Pendleton, OR — On July 28th, regional leaders will gather at the Pendleton Round-Up's Roy Raley Room to sign a Declaration of Cooperation formalizing a shared commitment to improving relational health outcomes for pregnant people, infants, and young children across Umatilla, Morrow, and Union counties.

The ceremony marks a major milestone for the Blue Mountain Early Learning Hub (BMELH), a regional collaborative led by the Intermountain Education Service District (IMESD) and the Eastern Oregon Community Care Organization (EOCCO). The Hub recently secured an $850,000 grant from the State of Oregon's Rural Health Transformation Grant Program to support early childhood development during what experts call "the first 1,000 days" — the critical window from pregnancy through a child's second birthday.

"This has been an outstanding collaborative effort with our community partners," said Marissa Loiland, IMESD Director of Early Learning Initiatives and regional convener for the Upstream Initiative. "We are thrilled to expand access to vital services for mothers and infants across Umatilla, Morrow, and Union counties. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to supporting families and ensuring that young children have a strong and healthy start in life."

A Regional Effort Years in the Making

The BMELH brings together public and private partners — including the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care, the Oregon Health Authority, area hospitals and health clinics, Head Start programs, and community organizations — around a shared set of goals for strengthening rural health and education access.

Through the Oregon Solutions process, a program of Portland State University's Hatfield School of Government, the group has spent the past several years developing regional goals and identifying specific, measurable commitments. The Declaration of Cooperation is the formal, public agreement that captures those commitments, with each partner organization contributing its own page of pledges to the shared document.

Shared Goals for 2027

The partnership has set a common timeline of December 31, 2027, to assess progress against several regional goals, including:

• Increasing age-appropriate immunization rates for pregnant people, infants, and children up to age 2
• Expanding preventive oral health education and care coordination through partnerships with at least three regional organizations
• Bringing the Reach Out and Read early literacy program to 15 new primary care clinics
• Expanding developmental screenings and provider conversations around vaccinations, mental health, nutrition, and preventive dental care for children ages 0–2

Building on Local Momentum

The BMELH's work builds on the Blue Mountain Upstream Initiative regional plan adopted in 2023, which has already helped bring the Reach Out and Read program to area clinics and supported efforts to expand Advantage Dental's mobile and community-based services in the region.

For more information, contact Marissa Loiland, IMESD Director of Early Learning Initiatives, @ marissa.loiland@imesd.k12.or.us