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Tracking Activities & Public Health Actions

The projects listed below highlight Oregon Tracking’s dedication to provide content expertise, data analysis, public health education, partnership collaboration and policy development to inform public health policies that will improve health and equity for all Oregonians. It is not an exhaustive list of activities and projects the program contributes to.

See an activity or action below that you want to read more about? Click on the blue arrow beside it to expand the section.

To protect Oregonians from the health risks associated with harmful algal blooms (HABs), the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) issues public health advisories for monitored recreational water bodies during HAB season (May–October). Recognizing the need for a more proactive and accessible public health intervention, Oregon Tracking played a lead role in developing innovative digital tools to improve HAB monitoring and response.

Public Health Action and Outcomes:
Reports submitted through the online reporting forms often serve as the first indication of a potential bloom or cyanoHAB-related illness. Regular monitoring of waterbodies is limited. Public reporting increases the amount of monitoring throughout the State. These early warnings create timely follow-up actions such as water sampling and the issuance of public health advisories. The real-time accessibility of the advisory map empowers community members and visitors to take preventive action, reducing exposure to harmful water conditions.

Oregon Tracking's Role and Contribution:
Oregon Tracking staff led the design and launch of two key resources:
  • An interactive online cyanoHAB health advisories map that allows the public to view current advisories and make informed decisions about where it is safe to recreate.
  • Online reporting forms for the public to submit suspected cyanoHAB sightings and report related human or animal illnesses.
Key Partnership:
  • Oregon Health Authority’s Cyanobacteria Harmful Algae Bloom Program
Overall Impact:
This project demonstrates how technology, when aligned with public health goals, can strengthen environmental health surveillance, enhance community engagement, and support timely interventions to protect both human and animal health across Oregon.

The Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs) Process Measures Data Collection Tool plays a key role in Oregon’s environmental health accountability system. Designed to capture local-level actions and priorities, this tool supports LPHAs in reporting on their public health activities related to environmental health.

Tracking these process measures enables the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), LPHAs, and community-based organizations (CBOs) to collectively demonstrate the value of core public health work. It also shows how this work contributes to improved health outcomes and reduced health inequities across the state.

Oregon Tracking’s Role and Contribution:
Oregon Tracking provided subject matter expertise to:
  • Help define the environmental health-related process measures for LPHA reporting.
  • Co-develop the data collection tool used to track progress on these measures.
Their contributions ensured the tool was aligned with broader accountability and equity goals. 

Outcomes and Public Health Significance:
  • In June 2024, 33 LPHAs submitted baseline data using the tool, reporting on actions taken in 2023 in their selected priority areas, extreme heat and/or wildfire smoke.
  • These actions included public communications, use of data to identify populations of focus, community partnerships, and policy efforts aimed at reducing environmental health impacts.
  • The data collected illustrates how local public health systems are good stewards of public resources, working intentionally to protect communities and close gaps in health equity.
Impact:
This project enhances statewide accountability by providing a transparent, measurable way to track local environmental health efforts. It supports continuous improvement, highlights community-level successes, and strengthens the case for ongoing investment in environmental public health infrastructure.

In Executive Order 20-04, issued by former Governor Kate Brown in March 2020, state agencies like the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) were directed to take meaningful action to address climate change. As part of this mandate, OHA produced the Climate and Health in Oregon 2021–2022 Report, a key deliverable highlighting the intersection between climate change and public health.

The report documents the effects of extreme weather and climate-related events in Oregon, including spikes in hospitalizations and deaths. It also showcases promising investments that build resilience in communities most affected by climate hazards like extreme heat and wildfire smoke.

Oregon Tracking’s Role and Contribution:
Oregon Tracking played a central role in the production of the report by: 
  • Providing data analysis and interpretation
  • Creating graphics and visualizations
  • Drafting and editing text content
  • Compiling scientific references
These contributions ensured the report was accurate, accessible, and compelling to both technical and general audiences.

