Staff serving indigenous and rural communities are invited to participate in a multi-day gathering April 27th through April 30th, 2026 in Portland, Oregon (both in-person and virtual options for joining are available) to empower healthcare professionals to not only provide excellence in emergency medical care, but to do so in a manner that honors and respects the historical and cultural context of the communities they serve. CE will be available.
The theme for 2026:
Rising to the Call: Community, Collaboration, and Continuity of Care
Every day, emergency medicine providers in rural and Indigenous communities rise to the call—often in challenging environments, always with deep commitment to those they serve. This year’s theme honors the resilience and responsiveness of clinicians, community members, and partners who work together to ensure care reaches every corner of our regions.
Rising to the Call reflects the courage to act, adapt, and innovate in the face of evolving needs. Community reminds us that healing begins with relationships, trust, and shared responsibility. Collaboration highlights the strength found in teamwork across distances, disciplines, and cultures. And Continuity of Care underscores the ongoing commitment to patients and communities long after the immediate crisis has passed.
The 2026 emRIC Gathering invites all who serve in rural and Indigenous emergency medicine to connect, learn, and share stories of how we rise—together—to build systems of care that are compassionate, sustainable, and grounded in community.
Abstract Submissions now OPEN!
As Emergency Medicine with Rural and Indigenous Communities (emRIC) continues to grow as an organization, we aim to create opportunities for the members of this wonderful professional community to share their knowledge, skills and expertise with each other at our annual conference event, and to provide input on the content they would find most exciting and meaningful.
Topic submissions for the 2026 conference will be open until December 15. Selected presenters will be notified by January 31. Final presentations will be due 30 days prior to the event.
To submit please use the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/emRICabstractsubmissions2026
REGISTRATION AND TICKET SALES NOW OPEN!
Event Details:
Where: Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront – Portland, OR
Dates: April 27th – April 30th, 2026
Cost: $100 – $600 ; pricing per ticket varies depending on ticket type & profession
Event Location: Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront – 1401 SW Naito Pkwy, Portland, OR 97201
Room Block Information: Link and Information to be added soon!
Draft Agendas To Be Added Soon!
This year, there are four different components of the gathering that participants can register for:
April 27: Pre-Conference Half-Day Cultural Workshop
This half-day session will offer the opportunity to exploreyour work from a respectful, holistic and culturally relevant framework through practical discussions, skill-building and interactive activities.If you’d like to dive into these topics and create community with other passionate individuals invested in indigenous health care systems, you are most welcome! We welcome and highly encourage ALL health care professionals from ALL backgrounds to attend.
April 28 – April 29: emRIC Conference
The two day conference will be dedicated to improving emergency care delivered to Indigenous and rural communities through education, advocacy & collaboration. We invite community leaders, nurses, physicians, pharmacists, medics, residents, students, administrators, and all who are interested, to join us for this year’s event. Please consider attending or inviting a member of your team to join as we continue efforts to effectively put policy and practice into place to weave culture and history with emergency medicine to further clinical excellence.
CE will be provided.
April 30: Clinical Lab Skills Day and New EMS Conference Day
Clinical Skills Lab Day: Intensive hands-on procedural skills and ultrasound workshop with content tailored to the needs of professionals working in rural and indigenous communities. The clinical skills workshop focuses on procedural skills for high-acuity, low-occurrence (HALO) scenarios with limited specialty back-up. The ultrasound workshop focuses on skills that are useful in locations with limited formal ultrasound coverage, including point-of-care ultrasonography skills that can inform or prevent patient transfers. Regional anesthesia techniques for pain management are also included in the ultrasound curriculum. This workshop includes tracks for clinicians (Physicians, NPs and PAs) as well as RNs.
EMS Conference Day: Conference style and hands on skills day geared towards EMT/EMS/Paramedics. Details and more information to be available soon!
CE will be provided for both different types gatherings on this day.
