Send-off Breakfast

For those around Portland on Tuesday July 5th, the Office of Rural Health will be hosting a send-off breakfast at OHSU. We'll be carbo-loading and saying our goodbyes before cycling West to the Oregon Coast. Breakfast is from 9:00am-9:30am at the Alumni Fountain in front of Mackenzie Hall at OHSU. Coffee and snacks will be provided. We would love to see you there!

Ready to Roll: Bike Lab Update

Thanks to the skillful help of Mr. Brandon Dyer, my Salsa Vaya is finally ready for the road! I took her out for a 30 mile ride yesterday and everything seems to be in working order. Next step is to get the racks on and go out for a test ride with a full load.

Nate's Ride

A few days ago I wrote about what Wes and I are riding. Today I'd like to talk about Nate's bike, the beautiful brown Kona Jake the Snake. Jake has endured Nate's punishing riding style for years, but never complained. And this trip will be no different. Nate has invested in an updated drive train (yes, even the stupendously strong Mr. Defrees decided he needed a few more "granny gears") and many other enhancements, and from the looks of it, his Kona will be ready to haul him for many thousands more miles.

What We're Riding

Wes

Wes is in the process of building up a gorgeous Salsa Vaya touring frame. It already looks like a sweet ride, built up with a 29ers and disc brakes. He's been a little bit distracted by school lately, but he's getting close. Can't wait to see the finished version. Here's the latest shot:

Matt

My Surly Long Haul Trucker is just about ready to go. I've stuck with nearly a stock setup, but swapped out for a Brooks saddle of course. I'm still planning on making few modification to the handlebar setup, but only minor changes. Hard to beat the trucker setup.

The Message

Today we had our second practice session at the OAFP headquarters. It was great to run through the presentation, but also to talk through some of the issues surrounding rural healthcare. I personally left with a much deeper understanding of what the problem is, and what some possible ways to start addressing it are.

In a nutshell, here's our message:

• That Oregon’s rural communities don’t have enough primary care doctors, which jeopardizes our health as well as our economic stability.
• That the OAFP hopes to encourage more graduating medical students to practice in rural areas by supporting bills at the state level to increase funding for loan repayment and forgiveness.
• And that by providing more support to rural medical practices, we can help rural areas hold on to the doctors they have.

Additionally, we want to emphasize that bringing additional primary care physicians into a community boosts the local economy, brings down the cost of health care for everyone, and most importantly makes the community healthier overall.

Also, we wanted to give a big thank you to the Area Health Education Center at OHSU for loaning us a netbook and modem to use during the trip!