Transforming Access to Rural Healthcare
Adventist Health Tillamook has been honored with the 2025 Oregon Rural Health Excellence Award by the Oregon Office of Rural Health, recognizing outstanding innovation and commitment to improving access to care in rural communities.
The award celebrates Adventist Health Tillamook’s Community-Based Nursing Services (CBNS) program, an innovative nurse-led model that brings healthcare directly to underserved and high-risk patients across Tillamook and Columbia counties. The program redefines rural health delivery by providing care wherever patients are — whether at home, in temporary housing, or on the streets. Registered nurses serve as health coaches, trust builders, and care navigators, helping patients manage chronic illnesses, access medications, and connect with essential community resources.
Supported by a $1.3 million grant from the American Nurses Foundation’s Reimagining Nursing Initiative and developed in collaboration with the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) School of Nursing, the program demonstrates statistically significant improvements in medication adherence, chronic disease outcomes, and patient engagement. Since launching its pilot phase in December 2023, the program has served over 100 patients and is now active in six rural clinics, supported by a toolkit in development to promote statewide adoption.
Eric Swanson, president of Adventist Health Tillamook, expressed his gratitude for the teams and partnerships that made this achievement possible: “This recognition truly belongs to our community-based nurses, whose compassion and dedication have reimagined what rural care can look like,” Swanson said. “We are deeply grateful to our recently retired executive, Gina Seufert, who led this work with vision and heart, our academic partners at OHSU, and the American Nurses Foundation, whose grant made this innovation possible. When we combine innovation with state support and community collaboration, we break down barriers of care giving us real hope for the future of rural healthcare.”
Adventist Health Tillamook’s Community-Based Nursing Services program is now seen as a replicable and sustainable model for rural healthcare delivery, supported by new state legislation (HB 2789) passed into law on May 28 that enables reimbursement for nurse-led community care.
The Oregon Rural Health Excellence Award recognizes hospitals, clinics, EMS agencies, and community-based organizations that demonstrate exceptional creativity, teamwork, and resourcefulness in improving health outcomes across rural Oregon. The 2025 awardees were honored on October 2, 2025, at the 42nd Oregon Rural Health Conference in Bend. More information about the award recognition is available on the OHSU site.
Photo caption: Shown left to right, community-based nurses Julie Brainerd, RN; Megan Swenson, RN; retired executive Gina Seufert, RN; and Allison Miller, RN celebrate Adventist Health Tillamook’s recognition with the 2025 Oregon Rural Health Excellence Award for innovation in rural care delivery.
