Walk into Heppner Clinic and you'll immediately sense something different – this isn't a revolving door of burnt-out healthcare workers counting days until their next job. Instead, you'll join a remarkably stable team where staff longevity is measured in decades, not months, and where the genuine warmth between colleagues creates an environment that makes Monday mornings something to look forward to. The extraordinary retention here tells you everything you need to know: this is a place where healthcare professionals thrive, not just survive.
Your primary clinical partner will be Amanda Roy, PA-C, a highly experienced provider who has been managing the Heppner Clinic for three years with impressive autonomy and skill. Amanda works Wednesday through Friday, bringing a procedural focus and comprehensive approach that has earned deep community trust. She appreciates collaborative relationships with physicians – not as someone who needs constant oversight, but as a true colleague who can handle complex cases and welcomes professional dialogue. Up in Irrigon, you'll coordinate with John (PA) and newly hired Lori (NP), creating a network of experienced providers who support each other across the district's clinics.
The culture here reflects rural values at their best: straightforward communication, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to community service. There's no territorial behavior or political maneuvering – Amanda explicitly welcomes a physician colleague who sees her as a professional equal, and the entire team rallies around providing excellent patient care rather than protecting turf. The remarkable staff longevity means you'll work with experienced professionals who know the community intimately and can help you integrate smoothly into the practice.
This is the kind of team physicians dream about – competent, collaborative, and genuinely happy to come to work each day. When healthcare professionals choose to spend decades in one place, you know you've found something special.
The medical staff operates within a collaborative leadership model that includes both appointed and elected physician leaders. The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) role is an appointed position currently held by Emily Jack, MD, who provides clinical oversight and strategic physician leadership. The Chief of Medical Staff is an elected role, currently held by Jeff Westin, MD, an Emergency Medicine physician actively practicing within the organization.
While formal leadership roles are limited to these positions, there is openness to informal or developing leadership responsibilities depending on physician interest, experience, and evolving organizational needs. Physicians with demonstrated leadership aptitude and initiative may have opportunities to contribute meaningfully to clinical operations, quality initiatives, or program development as roles are defined.
Physicians work closely with a small, collegial medical staff in a highly integrated setting. Providers collaborate across service lines, with strong communication between inpatient, emergency, and ancillary services. This environment is particularly well-suited for physicians who value autonomy, broad clinical exposure, and hands-on patient care within a tight-knit provider group.