areas
• Most proposals address multiple impact areas, reflecting the interconnected nature of health, housing, and mental well-being

See the full list of recipients and projects:

PAST GRANT AWARDSPast Grants202520242023202220212020In 2025, the Willamette Health Council held three competitive grant cycles, totaling over $4.4 million in funds invested in the Marion-Polk community as follows:Community Impact Grants totaling $2,400,000.00 were awarded to support 27 projects. Gra...

11/25/2025

Our neighbors at Bloom Physical Therapy invited WHC to join their Pumpkin Parade at the end of October and it became one of our favorite moments of the fall. 🎃

Many of Bloom's clients visited the WHC offices in their costumes to trick-or-treat in an inclusive, accessible environment. The costumes were incredible - from dragons, a ballerina and Moana - complete with a wheelchair transformed into Moana’s boat. ⛵

Bloom’s owner, Elizabeth Marshall, shared that “It actually brought some parents to tears to see their children get to participate in the holiday.”

We’re grateful to Bloom for inviting us to help with this fun experience and for the chance to share in such a magical memory with these sweet families.

11/21/2025

On Monday, our Clinical Advisory Panel (CAP) came together for a strategic planning session focused on advancing the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). Members prioritized objectives they’ll champion in the years ahead and began shaping workplans to turn those goals into action. Stay tuned - we’ll be sharing more about CAP’s work and impact in the coming months!

11/19/2025

At the start of November, WHC made an $89,000 donation to Marion Polk Food Share, our local food bank, to help meet urgent food needs.
Now, WHC staff is holding a food drive through December 15th to support our local pantries. We invite you to join in by dropping off non-perishable items during business hours to our office at 1701 Liberty St SE in Salem. With unprecedented demand and recent SNAP benefit delays and reductions, food pantries need our help more than ever.
We suggest donating the most needed items:
🫘 Canned proteins (tuna, chicken, beans)
🥣 Oats or cereal
🥛 Shelf-stable dairy
🥫 Shelf-stable fruits
🥜 Peanut butter

Every item helps a neighbor in need.