Bridges to Healthcare- March 20- Portland Hilton- Learn more and register >2012 and Beyond: Latino Health Equity Conference- May 17
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As any organization, in addition to funds we have in-kind needs for items to help us better serve the low-income uninsured. Here's our list for March:
- Auto-feeding scanners (we REALLY need these!)
- Headsets (Avaya compatible)
- Copy paper
- Cleaning service
- 4-post server rack or cabinet
If you or someone you know would like to donate these items, call us at 503.413.5541.
Thank you for your support!
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"Action is eloquence." ~ William Shakespeare
"Action will remove the doubts that theory cannot solve." ~Tehyi Hsieh
On March 20th, we will celebrate thousands of people who have taken action to make life better for other human beings:
- We celebrate the safety net clinics who exist to care for the most vulnerable in our community and partner with Project Access NOW to connect their patients to resources beyond their scope.
- We celebrate the volunteer providers who give of their time and talent with grace and generosity.
- We celebrate the hospitals and other health care stakeholders in our community that provide the foundation necessary to connect people to needed services.
- We celebrate the clients themselves who have overcome adversity and have claimed their health as best they can.
- We celebrate our community volunteers who allow us to do so much with little funding.
- We celebrate our donors and funding partners without whose support we would not be able to take the action and make the difference we do.
We will specifically honor six of our volunteer clinics at Bridges to Health Care this year (see the article later in the newsletter). Please join us and register soon to let us know your menu selection! The evening will be Emceed by Kimberlee Jo Buckingham, Mrs. Oregon and professional public speaker. We will have a Wall of Wine, raffles, complimentary dinner, wine and dessert and lots of opportunities to learn more about the many partners involved in connecting people to health care.
To close out, a quick thank you to all of those who joined us at McMenamin's Ram's Head last month for our Friends and Family Night. It was fun to meet new people and reconnect with those of you who are our stalwart supporters! |
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 When Peggy's employer stopped paying for her health insurance, she could not afford to cover the premiums, so she let the coverage go.
For years, Peggy wrestled with fibromyalgia, which causes severe pain and stiffness throughout her body as well as extreme fatigue and trouble with memory and concentration. When her symptoms became too intense, she had to quit working. When she began experiencing dizzy spells and fainting, she knew she needed help.
Peggy saw Dr. Safina Koreishi at Rosewood Family Health Center, who became concerned that Peggy's dizziness might be symptomatic of a heart issue. To get the specialty care, Dr. Khoreishi arranged for Peggy to be referred to Project Access NOW, who connected her to Dr. Ramnik Jhooty at Pacific Heart Associates. Peggy underwent an echocardiogram, which, thankfully, returned normal results. She was asked to return for a follow up in 30 days. |
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Community volunteer highlight: Kathy Burdick
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Every day in her job in the business office of Oregon Pulmonary Associates, Kathy Burdick sees the struggles people face in trying to meet their financial obligations. Many have lost their jobs and cannot afford to pay for health care.
When she learned about Project Access NOW, she contacted us and asked to volunteer. Kathy believes that "access to health care is vital and is everyone's right." She admires the respect and dignity that Project Access NOW affords clients by allowing them to present what looks like a regular insurance card when checking in at a volunteer provider's office for an appointment.
Continue reading > |
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Thanking Dr. Susan Johnson
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 Dr. Susan Johnson specializes in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. She first learned of Project Access NOW in an email she had received via the Providence Obstetrics and Gynecology department email list serve about four years ago.
A short while later, she saw a patient in the emergency department with several health problems, including uterine fibroids and bleeding. The patient needed a hysterectomy, but because she had several other health problems, a traditional abdominal hysterectomy was not her best option. The patient would have a better outcome if she could have a minimally invasive procedure. However, she had no insurance and no means to pay for either procedure. Dr. Johnson remembered Project Access NOW and suggested to the patient that she try and see if she qualified for the program. Meanwhile, Dr. Johnson contacted Project Access NOW herself and offered to join as a volunteer provider.
Continue reading >
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New board member profile: Ariel Lopez-Chavez
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As a practicing oncologist at OHSU, Dr. Ariel Lopez-Chavez specializes in caring for patients with lung cancer. He also conducts research in clinical trials and molecular therapies.
His interest in the health of underserved populations goes back a long way. Before arriving at OHSU in early 2011, he spent a number of years with the National Cancer Institute, where he researched the molecular basis of health disparities in underserved populations. And, prior to that, while at the University of Pittsburgh, he served as a volunteer health care provider at a free clinic in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area.
Continue reading > |
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Thanks to United Way annual corporate giving campaign donors
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We are grateful for our strategic partnership with the United Way of the Columbia-Willamette for many reasons. In addition to direct grant funding, Project Access NOW is also the beneficiary of the UWCW's annual corporate giving campaign from a number of donors employed at several local area businesses. We would like to thank the following people and their respective employers for their financial support over the past few years.
- Kathy Dean, Oregon Health & Science University
- Yelena Leontiy, Nordstrom
- Sia Lindstrom, Washington County Administration
- Peter A. Nielsen, State of Oregon - CMO Employees' Charitable Fund Drive
- Molly H. Olson, Intel
- Andrea Rauch, State of Oregon - CMO Employees' Charitable Fund Drive
- Marianne E. Schnell, Nordstrom
- Kayley R. Bogar, On Point Community Credit Union
- Karen Maryalicia Cordell, Nordstrom
- Kerry Cross, Nordstrom
- Michelle Kelly, McDonald Jacobs PC
- Anne E. Matson, Welch Allyn
- Joan Snyder, Stoel Rives LLP
- Christopher Johnson, Stoel Rives LLP
- Janet M. Morton, Engineering Design Team, Inc.
- Brant J. Norquist, Stoel Rives LLP
- Bethany Taylor, Nordstrom
- Mark Rosenberg
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Six Medical Clinics to Receive Awards at Bridges to Health Care on March 20th
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At our upcoming Bridges to Health Care event on March 20th, Project Access NOW will honor six medical clinics in the Portland metro area for their volunteer medical care of thousands of low income and uninsured families and individuals.
In 2011, more than $12 million in health care was donated to PA NOW clients at no cost to them. More than 3,500 cases were managed by local medical volunteers.
Award winners were recognized for clinic size, number of referrals accepted per provider and exceptional generosity by specialty.
Honorees include The Oregon Clinic (large clinic category), Pacific Heart Associates (medium sized clinic), Urologic Consultants (small sized clinic), NW Rheumatology Associates (also small sized clinic), NW Gastroenterology Clinic, and Gastroenterology Specialists of Oregon (We make more GI referrals than any other specialty).
These six clinics provided services for 500 distinct referrals for specialty care.
Our sincere thanks for their exceptional generosity.
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