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MEET THE CASCADES EAST AHEC ADVISORY BOARD

Individually, Cascades East AHEC’s Advisory board members are outstanding people. Together, these dedicated volunteers are the force that motivates and shapes the organization's vision and programming. Without their voices and experience, CEAHEC’s mission of making health care more accessible for all people would seem nearly unattainable. The CEAHEC staff is proud to present the CEAHEC Advisory Board:

James F. Calvert, MD

Community Role: Cascades East Family Medicine Residency Program
Home: Klamath Falls
Biography: Husband, father of two daughters, Vietnam combat veteran

Calvert, who helped launch CEAHEC at its original site in Klamath Falls, lives the realities of practicing rural medicine and the challenges of preparing students for that career. His wife, Wendy Warren, MD, also is a Klamath Falls family practitioner. Such a grounding in reality, he says, is the most valuable gift he and other advisory board members have to offer CEAHEC.

Calvert hopes to help the center develop a more prominent voice in the region. He cites mental health access, unemployment, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy and school funding as the most pressing issues facing Klamath Falls residents.

Don Wee

Community Role: Executive Director of Pioneer Memorial Hospital
Home: Prineville
Biography: Husband, father of three, outdoor enthusiast

To Don Wee, crisis means opportunity. "I look at issues, crises or concerns from an optimistic point of view, "he says.

Wee joined the advisory board just last year to support expanded education and training for high demand health care professionals, such as ultrasound technicians and nurses. In addition, Wee hopes to see CEAHEC promote itself. "I'm not sure the community really knows what AHEC is all about," he says.

Wee has more than 15 years experience in rural hospital administration; 11 of them have been in Prineville.

Carolyn Bauer

Community Role: Member of Harney District Hospital Board of Directors
Home: Burns
Biography: Wife, mother, community activist

"The diplomat" to her husband, Carolyn Bauer is a medical technologist by training and dental receptionist by work experience. But community activism is her true calling. She began supporting CEAHEC early on, and joined the community hospital board in 1987. She served through its transition in jurisdiction.

"Our situation still is tenuous," Bauer says. "There are people who already have chosen to live here and who would like to become X-ray technicians, physician assistants or mental health therapists. But they need local degree training and education."

She says CEAHEC is helping her isolated community "grow its own" and attract providers through the rural rotation program.

Tom Wright, E.M.T.–P.

Community Role: Firefighter/Paramedic for City of Bend Fire Department and Central Oregon Community College Paramedic Program instructor
Home: Bend
Biography: Life-long resident of Central Oregon, former high school teacher

Tom Wright is a true Central Oregon spirit. He moved to Bend from Redmond nearly four years ago, after spending 17 years in Madras. "I've traveled around the world, and I haven't found any other place I'd rather live," he says. "I love the mountains, the deserts and the lack of rain."

Wright led CEAHEC health career camp workshops about E.M.T. services for three summers. He joined the advisory board just this year. "I noticed there were no paramedics on the board, "Wright says. "If you're providing services to a group of people, you need to have someone from that group represented."

He hopes to help CEAHEC increase coordination between agencies and education centers in providing local training.

Mike Marcotte

Community Role: HCP Administrator Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs
Home: Warm Springs

Mike has been actively involved in AHEC activities for a couple of years. We were glad to welcome him to the board in 2002. Mike assisted us in planning and arrangements for our 2001 Video "Caregiving in Rural Oregon" which featured several staff and community members from Warm Springs.

Robin Henderson, PsyD

Community Role: Director, Behavioral Health Services, Cascade Healthcare Community
Home: Bend

As a licensed psychologist, Dr. Henderson brings focused attention to issues of mental health in our communities. She is a strong advocate for building the community system of care that will keep people near their homes and families when mental health issues arise. Since arriving in Bend, she has facilitated the development of the region's first acute psychiatric services and brought six new psychiatrists to the community.

"I see AHEC as the key to bringing more mental health professionals to the region, especially in our rural communities. We are working with other partners to strengthen our education programs for the providers who are already here, and open up the possibilities for the behavioral health workforce of the future."

Dr. Henderson has been a member of the conference planning committee and faculty for the "Mental Health and Primary Care" Conferences sponsored by AHEC over the last few years. She is also working closely with OHSU to develop residency opportunities and specialty satellite clinics to enhance the mental health treatment capacity of Central Oregon.

Mary Jeanne Kuhar, MD

Community Role: Instructional Dean at Central Oregon Community College; part time physician at Deschutes County Health Department
Home: has resided in Bend since 1988
Biography: married to John Aubry; two sons (Michael working in Portland as an engineer and Joseph, third year at University of Oregon)

Dr. Kuhar moved to Bend in 1988 and was in private practice in Obstetrics and Gynecology for ten years. Although she left private practice in 1998, she maintained a connection with St. Charles where she still serves on the Bioethics Committee. As a physician, she became aware of the healthcare needs of rural areas and the vast distances some patients in Oregon must travel to obtain care.

"I would like to help promote access to health care for all Oregonians and to work with rural hospitals to develop work force training opportunities in nursing and other Allied Health areas". As a current administrator and previous Allied Health assistant professor at Central Oregon Community College, Kuhar works with students entering careers in nursing, Dental Assisting, Medical Assisting, EMS and pre-professional training in Physical Therapy as well as medicine and dentistry. She is currently involved in distance education collaborative program planning for Radiology Technology and Medical Lab Techician. She is looking forward to working with CEAHEC to expand opportunities for health career training in Central and Eastern Oregon as well as providing continuing education for professionals living in rural areas.

Current Board Openings:

• Public Health Representative

To apply to serve on the Cascades East AHEC Board for current openings, contact us at jvalenti@scmc.org or 541-617-2603

Cascades East Advisory Board Resource Center