Who We Are
Our Story
Our Team
Our Impact
Our Community
Our Story
OWhN was founded in 2014 by the Yellowhawk Tribal Center of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation because of the profound need in the community for substance use and opioid use support, suicide prevention, and overwhelming health disparities. We have since grown from five to ten organizations, which includes four hospitals, three county health departments, a community college, a regional mental health treatment provider (Eastern Oregon Recovery Center), and the Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center (TYHC).
Our Team
Our Impact on Rural Communities
“I have been directly involved in the development of OWhN and the COPES Crisis Center and Clinic for the past five years. In that time, I have seen OWhN go from one small HRSA planning grant to what I believe is now the leading community-based organization for OUD/SUD services in our region.”
– Joel Rice, Psychiatrist and Director of Grande Ronde Behavioral Health
We have brought over $3 million of federal and state funding to Northeast Oregon and Southeast Washington. We’re working towards care coordination, increased availability of substance use disorder treatment, harm reduction, and prevention and recovery.
We know that one organization alone cannot mitigate the challenges our communities face around poverty, inadequate healthcare services and insurance, health disparities, and substance use disorder so as a foundation to our work, we coordinate with other local organizations and healthcare providers to create a network of care.
We have provided thousands of community members with medical services and substance use disorder treatment. We’re building a brighter tomorrow by organizing trainings in life skills, substance use prevention, and mental wellness for both youth and adults. We’ve established a crisis warmline and are looking to expanding into a 24/7 hotline that connects those in crisis to local resources and provides suicide prevention support. We’re working with peer support specialists who have lived experiences similar to those they work with, providing empathy, a judgement free space, and opportunities to grow into better versions of themselves.
Here at OWhN we know that our strength is our community. We live, work, and raise our families in the areas we serve. We are invested in Northeast Oregon and Southeast Washington.
What we are Working On
Our Network
By partnering with local organizations and service leaders, we can prioritize local needs over what is popularly funded nationwide. This means that we can be specific about what will work in our communities rather than going with a one-size-fits-all approach. Together, we pool resources while also remaining fully autonomous so we’re able to go after individual funding opportunities. Providing health equity in our communities benefits every area of service within each individual organization.