Government Relations

This session, Oregon's legislature has provided OHA and its partners new opportunities to center health equity and work to eliminate health inequities.

Via a historic and transformational budget and a series of far-reaching bills, these opportunities fall into three broad categories:

• Improving access to and quality of behavioral health services and decreasing behavioral health inequities
• Reducing barriers to health and addressing health inequities in our communities
• Reducing health inequities in the healthcare system and realizing better care, better health, and lower costs

Click below to read an end of session report on the many investments and initiatives for improving the health of people in Oregon:

OHA 2021 Legislative End of Session Report.pdf (updated August 24, 2021)

Bills that involve Reports, Rulemaking, and Advisory Committees

Click below for summaries of all bills which require OHA to:

• Adopt or update Oregon Administrative Rules
  

2021 OHA legislative rule making summary.pdf (Updated September 15, 2021)

• Prepare and submit reports to the legislature
  

2021 OHA legislative report summary.pdf

• Support or collaborate with advisory committees, task forces, or work groups
  

2021 OHA legislative advisory committees summary.pdf

Please note that these documents are works in progress, and will be updated if additional rulemaking, reports, or advisory committees are identified. For more information, please contact the Government Relations staff person listed for the bill of interest.

Holly Heiberg, Government Relations Director (she/her), has twenty years of experience crafting strategies to support policy, systems and environmental change. Holly began working for the Oregon Health Authority in 2013, becoming Government Relations director in 2018. Prior to the Oregon Health Authority, Holly worked for the U.S. Congress and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She has an undergraduate degree in economics from Northwestern University and a master's in Public Policy from Georgetown University.

Phone: 971-207-7767

Tristan Fernandez (he/him) joined the OHA Government Relations team in March of 2021 after working for two legislative sessions as a Legislative policy analyst for the Oregon Department of Human Services. Prior to his policy work in Oregon, Tristan worked for the Maryland Department of Human Services and served as a legislative aid for the U.S. Congress. Before his government service, Tristan worked for six years as a retirement home administrator. Tristan holds a History degree from the University of Maryland. 

Phone: 503-302-1479

Bobby L. Green Sr. joined OHA at the creation of the agency in 2010. Prior to coming to OHA, he served as the Legislative Affairs Liaison for the Association of Community Mental Health Programs. He began at OHA as the Local Government Affairs Director, and also served several positions on an interim basis: Deputy Director of the Public Health Division, Chief Operation Officer, and Deputy Director of the Medicaid/Medicare Division. He was a Eugene City Councilor from 1989-1994, and County Commissioner for Lane county from 1994-2008. He was a board member of the Association of Oregon Counties, including President in 2007. Bobby has a BA in English/Literature from the University of Oregon. In his spare time, he enjoys his three grandchildren and film studies.

Phone: 503-947-2349

Matthew Green (he/him) joined Government Relations as a senior policy advisor in January 2019. He focuses on the Legislature's Joint Committee on Ways and Means, as well as communications for the GR team, including regular outreach with external stakeholders and partners. Matthew came to OHA from the Washington State Department of Health, and brings years of experience in public health, media relations and government affairs. A former newspaper journalist, legislative aide, and political campaign manager for several elected officials, he also served as an elected City of Olympia council member. Matthew holds a BA from the The Evergreen State College and an MPP from Harvard University.

Phone: 503-983-8257

Jamie Hinsz (she/her) manages government and legislative relations for the COVID-19 Recovery & Response Unit (CRRU). Prior to joining CRRU, she was a policy researcher with the Legislative Policy and Research Office at the Oregon Legislature. When she’s not working, she spends most of her time talking on the phone, walking and playing with her senior hound dog, Ruger, cooking intricate meals, and reading. 

Email: Jamie Hinsz
Phone: 503-269-5970

Marybeth Mealue (she/her) has been with OHA and the state of Oregon for about two years, and has been an executive support specialist for the Government Relations and Communications teams. She has experience in personnel and project management, as well as office management. Before joining OHA, Marybeth worked as a personnel and office manager for four prominent newspapers in the mid-Willamette valley. Marybeth was born and raised in Oregon and has a bachelors degree in history and international studies from George Fox University.

Email: Marybeth Mealue
Phone: 503-490-8100

Jeff Scroggin (he/him) has spent the last decade working in health policy for the State of Oregon. Before joining OHA’s Government Relations team, Jeff was lead staff to the Oregon Health Policy Board and Legislative Lead for OHA’s Health Policy & Analytics Division. Prior to joining the Oregon Health Authority, Jeff served as chief-of-staff to Sen. Dr. Alan Bates in the Oregon Legislature. He has experience managing campaigns and centering community voices in policy development. Jeff is a U.S. Army veteran and native Oregonian, and has an undergraduate degree in history and political science from the University of Oregon. 

Email: Jeff Scroggin
Phone: 541-999-6983

Belle Shepherd (she/her) started a rotation on the GR team in August 2020, following seven years at OHA as an Innovator Agent working with Coordinated Care Organizations, primarily in Southern Oregon. Her work there focused on health equity and elevating community voices to impact health services in Oregon. Belle has 20-plus years of experience in local public health, including at the Director level in Jackson and Josephine counties. Belle has a MPH from the University of Washington, and a BA in Psychology from the University of Oregon.

Email: Belle Shepherd
Phone: 503-983-1929

HB 3090 Report: Emergency Department Release Survey of Hospitals