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Oregon Health Authority

HOWTO Grant Program

In partnership with Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon Health Policy Board

What is the HOWTO Grant Program?


The HOWTO Grant Program 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 will address identified local health care workforce shortages and expand the diversity of the health professional workforce. 

The State of Oregon is committed to ensuring that all Oregonians have appropriate access to high-quality health care across the state. It is therefore important to ensure that the distribution of the health care workforce appropriately meets the needs of all Oregonians no matter where they live.

To help achieve this, the Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Health & Science University have earmarked approximately $12 million over the 2021-23 biennium for the Healthy Oregon Workforce Training Opportunity Grant Program. This grant program is administered under the direction of the Oregon Health Policy Board in partnership with the Oregon Health Authority and OHSU.

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Upcoming Events

HOWTO Round 6 Request for Grant Proposals 

Deadline: December 16, 2024 3pm PT

HOWTO Grantees

​The first round of grantees to​​​ receive the ​​​HOWTO Grant began in March 2019.

George Fox University

Newberg, OR

https://sites.google.com/marianoandassociates.com/ipc-institute/home​

HOWTO Program Summary

This project establishes the Interprofessional Primary Care Institute. This Institute will leverage interdisciplinary care teams that will deliver Continuing Medical Education to primary care clinicians, behavioral health clinicians, nurses, and clinical pharmacists by providing intensive events for emergency primary care roles. 


Northeast Oregon Area Health Education Center 

La Grand​e, OR


HOWTO Progra​m Summary

This project creates a distance education Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program, which has been tailored to be delivered with minimal travel outside the student’s community. This program will increase the mental health workforce in Eastern Oregon, recruiting nurses already embedded in the region and then retaining them as licensed PMHNPs in the region. 

Oregon Community Health Worker Associ​ation (ORCHWA)

Portlan​​​​d, OR  


[Project completed in June 2022]


HOWTO Program Summary

This project develops and supports Community Health Worker (CHW) training statewide in multiple communities experiencing health inequities and health workforce shortage areas. This program will also advocate for increased funding for CHW positions and actively support CHWs to obtain employment. ​


​The second ro​​und of grantees to receive the HOWTO Grant began in October 20​​​19.


Aviva Heal​​th

Roseburg, ​​OR


HOWTO Program Su​​mmary

This project establishes the Roseburg Family Medicine Residency Program in partnership with Mercy Medical Center. This program will address the burgeoning physician and broader clinical healthcare workforce shortage in Douglas County and other areas of rural Oregon. 

Clacka​​mas Workforce Partnership

Oregon City, OR


HOWTO Program Su​mmary

This project expands, develops, and increases the diversity of the local health workforce by supporting and enrolling Clackamas County residents, with a focus on the immigrant and refugee populations, into certified health programs such as certified nursing assistants, dental assistants, medical billing, and pharmacy technicians.

The Next ​​​Door Inc. 

Hood River, O​R


HOWTO Program Sum​mary

This project develops the Valle Verde program, a culturally specific 11-week Mental Health Promotion training series designed to expand Community Health Worker (CHW)and other provider training by providing Continuing Education Units. This training series will inform and provide specific skills to CHWs and mental health providers about mental health issues, stigma, awareness, and acceptance specific to local Latinx community members.

Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board

Portland,​ OR


HOWTO Program Su​​mmary

This project establishes the Behavioral Health Aide Education Program, under the Tribal Community Health Provider Project, for Tribal communities in Oregon, Washington and Idaho to increase access to local Tribal Behavioral Health Practitioners throughout Indian Country. This program will culminate in an associate degree or certificate of Behavioral Health Aide at Heritage University (HU) or Northwest Indian College (NWIC). Students from Oregon are attending the Behavioral Health Aide education program in person at HU and virtually at NWIC.

Oregon Was​hington Health Network 

Pendleton, O​R


HOWTO Progr​am Summary

This project establishes a medical assisting program in partnership with Blue Mountain Community College. This program will address the growing healthcare workforce shortage in Umatilla County and other areas of rural and frontier Oregon. 

