Thank you to all our partners working in health and social care during COVID-19. Visit cdc.gov/coronavirus for up-to-date information.

About Us

Connect Oregon — serving Oregon and Southwest Washington — is a coordinated care network of health and social care providers. Partners in the network are connected through a shared technology platform, Unite Us, which enables them to send and receive electronic referrals, address people’s social needs, and improve health across communities. Connect Oregon is sponsored by Samaritan Health Services and InterCommunity Health Network CCO (IHN-CCO), Kaiser Permanente, Central Oregon Health Council, PacificSource, CareOregon, Columbia Pacific CCO, Jackson Care Connect, Health Share of Oregon and AllCare Health. Oregon Health Leadership Council is a statewide convener for the network. The coordination center is powered by 211info and supports community engagement.

Joining the network is free of cost for community-based organizations and many organizations that are considered part of the safety net, like community health centers, tribal clinics, and mental health centers. 

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Community Roots

Connect Oregon serves partners in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Connect Oregon serves Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Yamhill, Marion, Polk, Lincoln, Linn, Benton, Lane, and Deschutes counties in Oregon, and Clark and Cowlitz counties in Southwest Washington.

Unite NYC

Unite NYC is a coordinated care network of health and social care providers that is launching on April 14th and sponsored by funding partners currently led by Public Health Solutions and AIRnyc. In 2018, our work with Public Health Solutions began as a small food security grant-based pilot (FNS Bundle) in the Bronx. The current city-wide expansion is part of a rapid response to COVID-19.

Oregon Map

History

In 2018, work began on Community Connect, coordinated care network sponsored by IHN-CCO across Linn, Benton, and Lincoln counties. In 2019, Kaiser Permanente Northwest and Unite Us launched a community network spanning the Portland metro area in Oregon and Southwest Washington. In 2020, the network was expanded to serve Mid- and South Willamette Valley areas.

Strategic Partners

Our work together on Connect Oregon represents the best of our commitment in Oregon to collaborate among healthcare, social services and community to truly coordinate care, with particular attention to our most vulnerable citizens.  It’s the fulfillment of our vision to cross boundaries and transform care with a focus on each person we serve, to meet them where they are and provide the services they need.
–Greg Van Pelt, President, Oregon Health Leadership Council
–Greg Van Pelt, President, Oregon Health Leadership Council
The desire to drive positive outcomes and results for those individuals most vulnerable is a powerful force when combined with a solution such as Connect Oregon to support Community Information Exchange. A closed-loop referral platform that offers a seamless, comprehensive, easy to use user interface is vital for efficiency in service delivery from a community perspective. Keeping the member’s whole-person care and well-being in the center of focus has driven our commitment and leadership every step of the way. – Ronda Lindley-Bennett, Community Information Exchange Administrator, Samaritan Health Plans
– Ronda Lindley-Bennett, Community Information Exchange Administrator, Samaritan Health Plans
– Ronda Lindley-Bennett, Community Information Exchange Administrator, Samaritan Health Plans
I really appreciate the partnership and collaboration across Oregon and Southwest Washington with our partners to stand up Connect Oregon. Amidst both a climate of systemic racism and demand for social justice, alongside the pandemic and recent historic wildfires, we know we must, as a society, better provide for total health of all people. Connect Oregon is a step toward closing the gaps on social determinants of health, in addition to addressing the physical and mental health needs in our community. We all must own it together.
–  Imelda Dacones, MD, President and CEO, Northwest Permanente, PC, Kaiser Permanente
–  Imelda Dacones, MD, President and CEO, Northwest Permanente, PC, Kaiser Permanente
Keeping our finger on the pulse of Central Oregon’s well-being allows us to reach deep into our communities. By providing a platform for traditional health care providers to interact with and refer to social services providers, a holistic and coordinated approach to one’s well-being becomes possible.  Visionary leadership has led us to the audacious goal of interoperability between Health Information Exchange (HIE) and Community Information Exchange (CIE). We are excited to be on this journey with Unite Us, with whom we share many values.
–Donna Mills, Executive Director, Central Oregon Health Council
–Donna Mills, Executive Director, Central Oregon Health Council
We know that health and well-being is fostered by more than access to healthcare and includes social and economic factors. The pandemic’s staggering impact on communities of color, combined with the economic fall-out, demands that we accelerate our capacity to address both unmet social and health-related needs.  Through Connect Oregon, we join forces with provider and community partners to advance member health and create a more equitable and just system.
– Marian Blankenship, Vice President, Community Strategy and Executive Director of PacificSource Foundation for Health Improvement
– Marian Blankenship, Vice President, Community Strategy and Executive Director of PacificSource Foundation for Health Improvement
CareOregon, Columbia Pacific CCO and Jackson Care Connect are excited to partner with Connect Oregon. We believe this represents an outstanding opportunity to collectively address our members social needs, optimize community partnerships, and positively impact inequalities. The use of Unite Us will help further connect our communities and provide the platform needed to enhance our social health interventions.
– Amit Shah, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, CareOregon
– Amit Shah, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, CareOregon
Health Share leads, convenes and collaborates on major systems change initiatives. As the largest Coordinated Care Organization in Oregon, we are committed to addressing health equity and the social determinants of health. These factors impact not only our members here in the Portland area, but statewide as well. The partnership with Unite Us to establish Connect Oregon is a game changer, transforming the way we address health and social care. We could not be more thrilled to help bring this tool to life, empowering our partners and organizations throughout the state to better serve our shared communities.
–James Schroeder, CEO, Health Share of Oregon
–James Schroeder, CEO, Health Share of Oregon
For over 26 years, AllCare Health has made significant investments in the social determinants of health and health equity. These investments have led to strong relationships with our local community-based organizations. Together, we have been able to positively impact those within our southern Oregon communities and better meet the goals of the Triple Aim. We’re excited to continue this work in our new partnership with Unite Us and utilize their expertise and technology platform to further enhance the connection between healthcare, human, and social service partners.
– Doug Flow, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, AllCare Health
– Doug Flow, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, AllCare Health
When healthcare and social service providers work together, we can make lasting improvements in our communities and in people’s lives. 211info embraces this model of closed-loop referrals in our partnership with the CIE through our navigators, community engagement coordinators and community resource database. The work that 211info has been doing since February through the Northwest Coordination Center—in partnership with Kaiser Permanente, Unite Us and social service providers—is testament to the impact and vision of closed-loop referrals across Oregon. We are proud to be part of this innovative approach.
–  Dan Herman, CEO, 211info
–  Dan Herman, CEO, 211info
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Resources for Partners

Click on the resources below to learn more about Connect Oregon.

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