Action Taken:
  • Raised statewide awareness of how climate change impacts Oregonians’ health
  • Showcased innovative public health responses, including:
    • Distribution of air conditioning units and smoke filtration devices
    • Support from Public Health Modernization efforts
    • Funding through Oregon’s Medicaid Waiver, which allows coverage of climate-related expenses for Oregon Health Plan members
Impact:
This report not only documents the urgent public health risks posed by climate change but also illustrates how data-driven action, partnerships, and policy innovation are helping Oregon adapt and build resilience, especially in communities facing the greatest vulnerabilities.

From 2000 to 2021, nearly 500,000 people in Oregon, Washington, and California lived within the perimeter of a wildfire. Alarmingly, between 2011 and 2021, the number of socially vulnerable individuals exposed to wildfires tripled compared to the previous decade. The nature of this inequity varied by state: while urban populations in California were most affected, rural communities in Oregon and Washington bore the brunt of exposure.

These findings underscore the critical need for tailored wildfire preparedness and response strategies that reflect the unique social and geographic characteristics of affected communities.

Oregon Tracking’s Role:
Oregon Tracking was invited as one of four expert panelists in a webinar discussing the study “Social vulnerability of the people exposed to wildfires in U.S. West Coast states.” Oregon Tracking presented:
  • Key data and insights from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA)
  • Community-level programs and resources that help reduce exposure to wildfire smoke
  • Public health interventions designed to mitigate health outcomes among vulnerable groups
Action Taken:
The webinar provided attendees with tools and information to identify games in community response, share resources to promote equity during wildfire emergencies and how fire departments can prioritize evacuations at the household level. One hundred and seventy-nine people over nine States participated in the webinar.

Impact Statement:
The webinar provided an insight on how wildfire vulnerability research and real-world public health action work together. It strengthened cross-sector collaboration and Oregon’s commitment to equity-focused disaster preparedness.

In April of 2024, public health, education, and environmental partners convened at Oregon State University (OSU) for the Enhancing Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Oregon Schools and Childcare Centers Summit. The Summit aimed to strengthen cross-sector coordination and equip schools and childcare providers with practical tools and strategies to protect children from the health risks of wildfire smoke in Oregon.

Public Health Action and Outcomes:
  1. Strengthen coordination between agencies and practitioners for wildfire smoke preparedness and response in childcare and pre-K–12 school settings.
  2. Identify best practices and decision-making resources to support the development of smoke preparedness plans.
Oregon Tracking’s Role and Contribution:
Oregon Tracking actively participated in the planning process for the Summit, collaborating with the OSU ASPIRE Center, internal OHA teams, and other partners to shape the agenda, content, and speaker lineup. During the event, Oregon Tracking delivered a presentation titled "Wildfire Smoke in Oregon and Impacts on Children’s Health." The presentation highlighted the use of environmental and health data, current public health challenges and protective actions specific to young populations.

Action Taken:
  • Stronger Collaborations: The Summit fostered new and meaningful partnerships among organizations working at the intersection of air quality, wildfire response, and child health. These connections are expected to enhance training, preparedness plans, and response strategies across Oregon.
  • Needs Assessment and Best Practices: Through discussion and engagement with participants, the Summit gathered valuable insights into the specific needs of schools and childcare providers. These findings will inform the development of decision-making resources and educational materials in the statewide wildfire smoke preparedness toolkit.
Key Partnerships:
  • OSU ASPIRE Center
  • Smokewise Ashland 
  • University of Oregon Smoke Center
  • Oregon Health Security, Preparedness and Response (HSPR) Program
Impact:
By highlighting the conversation on children's health and wildfire smoke, this Summit laid the groundwork for stronger protective systems in educational and childcare settings. Oregon Tracking’s leadership in data-sharing and collaboration continues to support informed public health action in the face of growing climate-related challenges.

