Oregon Coast Community College (OCCC) is a comprehensive community college that offers a wide range of opportunities.

Students can earn an associate degree, complete the first two years of a bachelor’s degree, obtain a GED, as well as take courses for career advancement and personal enrichment.   As one of the first educational institutions to join the Oregon Health Network,  participation will undoubtedly support the OCCC’s mission of providing personalized service to individuals, business and industry, and their community.

In order to serve all of Lincoln County’s 46,000 residents  who are dispersed throughout this mainly rural region, OCCC offers classes at its centers in Lincoln City, Newport and Waldport, and a variety of other locations throughout the county.  In addition, in recent years, the college has worked to make distance education a priority.

This is especially critical in the health care education and training.  The college’s health care programs utilize a variety of training sites across the county including 2 hospitals, 2 long term care facilities, a tribal clinic, the public health department, the county jail and more.   Through participation in OHN, OCCC will be able to decrease travel time between sites by allowing students to attend lectures remotely.  “This technology is very important to us,” says OCCC President Patrick O’Connor.  “It will allow nursing students to complete their busy schedules without having to spend an inordinate amount of time driving.  These same technologies will also allow for OCCC to remotely bring in expert guest speakers from around the country to lecture to their students.

In addition to the innumerable possibilities surrounding distance education, OCCC also looks forward to the technical expertise and training that OHN will provide.  From vetting new equipment to training faculty  to deliver materials in new formats, OHN will provide a hub of expertise for the college to draw upon.  

While Oregon Coast Community College has always had a vision of utilizing telehealth and distance education technologies to best serve the needs of their unique community, participation in OHN has put the possibilities within reach.