Samaritan Pacific Community H​ospital

Newport, OR


HOWTO Pro​gram Summary

This project establishes the Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital Rural Training Track, a rural medical residency training track that will place residents in Newport, Oregon. This new track will address physician shortages along Oregon’s coastal region.


​The third round of​​ grantees to receive the HOWTO Grant began in November 2​​020.

Advantage De​n​​​tal

Redmond, O​​R


HOWTO Program Sum​​​mary

This project establishes an internal Dental Assistance Training Program to address statewide shortages while increasing the diversity of this workforce. This program will train dental assistants for dual roles as patient navigators, through Traditional Health Worker education. 

Clackamas Community Col​lege (CCC)

Oregon City​, OR


HOWTO Program Summ​ary

This project develops a new dental program to offer alongside existing Career and Technical Education Day camps for high school students at Clackamas Community College. This camp will contribute to increasing the diversity of Oregon’s oral health care workforce by offering oral health care program scholarships for camp students to attend college. 

East Cascade ​​​Works

Bend, ​OR

HOWTO Program Summary

This project establishes the Central Oregon Behavioral Health Consortium, a collaborative of local agencies that will increase access to behavioral health care by providing training that is centralized, coordinated, and systemic workforce development and retention. These addresses behavioral health workforce shortages in central Oregon. 

Grain Integrative Health

Portlan​​​​d, OR


HOWTO Progr​​am Summary

This project establishes a naturopathic primary care residency program in Cascade Locks that includes an immersive diversity, equity, and inclusion training curriculum and provides experiential learning to Career and Technical Education high school students. This program addresses health disparities and diversity, equity, and inclusion in rural healthcare. 

Lutheran Community Services Northwest 

Portland, O​R


HOWTO Progra​​m Summary

This project expands behavioral health training pathways for refugees by supporting entry-level trainings to be certified as a Peer Support Specialist supporting education and career training for refugees currently working in behavioral health and residencies for newly graduated clinicians focused on working with refugees. 

Northwest Oregon​​ Works

Lincoln ​City, OR


H​OWTO Program Summary

This project establishes a Behavioral Health Work-Based Learning Career Pathway that includes three levels. These levels range from Peer Recovery Support Specialist or Community Health Worker to master’s prepared Behavioral Health Clinicians. This project will address the coastal region’s workforce shortage and prioritize recruitment from the L​atinx community. 

Oregon Alliance

Portland, O​​R


HOWTO Program S​​​ummary

This project develops and provides two training series for behavioral health providers, intended to improve retention of the workforce and address the root cause of ongoing underrepresentation of racial and ethnic minorities among the workforce. These trainings will be offered statewide. 

Pacific Univ​ersity

Hillsboro, OR


HOWTO Program Summary

This project establishes two new programs, a certificate program and a Physician Assistant Behavioral Health Fellowship program. These will be innovative team-based training opportunities. These programs focus on increasing the knowledge and skills of diverse health care providers to work effectively with patients dealing with behavioral health and substance use disorders. 

St. Charles Health Sy​stem

Bend, O​R


HOWTO Program Summa​ry

This project establishes a new Family Medicine Rural Training Track program in central Oregon in partnership with Oregon Health & Science University. This program will include an experience in a culturally congruent Indian Health Service/Tribal site and prioritize Native American medical students.​


​The fourth round of grantees to receive the HOWTO Grant. These grants began in July 2022.

Bridges to Change

Portland, OR

https://www.bridgestochange.com

HOWTO Program Summary

This project establishes an in-house Peer Wellness Specialist (PWS) training to prepare peers for credentialing and working as PWS in the state of Oregon. This training will be designed and implemented in a sustainable fee-for service model that is trauma informed and culturally responsive.

Workforce Investment Council of Clackamas County and Clackamas Workforce Partnership

Oregon City, OR

https://www.clackamasworkforce.org

HOWTO Program Summary

This project establishes the Behavioral Health Consortium of Clackamas (BHCC). The BHCC will help identify and address key challenges in the behavioral health system, with an emphasis on education and training pathways, worker retention, workforce diversification and access to care.  

