An Investment in our Children and Future of Our Community

I’ve worked in Roseburg as Aviva Health’s marketing and development director for four years and lived full-time here since 2019. I have three school-age children who currently attend school in Roseburg, two of them at Hucrest Elementary and one at Roseburg High School. While my time in Roseburg has been relatively short, my family history in the area dates to 1993 when my mother and father moved here for my mother to work as a pediatric nurse practitioner. Prior to beginning work here, I visited regularly and grew to love the community, and it was always a dream of mine to call Roseburg home. My mother actually worked at Aviva Health until her retirement in 2015. It’s one of several reasons I am so passionate about my work at Aviva Health and strongly believe in our mission to provide affordable health care to the people in our community. In 2020, Aviva Health, in partnership with CHI Mercy Health Mercy Medical Center, launched the Roseburg Family Medicine Residency Program, an initiative crucial to our community’s efforts to recruit and retain highly qualified medical providers to Roseburg. It’s no surprise rural communities like Roseburg struggle to attract and retain talented health care providers, and residency programs in other areas have proven successful in building and sustaining the local physician workforce. While a residency is near the end of the educational journey for a doctor, the seed for many of the people who choose careers in medicine was planted at an early age. It’s why Aviva Health is working with community partners to build a health care workforce pipeline that provides educational opportunities to high school students who have an interest in pursuing a career in this important industry. For rural communities, this pipeline is critical. Far too many of our learners leave the area for higher education and oftentimes do not return to begin their careers. A local pathway that leads to gainful employment in their field of choice is an excellent way to keep our young people close to home. The benefits of such a pathway are significant: From bolstering our educational footprint to invigorating our economy to ensuring our neighbors have access to the health care they need to maintain their wellness, this framework positively contributes to the sustainability and vibrancy of our community. This is why I support the school bond. It’s an investment in our children, local education, and the future of our community. The facilities updates and educational improvements supported by the bond are exactly what our children need to prepare them for their careers, and it fits perfectly into broader community efforts to fortify health care learning opportunities in a region that is currently designated as a health provider shortage area. By Mark Tsuchiya