Willamette Health Council

Home
United States
Salem, OR
Willamette Health Council

Improving the health of the Marion-Polk community

03/31/2026

Free Motivational Interviewing Trainings in English & Spanish

Our partners at Boost Oregon are offering a series of upcoming Motivational Interviewing (MI) trainings this spring designed for providers, promotores de salud, community health workers, and community-based organizations.

These sessions focus on building skills to support meaningful conversations, including around vaccine hesitancy.

Upcoming opportunities:
• May 6 (Virtual, Spanish) – Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy: Lessons from MI
🕛 12:00–1:00 PM

• May 7 (Virtual, English) – Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy: Lessons from MI
🕛 12:00–1:00 PM

• May 11 (In-Person, Spanish – Hillsboro) – Foundations of Motivational Interviewing
🕘 9:00 AM–4:00 PM

All trainings are free and open to those working with communities across Oregon.
📲 Learn more and register: boostoregon.org

03/30/2026

Upcoming Workshop Opportunity: Our friends at Grassroots Counseling and Rooted Resilience are hosting a workshop for adults focused on strengthening their youth facilitation skills.

Showing Up Matters
📅 Thursday, April 2 from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 Grassroots Counseling
2405 Front Street NE, Salem

This workshop will be facilitated by youth and offers a unique opportunity to build confidence working with young people, expand your skills, and learn directly from youth perspectives on mentorship and connection. Register at https://www.grassrootscounseling.com/youth or the QR code in the attached image.

03/24/2026

The Community Advisory Council (CAC) is diving deeper into their work on the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) through focused workgroups as part of their monthly meetings.

These workgroups are advancing the following as part of the CHIP:
• Supporting strategies that improve access to culturally and linguistically responsive healthcare services for OHP members in Marion and Polk counties
• Promote community approaches to help OHP members maintain healthcare coverage and access to healthcare services
• Improve coordination related to OHP member appeals and grievances

Through this work, CAC members are helping ensure community voice continues to guide local health priorities and solutions.

03/18/2026

We’re excited to welcome new members to the Willamette Health Council’s Community Advisory Council (CAC):
Alisha Smith, Douglas Richardson, Tanya Hart, Joseph Conklin, and Jose Ortega.

The CAC plays a vital role in ensuring that community voices - especially those of Oregon Health Plan members - help guide decisions that impact health and well-being across Marion and Polk counties.

We’re grateful to these new members for bringing their perspectives, lived experiences, and leadership to this work.

03/12/2026

Several WHC staff and friends had the opportunity to attend the Marion & Polk Early Learning Hub’s fundraiser last weekend. It was a wonderful evening celebrating the partnerships and shared commitment to supporting young children and families across our region.

Thank you to the Marion & Polk Early Learning Hub, Inc. team for bringing everyone together and for all you do to support children and families in Marion and Polk counties.

03/04/2026

We’re off to a great start at the 4th Annual Marion-Polk Children, Youth, & Family Services Summit. We’ll post more photos in our Instagram stories throughout the day. Our Emcees, Diana and Ecoa, did a great job welcoming over 350 participants and our first panel of speakers, state leaders talking about the impact of federal changes to Oregon children and families.

03/02/2026

📅 Save the Date on June 25th for the THW Alliance Summit!

Join us for the Traditional Health Worker (THW) Alliance Summit on Thursday, June 25th from 8am–5pm at Roth’s Event Center in West Salem.

This full-day gathering will include breakfast, lunch, and an end-of-day networking hour. We’re excited to welcome two keynote speakers - Lou Radja, award-winning inspirational speaker and social entrepreneur, and Lillian Tsai, coach and DEIB facilitator & consultant.

Registration opens in April — stay tuned for more details.
Questions? Contact Lucy at lwallace@willamettehealthcouncil.org

We look forward to gathering with Traditional Health Workers and partners from across the region.

02/26/2026

In case you missed our Winter Newsletter, we want to take a moment to recognize some incredible community volunteers stepping into new leadership roles at WHC.

We recently welcomed new leadership for both our Community Advisory Council (CAC) and Board of Directors:
• Jessy Powell was elected CAC Co-Chair and now joins the Board, representing the voice of Oregon Health Plan members in our region
• Justin Huff has stepped into the role of Board Chair
• Kim Leathley was elected Board Vice-Chair
• Josh Graves was elected Board Treasurer and will serve as Co-Chair of the Finance Committee

We are grateful for the expertise and commitment these leaders bring to strengthening health and well-being across Marion and Polk counties. You can learn more about the CAC and Board on our WHC website.

02/25/2026

How can we make getting help for housing and health care easier in our community?

Our partners at the Mid-Willamette Valley Homeless Alliance (MWVHA) are launching a short survey to better understand the barriers people face when trying to access services in Marion and Polk counties.

If you’ve experienced challenges getting help, supported someone who has, or live in the Marion-Polk region, your voice matters. The survey is private, safe, and takes about 5 minutes to complete.

Community feedback will help inform efforts to improve how people connect to housing and health resources locally.

📱There are two surveys: a general survey and one for those with lived experience. You can find both at https://linktr.ee/willamettehealthcouncil

02/19/2026

There’s still time to register for the Marion-Polk Children, Youth & Family Services Summit — but space is limited.

About 30 spots remain for this year’s summit at the Salem Convention Center. Join us for a full day of learning, networking, and collaboration focused on strengthening supports for children, youth, and families across our region.

If you’ve been meaning to sign up, now is the time.

🔗 Register today before we fill up.
https://ow.ly/6zGx50Yiogy

02/17/2026

❄️ Our Winter 2026 WHC Newsletter is now live.

This issue shares updates on new WHC Board and Community Advisory Council leadership, the release of the 2026–2030 Community Health Improvement Plan, sponsorship opportunities, and a community partner spotlight on WVP Health Foundation’s No-Show Reduction Program. You’ll also find information about joining the new Marion-Polk Safety Net Collaborative and other timely updates.

Stay connected to the work happening across Marion and Polk counties.📬 Read the full newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/willamettehealthcouncil/winter2026

02/12/2026

⏰ Two vaccine clinic dates remain!

Marion County Health & Human Services is offering upcoming clinic dates to help students get up to date on required school vaccines, including Tdap.

Remaining clinic dates:
• Wednesday, February 18 | 9am–6:30pm
• Saturday, February 21 | 9am–12pm
Weekday appointments are also available Monday–Friday, 9am–4pm.

📞 Call 503-588-5342 to make an appointment.
📍 3160 Center St NE, Salem

Help your student stay protected and ready for school.

Address

1701 Liberty Street S
Salem, OR
97302

Website

http://willamettehealthcouncil.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Willamette Health Council posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Willamette Health Council:

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Salem?