On September 21st, 2017 UEDP and the coalition for the Allied and Mental Health College met with the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs in the first official meeting of The Rural Medical Training Workgroup. The workgroup was created by the 2017 Legislature in a budget note in HB 5006 that states: Due to the shortage of nurses and medical technicians in the City of Roseburg and Douglas County that would be required to staff the approved Veterans’ Home.
The workgroup moved through introductions quickly and al assured each other of the value and urgency of this investigation. The workgroup reviewed the past local efforts to date and took the opportunity to define future efforts and scope of the project.
The workgroup will investigate issues related to alleviating a shortage of skilled and experienced nurses and medical technicians in the City of Roseburg and in Douglas County. The Chair of the workgroup, ODVA Director Cameron Smith, will report the results and recommendations to the Legislature by September 15th, 2018.
