NEON's History

NEON was originally led by a small group of individuals who recognized the value of community collaboration to ensure that needed and quality health services are provided efficiently and effectively. NEON is an entirely rural and frontier collaboration, led in large part by public health and human service organizations. Since its inception, NEON has broadened its participation to include diverse stakeholders from throughout the three counties it serves.

Network Development Grant
In October of 2005, NEON was awarded a Rural Health Network Development Grant from the Federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Funds from this grant have allowed NEON to actively pursue a strategic planning process to develop and implement our goals and objectives. Comprehensive and dynamic sustainability planning has positioned our network to continue developing on its activities and community partnerships into the future, allowing us to serve as a stable resource to our region.

FQHC Planning Grant
In September 2009, NEON was awarded the HRSA Consolidated Health Centers Planning Grant that would allow our network a one year planning process to determine if a networked Federally-Qualified Health Center (FQHC) status would be useful and desirable by our regional rural health clinics. The one-time funds are to be used for a planning process engaging the six regional rural health clinics, three county public health departments, and three critical access hospitals in implementation of the following goals:

Conduct a comprehensive, regional community health needs assessment for the tri-county area;

Apply for Health Provider Shortage Area (HPSA) designation for the tri-county area;
Identify and overcome barriers in previous network area FQHC applications that have prevented the region from accessing those resources;
Research the possibilities for a network-structured FQHC.

State Health Access Program Grant
In November of 2009, NEON was awarded as a sub-recipient of the state of Oregon, the Federal HRSA State Health Access Program Grant. This grant will be graduated five year funding toward design and implementation of non-profit, community owned and designed health coverage to be available to local small businesses in Union, Wallowa, and Baker counties. NEON is now beginning the management of this design process, and is intent on engaging the local community in its design.

Primary Care Home Pilot Project Grant
In November of 2009, NEON will receive an award from the Regence Foundation “Building Healthier Communities and Transforming Healthcare” Grant Program. This grant will support Covering Kids and Families Eastern Oregon with a one-year pilot program for implementing the first step in a primary care home model: establishing an ongoing source of care with a primary care provider. Currently, CKF Eastern Oregon provides individuals and families with application assistance for health coverage. This grant will allow our outreach specialists not only to help their clients apply and become enrolled in health coverage, but also to facilitate an ongoing and patient-centered relationship with a physician most suitable for their needs.

Children’s Intervention Expansion Project
NEON will be a recipient of the recent Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) Grant award from the Federal DHS Center for Medicaid Services. This grant will allow expansion of our CKF Eastern Oregon Outreach and Enrollment Program to increase enrollment of rural children in health coverage, and especially target populations of high public health risk and Latino populations.