Project Access NOW eNewsletter: May 2009
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Board member spotlight: Priscilla Lewis
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 Count Priscilla Lewis, Regional Director for Community Services and Development at Providence Health & Services, as a Founding Mother of Project Access NOW.
Working with the Tri-County Safety Net Enterprise (TCSNE) group a few years back, she was so passionate about collaborative efforts to improve the regional healthcare that she continued to work with the participating counties even after the group lost its funding. So when a grant opportunity through the Oregon Health Systems in Collaboration (OHSIC) came along, the group was ready to apply with the Project Access model.
The initial funding and support came from the eleven Metro hospitals and four insurers who are the members of OHSIC. In addition, the four counties committed the remaining funds from the TCSNE to launch Project Access. Since then, the Project Access model has gained widespread support, from United Way of the Columbia-Willamette to more than 2,200 volunteer physicians donating care through the system.
"It's a good model that makes sense," Priscilla said. "I've been in healthcare long enough to know that a small initiative can grow into a tremendous community asset if enough people are engaged. It takes people working together to solve such a complex problem."
Read more about Priscilla Lewis and her involvement with Project Access NOW.
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In her own words:
"I think Project Access NOW shows the power of pragmatic compassion. We live in very challenging times - and the size of the problems we
face are too big for any one person or organization to solve alone. We
need compassion and solutions that work. Project Access NOW offers a
practical way for everyone to be an active part in a tangible solution.
Project Access NOW has brought the entire healthcare community together
in a compassionate and practical system of care for neighbors in need.
Our providers can see and feel the difference they make. We change
lives, we do it together, and anyone can join."
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Inaugural Open House continues to make impact |
The inaugural Open House, held at our office on April 14, 2009, continues to make impact, and you can too, even if you missed the event!
 We raised $500 through the Square Deal Wine Company's donation of 20% of sales AND
they have extended the deadline. Purchase wine at Square
Deal (2321 NW Thurman St., Portland, 503.226.9463) until June 30, tell the folks at the counter
you want to support Project Access NOW, and 20% of the sale will be
donated to increase access to the low-income uninsured.
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Project Access NOW Quick Data |
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As of April 30, 2009
- Patients enrolled: 1,138
- Referrals made: 1,257
- Referral slots available: 2,031 (several specialties are already maxing out monthly)
- Number of prescriptions filled: 1,241
- Cost per prescription: $17.49
- Patients receiving medication: 249
- Patients connected with Medication Assistance Programs (MAP): 39
- Value of medication received through MAP: $16,450
- Savings on purchased medications: $59,912
- Patient contribution toward medication: $4,418
- Charges for medical services provided: $2,675,311
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 When Maria got laid off in 2004 from her job of 15 years, she found
herself without a steady income or health insurance. A mother of three
and grandmother of two, she had worked since she was nine and earned
her bachelor's degree in sociology just as she entered retirement age.
Now, she was forced to take occasional temporary jobs, live off food
stamps, and suffer through her medical conditions.
With
chronic health issues, pressures of unemployment and no coverage, her
health deteriorated. She struggled with back and knee problems, a
legacy of long years of migrant farm work. She suffered from diabetes.
Having undergone a triple bypass surgery in 1994, Maria's heart
problems were the most serious worry.
As a result of
rationing her pills because she couldn't afford new prescriptions, her
heart got worse. She had angina attacks every day. "I couldn't walk, I
couldn't sweep my house without fainting," she said. "I felt like, 'One
of these days, I'm just going to keel over.' You don't know how badly
you need help until you're all alone and screaming inside, in the
darkness, for help. I couldn't do for myself things we take for
granted, like going to the bathroom or shower. And I had nowhere to go."
Continue reading Maria's story and how Project Access made a difference in her life.
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Thanking Dr. Menashe and Northwest Cancer Specialists
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The involvement of Dr. Jeffrey Menashe
and Northwest Cancer Specialists with Project Access followed a
conversation with Mark Rosenberg, current Project Access NOW Board
Chair. Dr. Menashe then proposed that the group join the system and
Northwest Cancer Specialists jumped on board in April 2008. According
to Dr. Menashe, "It was a good thing to do and a no-brainer. We're
happy to be a part of [Project Access]."
Northwest Cancer Specialists, a group
of medical, radiation, and gynecological oncologists and
hematologists, had been providing volunteer care for the uninsured
based on their policy of treating anyone who comes in. "Project
Access streamlines our care for the uninsured," Dr. Menashe said.
"It's a question of how we provide that care. Piecemeal provision
won't use resources in the best way, so it should be more planned and
more universal."
Read more about Dr. Menashe and Northwest Cancer Specialists.
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Corporate partner highlight: Semiosis Communications
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 At the start of full-time operation, around April 2008, Project Access NOW had plenty of marketing needs. "Times were challenging, there were so many unknowns," said Linda Nilsen-Solares, Project Access NOW Executive Director.
"We had many ideas but had no staff to do all the things we knew we
wanted. Ideas are no good if you don't have the capacity to execute
them."
A generous grant from the Regence Foundation for marketing and recruitment started the process of getting Project Access NOW on the right track to achieve our objectives. The partnership with Semiosis Communications
then launched at the right time to keep our startup momentum going.
According to Linda, "We delineated responsibilities and have used
Peter, the company's principal, as a staff member to some degree. We're
always sure that what we need is going to get done in a timely fashion.
From the value perspective, working with Peter and Semiosis Communications
was the best business decision. With money being a limitation, it was a
wiser move to outsource marketing than to do it internally."
Semiosis Communications agreed to provide 25% of its services, a $4,000 value, pro bono. After a quick review of Project Access NOW's marketing plan, Semiosis Communications developed a number of tools to help us reach our marketing goals.
Read more about our collaboration with Semiosis Communications.
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Phone: 503.222.6541
Fax: 503.222.2932
Email
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