By Nicole Rideout, Communications Specialist, Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare For more than 40 years, Cascadia has been the community health and housing safety net provider for Oregonians of all ages experiencing mental health and addiction challenges, trauma, poverty, and homelessness. Through the delivery of whole health care—integrated...
By Taylor Thompson, KHP Data Analyst COVID has made 2020 a truly unprecedented year. But, that hasn't stopped Klamath Health Partnership (KHP) from taking care of our community. In fact, in a time where healthcare is perhaps more important than ever, KHP has had to adapt...
2019-20 OPCA ANNUAL AWARD FOR HEALTH EQUITY Share your name, position, and CHC: Katie Thornton, Regional Manager for the North and Northeast Health Center, Multnomah County Health Department What does this award mean to you? This award tells me two important things; first, we are on the...
By William North, CEO, Rogue Community Health, and OPCA Board Member If ever there was a time for community health centers to renew our commitment to “the good work” and get our advocacy act together, it is now. "The early neighborhood health center model targeted the roots...
A correction from the author: The original version of this blog post was inaccurate and disingenuous in two ways: First, it claimed the work of individuals—primarily people of color—as departmental work. The truth is many have done this work on their own time, without pay or explicit...
2019-20 OPCA ANNUAL AWARD FOR GROWTH Share your name, position, and CHC: As the CEO for Valley Family Health Care, Tim Heinze is proud to acknowledge this Growth Award of Excellence from OPCA on behalf of the entire Leadership Team. Leaders named in the award nomination...
White Bird Clinic in Eugene is receiving increased attention as communities around the world discuss police reform in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. Its CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets) program is being hailed as an example of an innovative community...
By Katrina Ratzlaff, Director of Community Engagement, Wallace After Amanda (name changed to protect privacy) left an unhealthy relationship, she lived in her truck for over a year. With no place to call home, her struggles with stressful life events and alcohol seemed almost hopeless. On...
By Karen Elliott, Development Director, Rogue Community Health Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people in southern Oregon struggled with food insecurity. For the past three years, Rogue Community Health Community Health Workers (CHWs) have been delivering food boxes to its members. CHWs...
By Leigh Ann Hoffhines, Communications Manager, Rinehart Clinic As the current public health emergency unfolded and it became clear that a different, safer, approach to care was needed, the Rinehart Clinic team worked quickly to implement telehealth options. Recognizing that a number of our patients do...
2019-20 OPCA Annual Award for INNOVATION & LEADERSHIP IN TRANSFORMATION Share your name, position, and CHC: My name is Matt Hogge, and my full title is devoted father, loving husband, doctor of nursing practice and the medical director of the La Clinica Wellness Center. [caption id="attachment_1309" align="alignright"...
By Tim Kruth, DNP, FNP-C, Tanasbourne Medical Clinic I was talking to Jenny, a newly unemployed individual who now has Medicaid. “I didn’t know where to go. Every place is closed, and I can’t access a primary care provider. I don’t want to go to the...
By Jonathan Frochtzwajg, Institutional Giving Officer Prism Health is a newly designated Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike in southeast Portland that offers safe, welcoming, and knowledgeable primary and mental health care for the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. LGBTQ+ people experience many health problems at a disproportionately high...
Below are stories in the words of three Virginia Garcia providers Carol, RN, Clinical Programs Manager, Cornelius Wellness Center I am always proud of the customer service we provide our patients and that is still true in these tough COVID-19 times. As we were “scrubbing” a patient’s chart...
National data released in early April indicates African Americans in Louisiana, Chicago, and Michigan are being disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. That same week, the message from our national health leadership, and news stories that followed, was that this impact appeared to be attributable to preexisting conditions—high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes—and inadequate access to health care. U.S. Sen. Bill...
By Chris Hecht, Executive Coordinator, White Bird Clinic As we bear witness to a crisis unimaginable for many of us, now more than ever, it is important to think globally and act locally. White Bird Clinic has served as Eugene/Springfield’s safety net for more than 50...
In this time of crisis, and increasing social need, it’s imperative that we do not stop in our collective quest for health equity. Our local, state and national social policy efforts have been failing us for years. This is evidenced by the severe disparities in morbidity...
With OPCA’s equity focus in mind, we encourage you to reflect on who is hit the hardest with our latest public health crisis. OPCA member clinics will end up feeling the brunt of this (not surprisingly), but hope you’ll join OPCA in considering the value...