ORCC Welcomes Back National College of Natural Medicine

Oregon Campus Compact (ORCC) welcomes back the National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) as a campus member. Previously a member in 2002, NCNM has renewed its membership to join ORCC’s shared commitment to strengthening higher impact education and community-engaged learning. 

NCNM educates and trains physicians, practitioners, and pre-professionals in the art, science, and research of natural medicine. NCNM’s two mottoes, “We are community” and “We are what’s next,” are embraced by students, faculty, and staff alike. The informal slogans reflect both NCNM’s dedication to inclusion and belief in the future of natural medicine. They also demonstrate the school’s commitment to educating students who are intelligent, motivated, and skilled to make the world a better place. By developing caring and knowledgeable practitioners, NCNM students are contributing to the health and well-being of patients, and improving the primary care landscape in America.

NCNM brings a substantial commitment to civic and community engagement to ORCC’s membership and is looking forward to continuing to expand service opportunities and practicums for students.

To strengthen this work, NCNM is taking advantage of the ORCC membership benefit to host an ORCC AmeriCorps VISTA member. In September, NCNM will welcome ORCC AmeriCorps VISTA, Hannah Foreman, who will work to develop a sustainable volunteer internship program for NCNM’s community clinics, which will provide health care at affordable rates to some of the region’s most vulnerable populations. 

Through the volunteer internship program, interns will be recruited and trained to welcome clients to the clinics, as well as to provide front line resources and referrals to local health programs to help patients who suffer from poverty and poor health. Hannah will create partnerships with allied health programs and implement a training and assessment agenda for student interns.

ORCC is excited to start the school year with NCNM, along with ORCC’s membership of 18 colleges and universities that are committed to deepening the public purpose of higher education. Research has shown  students who volunteer have higher GPAs, are more likely to graduate, and are more likely to stay engaged in their community after graduation. In partnership with NCNM, ORCC is building community-engaged learning and service to help bring coursework to life and engage students with the needs of their communities.