In 1975, 6-year-old Virginia Garcia and her farmworker parents traveled from their Texas home to California and then Oregon to work in the fields. Along the way Virginia cut her foot, and by the time the family reached Oregon, her foot had become infected. Unable to overcome economic, language and cultural barriers to health care, Virginia died from what should have been an easily treatable wound.
Moved to action by Virginia’s unnecessary death, the community quickly rallied together to open the first Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center (VG) in a three-car garage, determined to prevent similar tragedies from occurring.
Beginning in 2002, CareOregon started partnering in this work with VG, which still provides high-quality, comprehensive and culturally appropriate primary health care in Washington and Yamhill counties.
Today the center welcomes a widely diverse patient population, offering services in 62 different languages. The VG patient population includes CareOregon members and others on the Oregon Health Plan (OHP), the state’s Medicaid program, as well as the uninsured. And over time, that partnership has led to several ongoing initiatives.
“CareOregon has been a true partner in advancing initiatives like medical-dental integration, mental health services for underserved populations, and workforce development,” says Hazel Wheeler, Director of Patient Support Services and Safety at Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center in Aloha. “Together, we have not only bridged gaps in care but built lasting solutions that prioritize equity, innovation and the well-being of our communities.”
Aiming to understand and reach diverse populations
Over the last two decades, CareOregon has collaborated with VG’s leaders, offering financial and structural support to help VG transform its care delivery into team-based primary care medical homes. This nationally recognized model was designed to meet what became known as the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Quintuple Aim goals. “VG and CareOregon have sustained a long partnership to improve performance on the IHI Quintuple AIM for all the populations they serve,” says Sally Retecki, Health Systems Advisor at CareOregon. These five aims are:
- improving population health
- enhancing the care experience
- improving provider and staff experience
- reducing costs
- advancing health equity
Twenty years ago, CareOregon launched Primary Care Renewal to meet these aims, a learning collaboration with VG and four other partner clinics to build team-based primary care. CareOregon and the clinics continued to share learnings, strengthening and supporting improvements in the years that followed.
VG and CareOregon: A timeline of collaboration
Over our long partnership, CareOregon and VG have collaborated in other significant ways. Some of these include:
- 2009: VG participated in the initial launch and refinement of CareOregon’s Primary Care Payment Model, which helped fund participating clinics’ efforts to build, track and improve care practices that deliver quality outcomes for populations they serve.
- 2009-2012: VG joined other Oregon clinics serving the Medicaid population to participate in the Commonwealth Funded Safety-Net Medical Home Initiative—a nationwide effort to enable clinics serving the Medicaid population to implement this model. VG was a “North Star” to many of the participating clinics just beginning their efforts to implement and strengthen team-based primary care.
- 2014 and on: VG continues to be a valuable thought partner contributing to the development of Coordinated Care Organizations (CCOs) in Oregon. Each of Oregon’s CCOs is a network of all types of health care providers who work together in their local communities to serve people who receive health care coverage under OHP.
- 2014-2019: VG participated in CareOregon’s Primary Care Investment Fund (PCIF), a Board-funded program offering large-scale loans to selected clinics, with specific milestones and targets jointly developed by the clinic and CareOregon. VG used PCIF funds to strengthen team-based care practices and training programs; add a new clinic site to accommodate its growing patient population; build needed operational infrastructure and leadership accountabilities to assure excellent member experience; and create robust planning, tracking and reporting capabilities to guide operations.
- 2018 and on: VG collaborates with CareOregon on integrating behavioral health into primary care.
- 2019 and on: VG collaborates with CareOregon on the development and co-leadership of the Shared Accountability Model (SAM), shaping how CareOregon and network providers share accountability for performance on the Quintuple AIM and other shared values.
From the start, CareOregon’s mission of inspiring and partnering to create quality and equity in individual and community health has fit together with the VG mission: providing high-quality, comprehensive, and culturally appropriate primary health care to those experiencing barriers.
Together, CareOregon and VG will continue to listen to the health concerns of their diverse communities and look for ways to adapt to meet their needs. True to the legacy of Virginia Garcia, the focus will remain on providing high-quality, comprehensive and culturally appropriate primary health care.
“CareOregon has been more than a funder; they are a steadfast ally in our fight to eliminate barriers and improve lives, empowering us to serve those who need it most with excellence and dignity,” says Wheeler.
