HistoryHerstoryOurstory
South Coast Health Equity Coalition was established in 2022 by members of Coos and Curry counties’ low- income and institutionally underserved populations. Its purpose is to develop and implement strategies enhancing those groups’ opportunities to achieve sustained health and well-being.
SCHEC is uniquely effective in addressing root causes of constituents’ especially high rates of ill health, chronic disease, mortality and consequent persistent economic challenges, because grass-roots perspectives continually inform our work. The issues we address had persisted for generations; by 2019, the situation had become so critical that a group of more than 40 individuals -- community representatives and leaders of local, regional and state health organizations, institutions, governments and agencies – began two years of intensive discussion and analysis of the problem
By 2021, the group had concluded (1) that the functional barriers to health care and wellness experienced by underserved groups result from complex interactions of logistical, cultural, and social factors; (2) that the nature and significance of those barriers are most clearly understood by members of the affected groups; and (3) that members of those groups are best positioned to design and help implement effective solutions.
SCHEC’s work is grounded in those principles. We ensure that members of our region’s underserved groups enjoy direct access to leaders who understand their perspectives, and act to build constituents’ confidence and empowerment toward constructive change.
SCHEC serves its mission through multiple forms of outreach and interaction with members of the communities it serves; collaborations with diverse allies; distribution of health care supplies and information; establishment of highly constructive formal and informal relationships with area and state-level health care and governmental institutions; and support for affected high school students.
SCHEC’s 2026-2032 Strategic Plan was developed over five months of informed, facilitated discussion among leadership and allies. It builds on the organization’s successes to date, with the flexibility needed to promote constituents’ greater health and sustained prosperity.
OUR VISION:
Healthy communities throughout Southwestern Oregon.
OUR MISSION:
Increase capacity for sustained well-being, leadership, and self-advocacy among Southwestern Oregon’s institutionally underserved populations.
OUR VALUES:
Respect: We believe that every human being has intrinsic worth. We recognize the ancestral strength and resilience inherent in the populations we serve.
Listening: We continually seek information, perspectives and knowledge based on lived experience from those we serve, to guide our service priorities and programs.
Integrity: We are committed to honest communication and are truthful and consistent in word and action.
Courtesy: We model kindness, patience and respect in all of our interactions.
Humility: We approach our work in a spirit of inquiry and continuous collaborative learning.
OUR PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION:
Data-driven: We seek objective indications of need and effectiveness, and apply resources accordingly.
Accessibility: We design our services and events to minimize logistical barriers to attendance and participation.
Partnership: We partner with a wide range of organizations and institutions to broaden our impact and better serve our mission.
