February 22, 2019
ASTORIA, Ore. – Columbia Memorial Hospital (CMH) recently signed a new collaboration agreement with OHSU, in Portland, Oregon, that is expected to help the hospital continue to improve local access to health care.
CMH has developed several collaborative programs with OHSU over the past 10 years, starting with cancer care, then cardiology, and, more recently, emergency medicine and general surgery. These clinics and services have been tremendously successful in serving more people in the Lower Columbia Region while improving health care outcomes for community members and saving countless out-of-town trips for care. In addition, the collaboration added jobs to the local economy and established training programs for the next generation of rural healthcare providers
“CMH’s relationship with OHSU has allowed us to maintain at-risk services and add numerous new services during a turbulent time in the health care industry,” said CMH CEO Erik Thorsen. “CMH is committed to providing local access to care, and this collaboration will help us do that.
Thorsen said both organizations recognize that greater coordination is needed to achieve seamless care that that benefits patients and supports clinicians. CMH and OHSU have committed to taking the next step in this collaboration to build on existing successes and create a more integrated system that gives patients access to additional care options in the local community.
“Every joint program we have pursued with Columbia Memorial Hospital has been successful in serving patients and clinicians on Oregon’s North Coast, and has brought valuable lessons back to OHSU,” said Mark O’Hollaren, M.D., vice president of strategic outreach at OHSU. “We look forward to continuing to learn from each other as we expand our collaborative programs.”
To that end, CMH and OHSU have agreed to the following:
“We are very excited about this next stage of the CMH-OHSU collaboration. The board and I strongly believe these changes in the CMH-OHSU relationship will strengthen our organization and help CMH remain an independent, community-based organization,” Thorsen said.
Media Contact: Nancee Long, 503-338-4504
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