One Community Health Opens COVID Test-to-Treat Centers for the Gorge
Test-to-Treat centers provide convenient diagnostic testing, evaluation by a provider, and treatment all in one location
Hood River, OR, June 9, 2022 – In partnership with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and the Oregon Primary Care Association, One Community Health (OCH) opened two COVID Test-to-Treat centers on June 1st, 2022 for OCH patients and individuals from underserved communities with plans to expand access in the coming months to the entire Columbia Gorge community. OCH’s Test-to-Treat centers are located outside OCH’s existing clinics in Hood River and The Dalles and are staffed by providers, pharmacists, medical assistants, and nurses. The Test-to-Treat centers offer “one-stop shopping” for COVID services:
· Rapid diagnostic COVID testing
· An evaluation by a medical provider
· If appropriate, the anti-viral treatments Paxlovid or Molnupiravir will be prescribed and provided on-site, with no need to go to a separate pharmacy location
The Federal Test-to Treat-Program was launched in March to provide faster and easier access to lifesaving COVID anti-viral treatments. While the Federal program is focused on pharmacies, only 2,800 of the approximately 50,000 retail pharmacies in the U.S. have health clinics staffed by medical providers. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), such as OCH, are uniquely positioned to provide equitable access to all components of the Test-to-Treat Program. OCH was approached by the OHA and Oregon Primary Care Association to serve as a pilot site for the Oregon Test-to-Treat Program to help improve access and treatment for communities disproportionately impacted by COVID.
“We’ve worked closely with the Oregon Health Authority throughout the COVID pandemic and have formed a close partnership,” says Jason Bradley, Hood River Clinic Director and lead of OCH’s Test-to-Treat Program. “They knew our track record of taking innovative approaches to providing COVID services. We’ve been able to work with community partners to achieve over a 90% vaccination rate for Hood River County, which is the highest vaccination rate for a county in the state. We have focused our efforts on reaching vulnerable, or traditionally underserved, people including BIPOC community members [e.g., over half of COVID vaccine doses administered by OCH have gone to people who identify as Hispanic and/or Latinx], farmworkers, Native Americans, Medicaid, low income and uninsured populations.”
OCH is one of only two Federally Qualified Health Centers in the state piloting the program, which will explore the use of FQHCs as an access point to COVID treatments for the broader community.
"As part of the Oregon Health Authority’s Resiliency in Support of Equity (RISE) plan, Federally Qualified Health Centers have been recognized as being uniquely positioned for addressing health inequities in Oregon,” says Amani Atallah, Therapeutics Operations Manager at the Oregon Health Authority. “Recently, One Community Health has gone the extra mile in committing to a collaborative partnership with OHA and the Oregon Primary Care Association. This partnership aims to ensure equitable access to therapeutics in our communities who have been and continue to be disproportionately affected by COVID-19 infection. The collaboration will also provide valuable lessons that OHA can take forward to help establish meaningful partnerships for managing future outbreaks or public health concerns.”
In addition to the Test-to-Treat Program, OCH continues to offer COVID vaccines for all community members and encourages everyone to stay up to date with their booster doses as cases climb in the community. Free N95 masks and at-home COVID tests for individuals and businesses are also available in OCH’s clinic lobbies.
For more information on OCH’s Test-to-Treat Program please visit onecommunityhealth.org/TestToTreat or call 541.386.6380
About One Community Health
One Community Health (OCH) is a nonprofit, Federally Qualified Health Center, with locations in The Dalles and Hood River, Oregon. Formerly known as La Clínica del Cariño Family Health Care Center, Inc., it was founded in 1986 and today has evolved into an official Patient-Centered Primary Care Home recognized as the Best Primary Care Clinic of 2019 by the Central Oregon Independent Practice Association (COIPA).
OCH currently provides medical, dental, behavioral health, and outreach services to more than 23,000 patients. In addition, OCH excels in providing educational programs and support that reflect its integrated approach to health and wellbeing. Dedicated to advancing health and social justice for all its community members, OCH serves patients from the Mid-Columbia River Gorge Region: Wasco, Hood River, Klickitat, and Skamania Counties.
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