This Spotlight originally appeared in the Spring 2024 edition of the 503. Magazine. Click here to read the entire edition online.
Martin Martinez, Vice President of IT at PacificSource Health Plans
For 90 years, not-for-profit healthcare insurance provider PacificSource Health Plans has served the Northwest with a focus on community-building, strong local partnerships, and the well-being of its members — instead of profits.
Founded in 1933 as a healthcare insurance provider supporting the timber industry in Springfield, Oregon, PacificSource Health Plans has grown to become one of the Northwest’s most recognized and trusted names in healthcare. It’s a position PacificSource feels privileged to hold — not because of financial opportunities, but because of the opportunity to reach and support more members of our local communities.
“We are a not-for-profit organization, so there are no owners, no shareholders,” said Vice President of IT Martin Martinez. “And as a not-for-profit, our revenue is aimed at paying for the care of our members. That’s always our focus. We want to use the resources that we have, and employees, and the revenue that we’re bringing in to make a difference in the community. That’s really what drives us.”
Over the last 15 years, the company’s executive team has executed a series of smart business moves to accelerate PacificSource’s growth, including the acquisition of Clear One Health Plans, Inc. (Bend, Oregon) in 2010. However, it’s the company’s core values that staff and members alike have truly bought into, which has helped PacificSource expand its services and its mission over time to the greater Northwest (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana).
“One of our top values is ‘Doing the Right Thing,’” Martinez said. “We coordinate for every member that is going through difficult times, whether it’s an expectant mother who is going to deal with a difficult delivery or somebody who is homeless and is dealing with a difficult, chronic condition. These folks deserve the grace and have the opportunity to get to a better place. So, we coordinate and facilitate care in many different settings.”
Another way PacificSource is making a difference here in Salem is through exceptional member service. The company’s Salem office is home to a dedicated group of member support specialists who, as part of PacificSource’s Coordinated Care Organization (CCO), coordinate a wide array of care services, including specialty care, to its members.
“We have a culture of folks who are really committed to their jobs,” Martinez said. “They show such great passion for what they’re doing.”
When it comes to determining focus areas of care, the CCO that the company is a part of utilizes a Community Needs Assessment survey to hone in on where the greatest needs are in particular localities. In Salem, the focus areas include mental health and serving our homeless population, as well as childhood health and obesity.
“We have nutritionists and wellness care consultants that are working on more of the preventative aspect of that [childhood obesity], and getting people more active,” Martinez said.
In tackling important health issues, PacificSource believes strongly in community engagement and forming local partnerships to create solutions. One of the partnerships the company is developing in Salem is with the Salem Family YMCA to gain easy access to fitness programs for its members.
“Some of the membership in our Medicaid line of business are in a certain poverty level and they don’t always have the ability to pay for a membership [at the YMCA],” Martinez said. “So, getting them access to a trainer, or a fitness program, or just to build a sense of community where they feel supported for being more active are some of the areas we are working on here in the local community with our [healthcare] providers.”
As a Salem Chamber member at the Catalyst level, PacificSource is active and involved in the Chamber’s Executive Leadership Council (ELC) group, which meets quarterly to receive updates from elected officials, local education leaders, and leadership representing Salem Health. Along with the other opportunities to connect with business leaders that the Chamber provides, Martinez said the ELC meetings have been particularly valuable to his business as PacificSource strives to continue being engaged with and informed on what’s happening locally.
“We’re building those relationships and developing an understanding of the resources available to coordinate some of the differences that need to be made,” Martinez said. “I really look at the Chamber, when I attend the council meetings for example, as an opportunity to learn more about that and to reach out to people. Being able to build relationships that will facilitate our mission is of great value. We recently partnered with Chamber members to build affordable housing for families facing adversity, and during the pandemic and wildfires, we did the same to ensure living and food security for the community.”
While there may be future opportunities for growth to support other communities, Martinez says the company is currently working to strengthen existing connections with its provider partners across the Northwest, which, in turn, will bring PacificSource new opportunities to benefit the health of even more members.
“Our provider partnerships are super important,” Martinez said. “Without strong provider partnerships that are willing to engage with us in delivering the care to our members, we really don’t have a business model. So, we rely on them heavily, and we’re strengthening those relationships with our provider partners here in the Salem area. We’re excited about that because it opens up a lot of doors for the difference we can make in the community together.”
To learn more about PacificSource Health Plans and the coverage it offers, visit pacificsource.com.