Cambia Health Foundation fosters community-led transformation to achieve better health and well-being outcomes so that everyone has the opportunity to live their healthiest lives. When communities are empowered, they can create meaningful and lasting change.

Between 2015 and 2020, the Cambia Health Foundation invested $14.6M in the Oregon Healthiest State initiative to support the health and well-being goals of four rural Oregon communities: Klamath Falls, The Dalles, Grants Pass and the Umpqua region. 

Rural areas are often overlooked for community-wide investments and improvement programs. As a result, funding and infrastructure for better health can be lacking at the outset. But once initial investments are made, the tight-knit relationships found within smaller communities offer unique advantages that can cultivate resilience and overcome difficult challenges.

Using resources and support provided by the Oregon Healthiest State initiative, including the Blue Zones Project model of wellbeing, the transformation of these four rural communities has been inspiring, providing a model for other communities to emulate.

Learn more by reading Community-Led Health Transformation in Rural Oregon, a report which highlights improvements in overall health, civic engagement and social connection and how these changes have positively impacted each of the communities.