The Linn, Benton, Lincoln Partners for Health organization plans to address pandemic-related issues, such as the increased social isolation that people experienced and the collective feeling of well-being, at its 2022 Summit on Friday, Aug. 19, Samaritan Health Services announced.
The free summit is open to all with virtual and in-person options. Spanish interpretation will be available. For those in-person, lunch will be provided.
“Building Resilience: Well-being and Mental Health Resources in a Post-Pandemic-Environment” will run from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in Linn-Benton Community College’s new Chinook Hall at 931 NW Reiman Ave., in Corvallis.
Dr. Carolyn Aldwin, professor emeritus in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences at Oregon State University, will be the keynote speaker. Aldwin’s research has examined how psychosocial factors affect health and especially how individuals cope with stress.
Closing remarks will be provided by Dr. Helen Kao, who has practiced at Lumina Hospice and Palliative Care in Corvallis since 2016. Board-certified in internal medicine, geriatrics and hospice/palliative care, she has special interests in house calls, dementia care, reducing polypharmacy in health care, supporting adults who experience physical and cognitive decline and advocating for comprehensive advanced care planning.
Breakout sessions will focus on youth wellness and resilience; health impacts of loneliness and social isolation; explaining the public charge rule; and an interactive session on accessing the features of Samaritan’s MyChart, an online patient portal.
Registration is now open at PFHBuildingResilience.eventbrite.com.
Partners For Health include Samaritan Health Services, Linn-Benton Community College, Western University of Health Science COMP-Northwest, and Coast to the Cascade Community Wellness Network.
New Marketing and Communications VP at Samaritan
Samaritan Health Services announced the hiring of Kimberly Schauer as its new vice president of Marketing and Communications. Schauer succeeds Julie Jones Manning, who recently retired after 37 years of service.
“I am honored to have this opportunity to lead Samaritan’s systemwide Marketing and Communications team and support strategic engagement with employees, providers, patients, partners and consumers,” Schauer said through a news release. “I am delighted to now call the beautiful Willamette Valley home and help support the health and well-being of our communities.”
Before joining Samaritan in late June, Schauer served at Asante, a community-based not-for-profit health system in Southern Oregon, where she spearheaded infrastructure development to support digital and traditional marketing, business development and communications efforts.
Under her leadership, the department earned eight national and international recognitions in 2021. Prior to that, she directed system marketing at PeaceHealth, a health system serving three states in the Pacific Northwest, and led communications and marketing at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, a top-rated graduate medical school for acupuncture and Chinese Medicine.
Samaritan schedules community listening sessions
Samaritan Health Services has scheduled two listening sessions to gather input on health needs from the Benton, Lincoln and Linn County communities.
The first session will be Tuesday, Aug. 23, from 5-7 p.m. at Linn-Benton Community College Benton Center’s Chinook Room in Corvallis. The college is located at 932 NW Reiman.
The next day, Wednesday, Aug. 24, a similar listening session will be held in Newport at Samaritan Health Services’ Center for Health Education. The center is located at 740 SW Ninth St., in Newport.
For those interested in attending a session, RSVP to Rochelle Hazelton rhazelton@samhealth.org.
Samaritan again earns healthiest employer recognition
Samaritan Health Services was named among the top Healthiest Employers of 5,000-plus employees by the Portland Business Journal at a recent awards luncheon.
Samaritan Chief Administrative Officer Kelley Kaiser and Director of Wellness and Fitness Alyssa Wink accepted the award on Samaritan’s behalf and were joined by several other Samaritan employees representing Health Plans, Legal, SamFit and Marketing and Communications.
Samaritan was first recognized by the Portland Business Journal as a Healthiest Employer in 2013 and has been ranked in the top five ever since. This year, there were six recipients in the 5,000-plus employees category — PeaceHealth, Lithia Motors Inc., HP Inc., U-Haul International, Samaritan Health Services and Kaiser Permanente.