SIT Surfboard Award - Annette Jensen

Written by: Yadira Gutierrez

From left Maggie Hudson, President and CEO of Santiam Hospital & Clinics, middle Annette Jensen , far right Melissa Baurer Director of Integrated Health and Outreach Department at Santiam Hospital & Clinics

Driven by her life purpose to help people, Annette Jensen has dedicated her life to service and community. Inspired by the relationship with her grandmother who was her primary caregiver, at age 10 Jensen sought work in the community nursing home as a volunteer and became a paid employee at age 14. For over thirty-five years, Jensen continues to nurture her love of people and service.

In her previous role as housing resource developer for Marion County Health and Human Services, Jensen helped individuals and families that were in health department programs to assist them in finding safe and affordable housing.

Through that professional role and work with the ODHS self-sufficiency office, Jensen learned about the Service Integration Team. Over the last five years, Jensen has become an outstanding member according to Melissa Baurer, Integrated Health and Outreach Director for Santiam Hospital and Clinics. “Annette is someone you can count on, she commits and follows through, she gets things done, she is persistent when she needs to be, you want Annette in your corner.

She understands Service Integration and embraces the model,” Baurer said.

The foundation and primary principle of the Service Integration model is collaboration. A principle that Jensen fully supports. “I am never surprised by the outpouring of compassion that members, whether they are social service organizations, churches, neighbors or businesses display in solving needs by the time the meeting has ended. Usually with the collaboration of everyone’s efforts, little to no SIT funds have to be utilized. SIT is a true meaning of the word community,” Jensen said.

Service Integration brings people from different walks-of-life and professions to the table. What ensues is creative problem solving. “People are invested in the areas that they live in and they want to help their neighbor,” Jensen said.

Jensen is always looking for an opportunity to help and serve. When the 2020 Labor Day fires ravaged the Canyon Jensen stepped up as one of the leaders in the community to help families and individuals. She played a vital role in helping to immediately house over 50 households.

“Annette was at the doorstep of Santiam Service Integration wanting to know what we needed help with, how she could be part of the response. I am grateful we have Annette to advocate and support our neighbors in the Canyon,” Baurer said.

Annette Jensen is the youngest of six children raised in the community of Sublimity. People and community have always been at the center of Jensen’s heart. She considers helping people her life’s purpose. “People are more powerful than their circumstances. They have an inner greatness inside of them that most have not tapped into yet” she said. Human potential has always been at the forefront of her personal and professional philosophy. “Many of us have similar backgrounds but it is what we choose to do with those experiences that determines what our life will be,” she said.