In November 2023, federal, regional, local, and Tribal partners from the Deschutes National Forest and West Bend community convened to discuss the intersection of prescribed fire practices, air quality regulation, and public health protection. This meeting (part of the West Bend Prescribed Fire Pilot Project) aimed to improve understanding, coordination, and communication across agencies during smoke-related events.

Key goals of the session included:
  1. Identifying paths to achieve both land management goals (via increased prescribed fire use) and public health protection, 
  2. Clarifying state and federal policy frameworks that guide decisions around prescribed burns, 
  3. Defining the roles and responsibilities of agencies involved in managing smoke and protecting community health.
Oregon Tracking’s Role and Contribution:
Oregon Tracking played a critical role in ensuring public health was central to the project by:
  • Providing health data expertise and reviewing air quality data.  
  • Participating in discussions to help shape the project’s research and evaluation framework.
  • Reviewing key products, including community surveys, research reports, project summaries, and the After-Action Review (AAR).
  • Supporting efforts to assess the health impacts of prescribed fire events and helping evaluate and improve communication to the public.
Action Taken:
The research group generated multiple deliverables:
  1. Evaluation comparing indoor and outdoor air quality during no-smoke, prescribed burn, and wildfire smoke periods
  2. Analysis of community perceptions, behaviors, and communication effectiveness regarding prescribed fire and smoke
  3. Assessment of atmospheric mercury impacts associated with prescribed fire events 
Evidence of Impact:
  • 1864 acres burned, seven times more than typical annual acreage
  • 79 indoor air quality monitors deployed
  • Multiple outdoor air monitors added across the region
  • Over 800 community survey responses received
  • After Action Review conducted with data on air quality, health indicators, and partner feedback
  • Ongoing collaboration with partners in the Pacific Northwest, including support for a similar pilot in Washington State in 2025
  • Sustained engagement and communication with the Bend community and pilot partners 
Impact Statement:
This project highlights the effectiveness of interagency partnerships in managing wildfire risk and protecting public health through data-informed prescribed fire strategies. Oregon Tracking’s contributions ensured that health data, equity, and community voices informed every stage of planning, implementation, and evaluation. The success of this pilot sets a model for scaling similar health-informed wildfire resilience efforts across the Pacific Northwest.

To maintain public health reaccreditation, the Office of the State Public Health Director (OSPHD) must report annually on five population health outcome measures for the next five years. One of those measures now focuses on air quality and respiratory health—a crucial connection as Oregon faces increased risks from wildfire smoke and other pollution sources. Monitoring this outcome enables the state to:
  • Track the health burden of air pollution on Oregonians 
  • Identify disparities by age, race/ethnicity, location, and other factors 
  • Support strategic decision-making and equitable interventions
Oregon Tracking’s Role and Contribution:
Oregon Tracking played a pivotal role by:
  • Recommending air quality-related respiratory (non-infectious) emergency and urgent care visits as a state-level outcome measure
  • Providing a detailed description and data methodology for the measure using the OR-ESSENCE syndromic surveillance system 
  • Calculating the baseline rate for 2022, which was 4,920 visits per 100,000 Oregon residents
  • Submitting this measure, along with the accompanying analysis, to the Public Health Accreditation Board as part of Oregon’s reaccreditation materials
Action Taken:
The air quality-related health measure now:
  • Supports Oregon's annual reaccreditation reporting and reinforces air quality as a key priority in the Oregon State Health Assessment. 
  • Monitors the impact of air pollution on respiratory outcomes statewide. 
  • Helps identify trends in acute and chronic non-infectious respiratory conditions linked to poor air quality.
Key Partnerships: 
  • Public Health Division
  • Office of the State Public Health Director
  • Public Health Accreditation Board
  • Public Health Advisory Board
Impact Statement: 
Oregon Tracking’s expertise ensured that air quality and respiratory health are now recognized as critical components of public health performance and accountability. This work not only elevates air pollution as a public health priority but also strengthens Oregon’s ability to track, respond to, and reduce health disparities both statewide and as part of a broader national effort.