La Clinica

Medford, OR  

https://laclinicahealth.org

HOWTO Program Summary

This project expands workplace learning programs to create workforce training pipeline that targets our Latine Community. The adaptable training program focuses on medical, dental, and behavioral health workforce. It will provide apprenticeship, internship/ preceptor opportunities, technical and workforce development training, internship stipends, scholarship support, coaching and mentoring.

Lane Community College

Eugene, OR

https://www.lanecc.edu

HOWTO Program Summary

This project will focus on three categories of health care workforce: Medical Assistants (MA), Community Health Workers (CHW), and Peer Support Specialists (PSS). A new multifaceted educational program will be created that integrates an expansion of existing programs for MAs, Centro Latino’s bilingual CHW program and a new program that includes a continuing education component for PSS.

Lane Workforce Partnership

Eugene, OR

https://www.laneworkforce.org

HOWTO Program Summary

This project will develop a perinatal lounge, a multicultural hub for perinatal support and professional community building. This hub will include Doula certification training, Doula workforce inclusion (equity and inclusion training), and Doula workforce sustainability through two pathways, community-based self-employment, and hospital-based employment to include workshops, mentoring classes, etc.

Latino Network

Portland, OR

https://www.latnet.org

HOWTO Program Summary

This project will provide OHA-certified Spanish language and culturally specific continuing education courses for CHWs in Oregon and assist CHWs in obtaining continuing education credits to assist current CHWs in maintaining their OHA CHW certification.

Lines for Life

Portland, OR

https://www.linesforlife.org

HOWTO Program Summary

This project will recruit and train Rural Mental Health Crisis Responders statewide, with a focus on rural health providers equipped with advanced crisis response and telehealth competencies and provides a virtual learning collaborative to nurture inter-organizational partnership, professional development, and peer support.

Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board

Portland, OR

https://www.npaihb.org and https://www.tchpp.org

HOWTO Program Summary

This project establishes the Northwest Community Health Aide (CHA) Education Program of Oregon. This program will provide a culturally specific framework to diversity the health care workforce through designing and implementing accessible health care educational pathways for future CHA providers, academic enrichment, and mentorship for AI/AN high school and undergraduate students.

Oregon Academy of General Dentistry Foundation

Tigard, OR

https://www.oragd.org/center

HOWTO Program Summary

This project develops a Dental Assistant Training Program that provides two condensed and accelerated pathways into the field of dental assisting. The first is focused on high school seniors and the second is focused on community members.

Oregon Council for Behavioral Health

Gladstone, OR

https://www.ocbh.org

HOWTO Program Summary

This project will create a network of equity-focused vocational sites that will develop the behavioral health workforce, sustainably train, and develop diverse credentialed behavioral health employees within the workforce. These vocational sites will meet in a learning collaborative for support and continuous improvement.

Oregon Social Learning Center Developments, Inc.

Eugene, OR

https://oslcdevelopments.org

HOWTO Program Summary

This project will expand the Families Actively Improving Relationships (FAIR) program in Lane and Douglas Counties, expanding the behavioral health workforce. Oregon Social Learning Center will create a training hub for the local FAIR team and other providers throughout the state adopting FAIR.

Southwestern Oregon Workforce Investment Board

Coos Bay, OR

https://www.sowib.org

HOWTO Program Summary

This project develops and implements a Traditional Health Worker (THW) integration and utilization plan in Coos, Curry and Douglas counties. This program will hire THW supervisors and train the community as Community Health Workers (CHWs), Peer Support Specialists (PSS), Youth Support Specialists (YSS) and birth Doulas.

Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center

Aloha, OR

https://www.virginiagarcia.org

HOWTO Program Summary

This project will expand their workforce development program. This will increase workforce diversity in health care by covering the cost for staff, patients, and community members to become certified medical assistants, dental assistants, and pharmacy technicians. This program will cover the cost of training while also providing paid positions in the clinics while they are students.

