"Pronouncements of a "health care crisis” have been made for over thirty years. The increasing number of uninsured, rising costs, and quality concerns have been the driving forces behind health care reform for decades yet little has changed. Today, the difference is that since little progress has been made in answering the questions, the magnitude of the problem is far greater than ever before."

What is not known is that dozens of communities around the nation have built programs and integrated systems designed to increase access, dampen the growth in rising costs, and improve quality and health status. We have already learned a great deal from these models. Now it is our collective responsibility as Central Oregonians to create a sustainable health care system that produces better health for all people at less cost.