We need to do more with less, new Oregon Health Authority director says during Central Oregon visit, tour

(Update: adding video, comment from OHA Director Dr. Sejal Hathi)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- New Oregon Health Authority Director Dr. Sejal Hathi's regional tour of Central Oregon health care organizations and facilities -- her fifth around the state -- begat Monday.

She's visiting several sites and medical facilities, such as the Mosaic Community Health Federally Qualified Health Center, to learn about what the region wants and needs from the state with regards to health care.

Dr. Hathi's visit to Central Oregon follows a tour of the Portland area, where she visited several key organizations including the Miracles Club, Virginia Garcia Wellness Center and Central City Concern.

The trip is part of a "broader, months-long state tour to identify and center the priorities of all Oregon communities in OHA’s strategic planning," the agency said.

Monday's visit to the Mosaic Federally Qualified Health Center included a tour of the facility and a roundtable listening session where she heard from area health care providers and those who assist patients.

On Tuesday, she plans to visit a public health facility in Redmond, where she'll meet with public health agency representatives from around the region.

Dr. Hathi said it's all about learning "what their biggest challenges and needs are and what they wish someone in my position, especially someone new to Oregon and new to the agency, new to this role, would know and act upon to support them and better serve their patients."

Dr. Hathi was appointed by the governor as OHA director in February. 

She has been visiting communities across Oregon to hear directly about the health challenges they face. At Mosaic Community Health in Bend, she learned about their biggest needs from the state.

"In doing so, I hope that this community's needs, their priorities, their specific perspectives, and our approach to those challenges will be embedded in and reflected in the strategies and the actions that as an agency we take," Dr. Hathi said.

Dr. Hathi's says her initial priorities are eliminating health inequity, transforming Oregon's behavioral health system, and expanding access to affordable health care.

"Even within Central Oregon, the needs, the priorities, the manner in which these challenges manifest can be very different between Redmond and Bend," she said.

Dr. Hathi says funding for the next two years will continue at the same level, with very little additional funding -- meaning they have to find ways to do more with less.

"We're going to be looking at how can we leverage that infrastructure, the partnerships, the dollars that we've already brought to bear to be able to at least sustain this good work," she said.

Dr. Hathi expects key issues affecting access to health care in Central Oregon are related to shortages in the workforce. Other challenges include the behavioral health crisis and access to coverage.

Dr. Hathi also intends to work with the Warm Springs Tribes to specifically address needs and make sure their priorities are represented. She says they've already created a tribal consultation team and are determined to close health gaps as part of the state's 2030 goal to eliminate health inequities.  

"We don't sufficiently honor and address and accommodate that government-to-government relationship," she said. "And so we look forward to working in partnership with them to devise what the next six years should look like."