Healthcare is necessary for any community to thrive. On this first installment of our series highlighting rural healthcare in Eastern Oregon, Paige sits down with Jeremy Davis, President and CEO of Grande Ronde Hospitals and Clinics, to discuss how the hospital has recently improved its services to increase quality care for its patients. They discuss facility expansion, teamwork, innovation and the importance of rural partnerships.

Oregon Superintendent of the Year, George Mendoza, joins us for a conversation about his background, the role education plays in a healthy community, scholarships, and how education powers success for Eastern Oregon.

From pennies to power, why having a cooperative model makes all the difference. Listen in as OTEC's CEO Les Penning discusses the unique value that cooperatives bring to the electric industry.

The Columbia River and Snake River dams provide clean, reliable, and affordable power in the Northwest. But did you know the river projects provide benefits well beyond the electric system? The dams are vital to agricultural improvements, flood control, the transportation system, and tourism across our region. On this podcast episode, Clark Mather, executive director of Northwest River Partners, tells us how integral these river projects are to our service territory.

If you have ever wondered where the electricity that powers eastern Oregon comes from, this is the podcast for you. OTEC’s Director of Engineering, Charlie Tracy, joins Shane and Paige to discuss the carbon-free power sources that OTEC utilizes to provide some of the most reliable and affordable electricity in the nation.

Nearly 90% of wildfires were human caused in recent years. What can our communities do to help decrease the risk of wildfires? On this episode, Paige and Shane are joined by Eric Wirfs, director of operations at OTEC, to discuss best practices in preventing wildfires, both by the cooperative and the entire community.

Tuition can be a financial burden to those who wish to pursue higher education. That’s one reason OTEC created a scholarship program with its unused capital credits. On this episode, you’ll learn about OTEC’s scholarship program and hear from two of OTEC’s scholarship recipients as they join Paige and Shane to discuss how the financial assistance helped them pursue their dream degrees, earn valuable intern experiences and power their future for success!

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library was founded to inspire a love of reading in children. The program gives books to children free of charge from birth until age 5. OTEC is proud to fund half of the cost of the program for children living in Baker, Grant, Harney and Union counties, while the James and Shirley Rippey Family Foundation pays the other half. Hear more about this incredible partnership and program on this podcast episode.