Mission

Upstream Public Health works in partnership with communities to transform public health through community organizing, policy advocacy, education, and developing the next generation of public health leaders.

Our Vision

We envision communities that are equitable, connected, and thriving.

Our Core Values

  • Liberation: We work for health equity and liberation by challenging the oppressive and exclusionary systems that impact health such as racism, sexism, ageism, and anti-fat bias.

  • Relationships: We develop culturally responsive relationships of trust with our partners, communities across Oregon, and those on our staff and board of directors. 

  • Leadership: We bring leading practices to public health and continually lift up new leaders within our organization and our partners. 

  • Empowerment: We partner with those who are most impacted by the social and commercial determinants of health, building their capacity to take control of their health and advocate for change.

  • Innovation: We thrive on listening to community voices in shaping our public health priorities. We stay flexible as we continually learn, take action, and reflect on our progress.

Our Strategic Directions

  • Deepen Community Partnerships and Capacity Building. We will continue to build relationships and create public health partnerships throughout the state of Oregon in communities that have been left behind in building generational wealth, economic mobility, and designing public health policy, expanding our emphasis on youth and young leaders.

  • Communicate the Public Health Story. We will document and communicate our approach to community engagement and organizing and continue our work to build relationships between institutional public health and community based organizations. 

  • Grow our Advocacy Impact. We will continue our organizing and advocacy campaigns in partnership with and led by communities. In order to strategically align our efforts, we will map the ecosystem of health and economic justice and explore opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and revolution.