Willamette Dental Group PC

Hillsboro, OR

https://willamettedental.com

HOWTO Program Summary

This project establishes a Dental Assistant (DA) and uptraining DA training program. This program will recruit non-clinical staff and community to be trained as Dental Assistants in partnership with Portland Community College (PCC). DAs may also train to receive their Expanded Function Certification and be uptrained into a Restorative Dental Assistant Capacity with certification in addition to other specialties.

Willamette Workforce Partnership

Salem, OR

https://willwp.org

HOWTO Program Summary

This Project will develop and launch the Mid-Willamette Behavioral Health Consortium (MWBHC). This collaboration will increase access to and retain behavioral health workers focusing on those positions with the highest turnover.

Yamhill Valley Community Doulas

McMinnville, OR

https://www.yamhillvalleycommunitydoulas.com

HOWTO Program Summary

This project develops and expands upon the Yamhill Valley Doula, Inc. Mentorship program which recruits, educates, and retained Doulas. This four-stage process includes the Doula training and an intensive birth practicum and Doula certification.

​The fifth round of grantees to receive the HOWTO Grant. These grants began in January 2024.

Center for Family Development

Eugene, OR

HOWTO Program Summary

The Center for Family Development's Perinatal to Five Program aims to address peripartum mental health in Oregon by supporting the training of 15 Perinatal to Five therapists in the Perinatal Child Parent Psychotherapy (P-CPP) program, which is a validated relationship-based, trauma-informed treatment and preventive intervention that begins during pregnancy and continues after the baby's birth.​

Learn more on their website.​

Klamath Community College

Klamath Falls, OR

​HOWTO Program Summary

​The Community Health Worker capacity building program’s goal is to increase the number of certified community health workers (CHWs) supporting rural healthcare infrastructure and systems in the Klamath Basin, throughout the region, and across the state.

Learn more on their website.​


Liberty House

Salem, OR

​HOWTO Program Summary

Liberty House is working to address the mental health provider shortage at the local level with a new training program that will recruit pre-licensed mental health providers to train and support while they work toward professional licensure. The program includes an emphasis on Spanish-speaking or rural-focused providers.

Learn more on their website​

 

Morrison Child & Family Services

Portland, OR

​HOWTO Program Summary

​​Morrison Child & Family Services will provide paid internship opportunities to graduate students in one of the following graduate programs: Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, Art Therapy, Professional Mental Health Counseling, Counseling, or Counseling Psychology. Student interns will benefit from high quality clinical training in a supportive team-based environment as well as opportunities to engage in culturally and linguistically specific consultation and support while increasing access to care for clients.

Learn more on their website​​​


Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board

Portland, OR

​HOWTO Program Summary

The Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, in partnership with Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center and Northwest Indian College, will develop and implement the Northwest Dental Health Aide Program (DHAP) in Oregon. The DHAP provides a culturally-specific framework to diversify the oral healthcare workforce in Oregon through accessible oral healthcare educational pathways for future Dental Health Aide providers, academic enrichment, and mentorship for American Indian and Alaska Native high school and undergraduate students.

Learn more on the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board's website​ or the Tribal​​ Community Health Provider​ Program website​


United We Heal Training Trust

Portland, OR​

​HOWTO Program Summary

United We Heal’s Behavioral Health Careers Pathway program, Pre-apprentice, Baccalaureate and Master' s degree support programs aim to provide more advanced career pathways while simultaneously addressing the demand for diverse trained professionals in the behavioral health care sector. The pre-apprenticeship program in partnership with K-12 systems will expose high school students to the behavioral health sector and provide them with core knowledge that will help them enter the behavioral health workforce immediately upon graduation. After apprenticeship completion, the Baccalaureate and Master's degree support programs will help individuals utilize paid work experience for practicum experience, and credit for prior learning for faster degree completion, along with scholarships for tuition and supportive services for unbudgeted expenses.

Learn more on their website​


Grantee Locations

Map ‭[2]‬


What's Happening

HOWTO Round 6 Request for Grant Proposals 

Deadline: December 16, 2024 at 3pm PT