August 19, 2025

Wyden, Merkley Announce $1 Million Grant to Establish a New Mobile Integrated Health Program in Wheeler County

Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both D-Ore., today announced an investment of $1 million for the Oregon Office of Rural Health (ORH) to help improve access to healthcare in Wheeler County.

“With Trump’s cruel cuts to Medicaid, rural healthcare is on life support right now and needs thoughtful and meaningful backing to prevent it from flatlining,” Wyden said. “I’m gratified this grant will support Wheeler County’s efforts to strengthen local health services and enhance EMS agencies’ capacity and ability to serve their community.”

“As I hold a town hall in each of Oregon’s 36 counties every year, I frequently hear from folks about the health care challenges they are facing, especially in rural communities that have unique hurdles in providing and accessing care,” Merkley said. “This vital federal grant will ensure Wheeler County residents are able to access the health care services and resources they need and deserve. I’ll keep fighting for investments in rural communities so working families can get the care they need to thrive.”

This Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grant will establish and support the Rural Oregon Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) Program Consortium, which will include ORH, rural EMS agencies, and local clinics to coordinate operations and evaluate community-level impacts. In addition, this funding will create standardized MIH resources (an “MIH toolkit”) for Wheeler County and its partners to stand up a local MIH program, and help other communities throughout Oregon do the same. Information about this local program will be shared with the local community and surrounding areas to help improve underserved patients' health outcomes and health status, both in Wheeler County and throughout rural Oregon.

“The Oregon Office of Rural Health (ORH) is honored to have been awarded $1 million in grant dollars over four years from HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy’s Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program,” says ORH Director of Field Services Sarah Andersen, “This investment will support the development of innovative mobile integrated health services in partnership with the Oregon MIH Coalition for rural Oregon. A pilot project will begin in Wheeler County to create an MIH model that other rural communities can follow to improve access to care. Ultimately, this project will assist in improving health care outcomes for rural Oregonians by providing mobile health services in partnership between clinics and EMS agencies, while lowering the cost of health care.”

The grant will be distributed over four years at $250,000 per year.