Laura Brennan (M.S.W. '96) holds a position that many would describe as a dream job. In her role with PacificSource Health Plans, a non-profit commercial health insurer, Laura puts together three critical activities - community development, public policy, and philanthropy - to make a real difference in increasing access to health care.

On the community development side, Laura works with coalitions in 15 Oregon counties, including the 100% Access Coalition in Lane County, Project Access NOW, and the Central Oregon Health Collaborative, to inform and support their efforts. She provides a framework of eight critical activities based on best practices in health care and works with communities to adapt and adopt the models that make sense for them. For example, in Central Oregon Laura is working with the coalition to create a coverage product for those who are uninsured and creating "medical homes" that provide the right care, at the right time, in the right place.

Public policy is another large part of Laura's work. She plays an active role in a statewide coalition that includes Oregon's Department of Human Services, Northwest Health Foundation, the National Policy Consensus Center, and Communities Joined in Action, that is working to create and advocate for a common public health agenda for Oregon. In the 2007 Legislative session, the coalition advanced HB 3097, a bill to allow communities to create local solutions that improve access and the health of all. While the bill did not pass, it had broad support from the business community, labor unions, consumer advocacy, and organizations around the state.

The last and critical piece of Laura's work is her role as the Executive Director of PacificSource Charitable Foundation. Here, Laura supports the Board of Directors in order to award incentive grants to public health and community health care organizations to advance their work.

Laura started her career as a special education teacher in Western Massachusetts and then in a residential facility in Seattle. While she enjoyed working one on one with clients, she realized she wanted to change the system, not just work in it. She started her M.S.W. at UVM and transferred to PSU's School of Social Work, focusing her studies on culturally competent health care. She completed her field placements in a health care safety net clinic in Portland, where she organized over 100 volunteers to provide health and social service support to the uninsured.

After graduation, Laura worked at PCC's Institute for Health and the Oregon Health Action Campaign. Then, she was hired as the Policy Development Manager of a federal research and planning grant exploring how to move toward universal health care in Oregon. She specifically focused on reforming the delivery system and strengthening the health care safety net. She described her position with the state as "much like the job I have with PacificSource, without being able to provide the philanthropy."

Laura works closely with many other social workers, including Tracy Gratto (MSW '00) who is the Executive Director of the Coalition of Community Health Clinics, and Heidi Allen (M.S.W. '00), Project Director for Oregon's Health Research & Evaluation Collaborative, and a student in PSU's PhD in Social Work and Social Research program.