Upstream program targets rural child health in Eastern Oregon with new partnerships, $850K grant
By Griffin Beach on Wednesday, July 29th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – Several stakeholders from across Oregon gathered in Pendleton on Tuesday to sign a declaration of cooperation supporting early childhood development.
“It is an affirmation of one simple belief, the adhesive power of community to create sustainable solutions,” former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber said while speaking virtually at the event.
The Blue Mountain Early Learning Hub’s Upstream program aims to strengthen rural health access and improve outcomes for children from pregnancy through the first 1,000 days of life. Organizers hope to improve access in rural areas by building stronger partnerships across hospitals, clinics and community programs.
They’ve listed the following initial goals and plan to reconvene by the end of 2027 to assess progress.
● Increase age-appropriate immunization completion rates for pregnant people, infants, and children up to age 2 served through community-based programs.
● Establish and strengthen collaborative partnerships with at least three regional organizations to integrate preventive oral health education, referral pathways and care coordination for children ages 0 to 2.
● Support implementation of Reach Out and Read in 15 new primary care clinics.
● Increase access to developmental screenings and expand provider–caregiver conversations about vaccinations, caregiver mental health, family/cultural belonging, healthy nutrition, physical activity, and preventive dental care for Eastern Oregon Community Care Organization-enrolled children ages 0 to 2 in Umatilla, Morrow, and Union counties.
● Increase access to developmental screenings and expand provider–caregiver conversations about vaccinations, caregiver mental health, family/cultural belonging, healthy nutrition, physical activity, and preventive dental care for Eastern Oregon Community Care Organization-enrolled children ages 0–2 in Umatilla, Morrow, and Union counties.
“We are hoping that what we are doing here will lead the way for other Oregonians,” said Marissa Loiland, director of early learning initiatives for the Intermountain Education Service District (IMESD).
Each partner organization drafted its own page of commitments to attach to the cooperation document. The partner organizations are:
- Intermountain Education Service District
- Eastern Oregon Community Care Organization
- Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
- Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care
- Oregon Health Authority
- Umatilla County Health
- Morrow County Health
- Eastern Oregon HeadStart
- Advantage Dental
- Grande Ronde Hospital
- Good Shepherd Hospital
- St. Anthony’s Hospital
- Columbia River Health Board Clinic
- Umatilla Morrow HeadStart
- Community Counseling Solutions
Assembling the goals and agreements for the Upstream program earned the Blue Mountain Early Learning Hub an $850,000 grant from Oregon’s Rural Health Transformation Grant Program. The grant will support early childhood development outcomes for families in Morrow, Umatilla and Union counties.
“This has been quite the undertaking for us,” said Tiffany Copeland of IMESD. ”We hope it’s another step towards realizing Upstream’s original vision of creating lasting, community driven change through strong partnership’s and share purpose”
Blue Mountain Early Learning Hub partners gather at Tuesday’s declaration signing.
