Rep. Court Boice tours the Medical Imaging Department.

BANDON – Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center CEO Raymond Hino was recently honored at the Hospital Association of Oregon (HOA) annual meeting last month as “Grassroots Champion” of the year for his work on healthcare advocacy with legislators in Salem.

Hino has met with District 1 legislators Sen. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford, and Rep. Court Boice, R-Gold Beach, at Southern Coos Hospital, and in their offices in Salem. During their visit to Southern Coos, both Smith and Boice met with Southern Coos Health District Board members and were given tours of the hospital campus. Hino informed the legislators of current issues facing the hospital, and the healthcare industry in Oregon and elsewhere.

Raymond Hino with his Grassroots Champion award

Rep. Court Boice talks with Southern Coos Health District and SCHHC Executive Team members.

Rep. Court Boice visits the SCHHC Emergency Department.

Sen. David Brock Smith visited Southern Coos in 2023.

Hino said he was surprised and pleased to receive the award.

“The Hospital Association of Oregon wants to encourage hospital CEOs to reach out to legislators and invite them to take tours and learn more about their constituents,” Hino said of the Grassroots Award. “I think they felt I did a good job of reaching out to David Brock Smith and Court Boice.”

Hino stays abreast of what’s happening with healthcare in the Oregon legislature and continues the dialogue with legislators.

“I think we’re really fortunate to have David Brock Smith and Court Boice,” Hino added. “I think they do an excellent job of supporting healthcare access in our state.”

Smith and Boice both advocate in Salem for hospitals, including Southern Coos, which is a Critical Access Hospital (CAC). CAC’s are 25 beds or fewer and are located in rural communities. These hospitals have a different Medicare and Medicaid cost-reimbursement payment structure, instituted by the government to help keep the doors open for these vital institutions.

Specifically, Hino asked both legislators if they could find funding to help Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center prepare a master facilities plan for expansion efforts to better serve the South Coast community. Smith added the request to a bill in 2023 shortly after his visit, but the bill failed to make it out of committee. Boice has promised to reintroduce the legislation.

In addition to meeting with Smith and Boice, Hino recently met with Becky Hultberg, President and CEO of the HOA. Hultberg toured Southern Coos and visited with several department managers and a provider to learn more about the hospital.

Raymond Hino with Becky Hultberg

Raymond Hino, Becky Hultberg and Dr. Douglas Crane

The HOA is a collective voice for the state’s 61 community hospitals. The hospital association continues to work at advancing policies that address hospitals’ current and long-term needs to sustain a healthcare system generations of Oregonians can rely on.

In the 2024 legislative session, the hospital association:

• Tracked more than 70 bills that could have impacted hospitals.
• Testified nine times at House or Senate committee hearings at the Capitol.
• Successfully defeated two bills that would have adversely affected hospitals.
• Successfully advocated for $92 million in DSH 3 funding and nearly $1 million for the state’s public guardianship program. (The DSH 3 program helps ensure access to care for Oregonians who are uninsured or on Medicaid.)

News Source : https://southerncoos.org/southern-coos-hospital-ceo-honored-as-grassroots-champion/