Reach Out and Read Oregon
Reach Out and Read Oregon
Reach Out and Read champions the positive effects of reading aloud daily and engaging in other language-rich activities with young children. Since 2000, we’ve partnered with medical clinics and providers across Oregon to support healthy brain development, further language acquisition, and help families build the critical relational bonds that are the foundation to success.
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Investing in Impact.
Reach Out and Read partners with more than 1,200 pediatric providers in 30 counties across Oregon to share age- and language-appropriate books with children at their well-child checkups through age five. Providers also give caregivers the tools and resources to promote early childhood literacy activities that build family bonds.
Our evidence-based model is backed by a large and growing body of academic research. We utilize the existing medical infrastructure to encourage supportive, educational conversations with parents on the importance of reading aloud and the impact on children’s brain development.
Click here to read our latest impact report.
Our Program
Reach Out and Read Oregon gives young children a foundation for success by
incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together.
165,000
Well-child visits annually
Well-child visits annually
169
Program sites
Program sites
145,000
Books provided annually
Books provided annually
We envision a world where all families have daily, meaningful, language-rich interactions with their children.
Give the gift of reading aloud to a child in need.
Reach Out and Read Oregon could not serve the tens of thousands of families it does annually without the help of generous corporate, foundation, individual, and government partners. We are grateful for their contributions to make reading a priority for the children and families of Oregon. Together we are fulfilling our mission to give young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together.
Introducing Reach Out and Read Northwest
We are excited to share that the Reach Out and Read teams in Oregon and Washington have unified regionally as Reach Out and Read Northwest.
As we look to the future, Reach Out and Read Northwest is poised to grow sustainably while continuing to deliver the highest level of program services backed by evidence-cased research and methods. Joining forces as a regional team leverages our core strengths and creates administrative efficiencies.
Meet Our Staff
Jessica Mortensen became the first Regional Executive Director of Reach Out and Read Northwest after overseeing the regionalization of Reach Out and Read’s programs in Oregon and Washington in the fall of 2021. She currently oversees a high-performing staff and provides strategic direction for more than 400 medical clinics that reach over 200,000 families annually at well-child visits. Jessica was Reach Out and Read Washington’s Program Director (2010–15), Deputy Director (2015–17), and Executive Director (2017–21).
During her tenure with Reach Out and Read Jessica has cultivated partnerships and relationships that support healthcare professional practice change. She played a pivotal role in the creation and implementation of a program quality evaluation and improvement system that Reach Out and Read adopted nationally, and currently co-chairs the National Book Committee. She completed her Master’s in Library and Information Science at the University of Washington and her undergraduate degree in Spanish and Art History at Whitman College.
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Marissa Lachaga is a rural family medicine physician assistant in Eastern Oregon. She completed her undergraduate degree in Nursing from the University of Rhode Island and her Master of Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Utah. She is an AHEC Scholar and competed the two-year interdisciplinary program through the Health Resources and Services Administration for healthcare professionals interested in serving and gaining a deeper understanding of the health care needs of urban and rural underserved or vulnerable populations. She was first introduced to the ROR program at a Federally Qualified Health Center and immediately realized the positive impact and importance of developing stronger communities. She became passionate about integrating ROR into her daily well-child visits, promoting reading, family relationships, and healthy childhood development. She serves as the Oregon Medical Director and is earnest about advocating for ROR at both local and national levels.
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Hannah Slaughter is the Regional Program Director at Reach Out and Read Northwest. She directs our multi-state program strategy, implementation, data, and analysis to ensure that clinical sites across the region have the leadership and support to offer high-quality programs to children and families. Hannah previously served as the Program Director for Reach Out and Read Washington from 2018–2021, and as a Program Specialist from 2012–2018.
Prior to joining Reach Out and Read, Hannah worked with faculty, residents, and medical students at the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Center. She facilitated process improvement projects to ensure patient safety, implemented quality assurance standards, managed the Internal Medicine Residency Program’s annual recruitment process, and coordinated educational conferences and orientations. Hannah received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art Photography and a minor in Diversity from the University of Washington.
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Zakiya serves as the Associate Director of Development for the Northwest region at Reach Out and Read, where she brings over 18 years of expertise as a seasoned thought partner and leader in the nonprofit sector. As the Associate Director, Zakiya plays a key role in corporate relationships and foundation funding management.
Driven by a deep passion for serving underserved and marginalized communities, Zakiya applies an equity lens to donor work and is dedicated to addressing systemic issues and fostering sustainable change. She holds a master’s degree in business administration and an undergraduate degree in African and African Diaspora Studies, nee Africology, from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
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Shannon Blood joined Reach Out and Read as the Associate Director of Policy and Partnerships for the Northwest Region in 2024. Her focus is on creating and implementing effective policy, advocacy, and communications strategies to support sustainability, growth, and visibility for Reach Out and Read Northwest.
Shannon has worked in the public and private sectors for over 25 years in early childhood and family support services. Her most recent focus area has been working cross-sector to explore, develop and advocate for health care financing (such as Medicaid) for maternal, infant and early childhood home visiting. Shannon is known as a strong advocate for critical system and policy changes that authentically engage multiple community perspectives early on and continuously.
Shannon holds a bachelor’s degree in community services from St. Martin’s University and a master’s degree in strategic communications from Washington State University. When not working, she carves out time for hiking, photography, and creative writing challenges.
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Kathleen supports rural programming in the Northwest Region by cultivating and strengthening relationships with new and existing clinics. With a degree in therapeutic recreation and a background in adaptive education, she emphasizes the importance of fostering healthy leisure habits from an early age. Before joining ROR, Kathleen managed adaptive outdoor programming for individuals with disabilities or other barriers in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Having relocated to a farmhouse in Oregon in 2023, she dedicates her leisure time to nurturing her greenhouse, strolling along the Umpqua River, and, of course, reading.
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Melissa MacCoumber joined Reach Out and Read Northwest as a Program Manager in 2024. She provides direct support to program sites in Northwest Oregon including the Portland Metro area through quality assurance and building relationships with clinical staff and health systems to sustain successful program implementation. Melissa’s career has been focused on improving health and educational outcomes for marginalized communities as both an educator and a nurse. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Education from Concordia University and also worked as a License Practical Nurse. In her personal time, Melissa likes listening to audiobooks while enjoying nearby natural wonders like Silver Falls with her wife and their dog, Jinx.
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