LA GRANDE — One of Northeast Oregon Area Health Education Center’s most successful health career exploration camp programs, MedQuest, will be highlighted during a 30th anniversary celebration event.

The event is scheduled for 6-7 p.m. June 20 in room 339 of the Hoke Union building at Eastern Oregon University campus in La Grande

“We have invited about 2,500 people and anticipate 100 to attend, including current and past board members, current and past MedQuest participants, some legislators and job shadow providers,” Carissa Cummings, administrative coordinator, said.

Cummings has been planning the anniversary event since she joined NEOAHEC one year ago. She also participates in organizing the summer MedQuest camps.

Invited guests will RSVP to the sit-down anniversary reception and enjoy hors d’oeuvres and a special MedQuest video program. Speakers at the event will include NEOAHEC Executive Director Meredith Lair and board member Dr. Mike Hetrick, who was also a founding board member. Also speaking will be some past MedQuest participants.

“Our new MedQuest video will explain why MedQuest began and its journey, some of its successes and why it’s still important to have a camp like MedQuest today after all these years,” Lair said.

Now that the program is 30 years old, Cummings said they are interested in tracking MedQuest participants longitudinally, seeing people go from their program into health care careers. This information will also be explained at the anniversary reception.

Other expected guests at the anniversary occasion include the first NEOAHEC director and some of the staff that helped launch MedQuest. Representatives of a number of MedQuest partners will be present, including Grande Ronde Hospital, OHSU School of Nursing at EOU, Life Flight, Apple Eye Care, Koza Family Dental Care, McLean Dental, Dialysis Lab, Interpath Lab, La Grande Fire Department, La Grande Rural Fire Protection District, La Grande Family Eye Care, Kehr Chiropractic, Center for Human Development, Mountain Valley Therapy and Harris Family Dental.

La Grande Fire Chief Emmitt Cornford also will be present. The department is another major partner in the MedQuest program, Lair said.

“They do some of the coolest activities that the campers get to experience,” she said. “They go all out and it’s pretty fun.”

The Oregon Office of Rural Health and the Oregon Health Authority, as well as a representative from U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden’s, D-Oregon, and a representative from Oregon Area Health Education Center have confirmed they will be present, Lair said.

MedQuest, held every summer, gives high school students an opportunity to job shadow health care professionals and learn hands-on skills. In this, Grande Ronde Hospital takes the lead, allowing students to job shadow in about 16 different hospital departments.

In this way, MedQuest introduces students to a variety of health care pathways and encourages them to enter a health care career of their choice and return to their own communities to practice their skills.

“Over the past 30 years, MedQuest has served 1,160 students and 85% of those surveyed have gone on to health care careers,” Nicole Bales, Oregon AHEC’s administrative coordinator, said.

Lair noted some of the success stories in Northeast Oregon include Dr. Nick West, who practices in Wallowa County and serves on the board of directors; Jamie Jo Haddock, a nurse practitioner at the GRH Elgin Clinic; and Dr. Steve Koza, of Koza Family Dental Care in La Grande.

“Growing our own” is the vision of NEOAHEC and a huge part of this vision includes MedQuest because it has been an important initiative to offset the health care workforce shortages in Northeast Oregon.

“We are losing some of our health care workers to retirement and relocation to be closer to family, especially since the pandemic,” Lair said. “There is an OB/GYN shortage especially since the hospital in Baker City closed. We also need more in the mental health field.”

The student interest is there. This year NEOAHEC had 70 applicants for MedQuest, but they can take only 40 high school students in its camp. Students pay $400 for tuition, and they receive hands-on training in a variety of health care fields.

“We would love to take 50 students, but we don’t currently have the space to place the extra 10 students,” Lair said. “I wish we did, because the camp fills up really quickly.”

There are so many kinds of career pathways in health care from receptionists to doctors, imaging technicians, nurses and physical therapists.

“There is a place for everyone in health care,” Lair said.