Health Care Workforce (HCWF) Committee Meeting - DRAFT Meeting Minutes - Wednesday July 8, 2026

Sep 21, 2026

Health Care Workforce (HCWF) Committee meeting draft minutes for Wednesday, July 8, 2026, covering agenda items from convening the committee through public comment and multiple policy updates. The record includes Microsoft Teams transition notes, guidance on cameras for public attendance, review and approval of prior draft minutes, and updates from OHA and OHPB. Discussion focuses on Health Care Provider Incentive Program and health profession clinical training standards adoption, H.R. 1-driven disenrollment concerns, rural hospital vulnerability, and workforce infrastructure pressures, followed by an OHSU presentation on federal and education pathway impacts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Health Care Workforce Committee Meeting - Draft Minutes

1. Convene and Agenda Overview

2. Review and Approval of Draft May Meeting Summary

3. Public Comment

4. OHPB and OHA Updates

5. OHSU Presentation: H.R. 1 Impacts on Education Pathways

Health Care Workforce (HCWF) Committee Meeting DRAFT Meeting Minutes Wednesday July 8, 2026 9:30 a.m.– 12:00 p.m. Meeting materials and recording are posted under the meeting date on the HCWFCommittee’s website. Committee Members present: Virginia Chambers, Kelli McKnight, Ian Strauss, Amberena Fairlee, Regina Castellon, Andrea Brown, Sofia Aiello, Krista Lovaas, Coi Vu, Dr. Rosemarie Hemmings, Tessa Kristiansen, Surya Karlapati, Rob Ross, Chauncella Koulibali 09:30:00 1. Convene Health Care Workforce Committee Presented by: Kelli McKnight, Chair • Welcome and agenda overview, roll call. • Microsoft Teams transition • Meeting open to the public; members asked to turn on cameras. • Health equity definition and guiding questions reviewed. Materials: • 01. Agenda 09:38:18 2. Review and Approval of Draft May Meeting Summary Presented by: Kelli McKnight, Chair • Minutes approved with abstentions from members not present. Materials: • 02. Draft May Minutes 09:40:13 3. Public Comment • No advanced testimony requests. No verbal or written public comments received. Materials: N/A 09:43:51 4. OHPB and OHA Updates Presenters: DeeptiShinde, OHA; Hayden Rooke-Ley, OHPB Liaison OHA • Committee membership changes included: Laura Chan, Student Member, completed her HCWF term in June 2026; Rebecca Descombes appointed in January 2026 resigned due to personal obligations. • August 12, 2026 Educational Webinar cancelled due to conflicts with other meetings and conferences. • Health Care Provider Incentive Program (HCPIP) and Health Profession Student Clinical Training Standards administrative rules were finalized and permanently adopted July 1, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively OHPB • OHA Director Sejal Hathi resigned as of August 1, 2026 ; interim director Fariborz Pakseresht appointed starting July 6, 2026 • H.R. 1 Work Requirements clarification pending due to CMS medical exemption guidance being significantly more restrictive than anticipated. • Oregon joined a multi-state lawsuit challenging aspects of H.R. 1 affecting medical frailty exemptions • Providence Health Plan’s departure from Oregon’s commercial market will not affect PEBB or OEBB members until at least 2027. • Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) $200 grant in effect to support Oregon’s rural workforce capacity and health system transformation • Oregon may see disenrollment of up to 200,000 individuals and projected combined state/federal revenue losses exceeding $9 billion by 2031 due to H. R. 1 impact on Medicaid. Committee Discussion: HCWF Committee Members raised concerns about: • H. R. 1-driven disenrollment. • Rural hospital vulnerability. • Community reliance on free/volunteer clinics. • CCO impacts due to H.R.1-driven enrollment shifts. • Long-term financial pressures on Oregon’s health care workforce infrastructure. Materials: • 03. OHA Health Care Workforce Initiatives Update 09:43:51 5. Impacts of H.R. 1 and Federal Policy Changes in Oregon’s Health Care Education Pathways – Introduction and Presentation by Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) Presenters: Denise Dallmann, Assistant Vice Provost, Workforce Capacity Development, OHSU; Elijah Herr, Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships, OHSU Elimination of Graduate PLUS Loans – Grad PLUS loans historically have filled critical financial gaps by covering non-institutional living costs such as rent, food, transportation, licensing fees, and exam expenses. Without Grad PLUS: • Students are forced into high-interest private loans • Many students, especially first-generation, marginalized, and DACA students face credit or cosigner barriers • Surveys at OHSU already show that around 50% of students experience housing or food insecurity, even with Grad PLUS availability Major reductions in federal loan caps – H.R 1 restructures lending categories and imposes strict new limits: • Graduate program

FAQs

What were the key operational notes for the July 8, 2026 HCWF meeting?

The meeting opened with welcome, agenda overview, and roll call, and included a Microsoft Teams transition. Members noted that the meeting was open to the public and asked participants to turn on cameras.

What approvals and public comment outcomes were recorded?

The draft May meeting summary minutes were reviewed and approved, with abstentions from members not present. No advanced testimony requests or verbal/written public comments were received.

What policy and workforce concerns were highlighted during the OHA and OHPB updates?

Updates included committee membership changes and finalization/adoption of specific incentive and clinical training standards. Committee discussion raised concerns about H.R. 1-driven disenrollment, rural hospital vulnerability, reliance on free/volunteer clinics, CCO enrollment impacts, and long-term financial pressures on Oregon’s health care workforce infrastructure.

Sep 21, 2026

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