Oregon Rural Health Excellence Award

The Oregon Rural Health Excellence Award is administered by the Oregon Office of Rural Health (ORH) to honor and recognize outstanding contributions by rural healthcare providers and organizations in Oregon. This annual award celebrates innovative, data-driven initiatives that have significantly improved health outcomes in rural communities through creative problem-solving, collaboration, and dedication to underserved populations. The program is structured to highlight excellence across five categories: rural hospitals, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), local public health departments (LPHDs), emergency medical services (EMS) agencies, and community-based organizations (CBOs). To be eligible for the award, applicants must be located in rural Oregon and fall into one of the five recognized categories. Multiple applications from a single organization are permitted. Eligible projects must demonstrate tangible health improvements in their service areas, addressing significant problems with clearly outlined methodologies and measurable outcomes. Projects may involve strategies such as increasing access to care, improving public health metrics, reducing adverse medical events, or addressing root causes through operational innovations. Submissions should ideally include multidisciplinary approaches and demonstrate potential for replication or scalability by other rural entities. Applications must be submitted in narrative form via an online portal. Required components include a cover page with contact information, a 200-word executive summary, a detailed background of the health issue addressed, a description of the project and implementation methods, documented outcomes, and considerations for scalability. While not scored, applicants are also encouraged to include lessons learned and visual materials such as charts, graphs, or photos. Award selection is conducted by a panel of experts with experience in rural health implementation. Projects are scored based on five key criteria: the significance of the issue addressed, the use of data in design and evaluation, the project's potential to improve health outcomes, results achieved, and its scalability to other contexts. Submissions must clearly articulate how these aspects were addressed to be competitive. Up to five awards will be granted each year, with one honoree from each eligible category. Awardees will receive registration scholarships to attend the Annual Oregon Rural Health Conference, where they will be recognized for their contributions. The next conference is scheduled for October 7–9, 2026, in Bend, Oregon. The application deadline for the 2026 awards is August 31, 2026. Interested applicants should submit their materials prior to this date to be considered. For further inquiries, ORH provides dedicated contacts for each eligible applicant group. Questions can be directed to representatives for critical access hospitals, rural clinics, EMS agencies, LPHDs, or CBOs, depending on the applicant’s organizational type.

Ensure a data-driven approach with demonstrated outcomes; focus on scalability and underserved populations