Southern Oregon's Prescription: A New Model for Physician Retention

LEBANON, Ore. – June 09, 2026 – In a move that redefines the strategy for building regional resilience, Southern Oregon’s Asante health system and Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU) have announced a landmark partnership. Beginning in July, the collaboration will establish core clinical rotation sites for third- and fourth-year osteopathic medical students, embedding them directly into the Rogue Valley’s healthcare ecosystem. While on the surface this is an educational agreement, it represents a far more profound strategy: a calculated effort to de-risk a community’s access to healthcare by building a localized, sustainable supply chain of medical talent.

Addressing a Critical Shortage

This initiative is not a mere academic exercise; it is a direct response to a well-documented and escalating crisis. Southern Oregon, like many non-urban regions across the nation, faces a significant and growing shortage of healthcare professionals. Reports from the Oregon Health Authority consistently show an imbalance where the demand for primary care physicians, specialists, and mental health providers far outstrips the available supply. This isn't just a number on a spreadsheet; it translates to longer wait times, deferred care, and poorer health outcomes for the nearly 600,000 residents Asante serves.

Asante’s own 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment paints a stark picture of the consequences. The report, conducted with regional partners, identified critical gaps in access to mental health services, with residents citing long waits and a shortage of providers. It also highlighted significant delays in seeing specialists for conditions like endocrinology and neurology. The partnership with WesternU is precision-engineered to address these specific shortfalls. By establishing rotations in seven core specialties—including Primary Care, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, and Pediatrics—the program directly confronts the region’s most pressing needs.

"The partnership with WesternU, along with our partnerships at OHSU, will bring future physicians to the region, educate them in our facilities and communities, which in turn, will help grow our local workforce," stated Scott Wilber, MD, CEO of Asante Physician Partners. This sentiment underscores a proven principle in medical education: physicians are significantly more likely to practice in the communities where they complete their residency and training.

A Blueprint for Community-Integrated Education

The strategic brilliance of this partnership lies in its model of deep immersion. Rather than brief, siloed experiences, students from WesternU's College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest (which is transitioning to the Heatherington College of Osteopathic Medicine) will be woven into the fabric of the local healthcare system. This goes beyond the walls of Asante's major facilities like Rogue Regional Medical Center and Three Rivers Medical Center.

"The partnership between WesternU and Asante creates meaningful opportunities for medical students to gain experience across both hospital and outpatient settings," explained COMP-Northwest Site Dean Heather Phipps, DO, MBA, FAAOS. This dual exposure is critical. It prepares future doctors for the realities of modern healthcare, which increasingly relies on a continuum of care from community clinics to advanced hospital services. By training future physicians in this integrated environment, Dr. Phipps notes, clinicians are supported in "strengthening the overall quality of patient care."

The focus on osteopathic medicine (DO) also brings a unique philosophical dimension. Osteopathic training’s emphasis on a holistic, patient-centered approach is particularly well-suited to addressing the complex, interconnected health needs—including social determinants of health like housing and economic insecurity—that were identified in Asante’s community assessment.

Cultivating the Next Generation

Perhaps the most forward-looking component of this alliance is its commitment to building a pipeline that starts long before medical school. The partners have explicitly pledged to work together to inspire local high school and college students, creating a pathway to medical careers that feels both attainable and deeply relevant to their own community.

"As a former school board member, I know that many high school or college students may feel that becoming a physician is beyond them," said Scott Nelson, DO, a surgeon and Chief of Staff at Three Rivers Medical Center. "We hope that through this partnership we can not only provide excellent educational opportunities to current medical students but also inspire the next generation of physicians."

This isn't just wishful thinking. WesternU has a track record of successful youth outreach, including its AHEC summer camps and MIKE Health Clubs, which provide hands-on medical experiences for high schoolers. By extending these models into Southern Oregon, the partnership aims to create a self-perpetuating cycle of local talent development, ensuring the region’s healthcare workforce is not only staffed but also reflective of the community it serves.

A Strategic Investment in Regional Resilience

This collaboration should be viewed as a major strategic investment in the long-term economic and social health of Southern Oregon. In a world defined by turbulence and supply chain fragility, building a resilient local workforce is paramount. For a region’s health system, the most critical supply chain is the one that delivers its human capital.

Asante, a non-profit with over $1.3 billion in annual revenue and more than $121 million dedicated to community benefits in 2023, is leveraging its scale to secure its future. The program builds on the health system's record-breaking physician recruitment in 2025, transforming short-term hiring success into a long-term talent strategy.

"This partnership represents a major investment in the future of our community," said Patrick Sharp, CEO of Three Rivers Medical Center. "By training the next generation of physicians right here in southern Oregon, we're strengthening local access to care and ensuring that talented clinicians choose to build their careers in this region." This initiative is a powerful example of how anchor institutions can collaborate to create lasting competitive advantage not just for their organizations, but for the entire community they call home.