Our History:

The idea for the formation of the Oregon Coalition for Living Well with Serious Illness originated at the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) National Summit on Advanced Illness Care in November 2017. Peggy Maguire, President of Cambia Health Foundation, learned about the transformative work of the Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care and wondered if a similar initiative could take flight in Oregon. Together with Dr. Tony Back, she convened a small group of stakeholders to discuss best practices and lessons learned with a representative of the Massachusetts Coalition. To gauge interest in Oregon, Peggy and Tony then presented the idea of a coalition and the concept of a person-focused ecosystem to an audience of 20 local stakeholders. The response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic and supportive.

Last fall, 30 stakeholder groups met and began to define the Coalition’s mission and goals. As a collaborative ecosystem, we educate, communicate and connect to help people with serious illness and their caregivers live well. Coalition members self-selected to participate in one of four workgroups: landscape mapping, silo busting, model building and culture shifting. In October 2018, the Coalition was formally announced at the C-TAC National Summit in Denver, Colorado. 

Today, the Oregon Coalition for Living Well with Serious Illness includes 40 different individuals and organizations representing physicians, nurses, hospices, hospital and health systems, social workers, policymakers, consumers, caregivers, researchers, advocates and community-based organizations.

On April 8, we will formally launch the Coalition and affirm our commitment to building a person-focused ecosystem for all Oregonians who are experiencing serious illness. It will take all of us working together to be the change – and to go ALL IN.