CCO Highlight – Advanced Health - Coalition for a Healthy Oregon

All our member CCOs are doing stellar things during this pandemic to aid their communities, but this week we wanted to share what Advanced Health CCO, located Coos Bay, is doing for its members!

In Coos Bay, Oregon, elderly folks make up about 28 percent of the city’s population, with a similar proportion in Curry county, also served by Advanced Health. Due to the high number of elderly Oregonians, Advanced Health CCO serves a population that is at high risk of contracting COVID-19, as well as having medical complications due to the virus. Because Advanced Health is incredibly engaged in its community and understands its members’ needs, it decided to start a pilot program to deliver needed groceries and supplies to those most at risk.

This pilot project is a community-wide plan between several different agencies and community partners coming together to serve elderly, disabled, medically fragile, and low-income Oregonians during the COVID-19 “Stay Home, Save Lives” executive order. A standardized screening will be shared between community agencies, so that case workers and other staff can reach out to current clients and screen them for essential needs related to food, medicine, and Durable Medical Equipment (DME), which some people need due to health conditions. Not only is Advanced Health reaching out to its community, they are also working to provide a centralized place to call for assistance.

As individual needs are identified, Advanced Health and its community partners get to work to deliver food, medicine, and DME! The community is leveraging resources by re-purposing or expanding upon existing resources such as Meals on Wheels program, who will now also be able to deliver other types of essential services. In Curry County, multiple funding sources are coming together to support an expansion of the Coastline Neighbors non-profit, which will provide delivery of essential needs and routine check-in phone calls. The method of delivery will vary based on the individual’s location and needs, meaning that Advanced Health is working to create several options for delivery of food, medicine, and medical equipment!

As the regional CCO for Coos and Curry counties, Advanced Health is working to support collaboration and partnerships with community and social services agencies, including workforce development, public health, and non-profit agencies, to expand services and the volunteers necessary to make this operation successful. We are proud to put the needs of our members and community first.

Thank you, Advanced Health, for all your hard work!