‘Calling Doctor Cheap-o!’

By Sarah Mirk

Portland Mercury, Thursday, July 17, 2008

Like everyone else, I’m new in town. And young, and borderline unemployed. I rolled into Portland a month ago from Iowa, drawn by vegan sugarplum visions of a land where cute boys with choppy haircuts skipped alongside lanes of plentiful bicycles. The fact that these visions turned out to be 100 percent true is what keeps me—and many, many others—here despite the big downside of living in a wonderful dream town: It is fucking impossible to find a well-paying job. Five years of barista experience couldn’t snag me a simple graveyard-shift busser gig from the desperate maws of a dozen other applicants who went through two rounds of interviews. So while Portland may have one of the nation’s highest densities of college grads and a progressive approach to health care, a vast 40 percent of Portlanders between ages 21 and 24 still don’t have insurance. (read more)

‘Metro grant provides free health care’

By Mariah Summers

The Portland Tribune, Jul 24, 2008

For nearly two years, the North by Northeast Community Health Center has provided free health care services for uninsured adults in North Portland, offering help for patients with common chronic diseases.

Now, 1,300 visits and 726 patients later, the health center’s efforts are being recognized with a $5,650 grant from the Metro Council’s Community Enhancement Program. (read more)

Project Access Now

An emerging charity health care program intends to serve the metro area’s uninsured patients by selling enough doctors on providing free medical care

by JOE ROJAS-BURKE

Oregon Live Tuesday, September 11, 2007

The stage was set for a personal disaster.

Unable to afford health insurance at age 64 — just four months shy of Medicare eligibility — Clarel O’Sullivan learned she had malignant skin cancer.

But to O’Sullivan’s amazement, the free clinic where she sought care wasted no time finding a surgeon and hospital willing to treat her. Ten days after the positive cancer test, the retired English teacher emerged from surgery free of cancer — and nearly free of debt.
(read more)

Coalition Named Community Partner of the Year

The Coalition of Community Health Clinics has been named “2007 Community Partner of the Year” by United Way of the Columbia Willamette. The Spirit Award recognizes demonstrated leadership and community impact, as well as innovation and collaboration.Portland, Oregon, September 20, 2007

The Coalition of Community Health Clinics has been named “2007 Community Partner of the Year” by United Way of the Columbia Willamette. The Spirit Award recognizes demonstrated leadership and community impact, as well as innovation and collaboration.

On September 20, 2007, the Coalition of Community Health Clinics received the 2007 Community Partner of the Year “Spirit Award” during United Way of Columbia Willamette’s Annual Campaign Kick Off Breakfast held in the Portland Convention Center’s Portland Ballroom (read more)

‘Volunteers fill a growing, essential need’

By S. Renee Mitchell

The Oregonian, Wednesday, August 15, 2007

When 41-year-old James Jacobs lost his job and health insurance and needed heart medication, his life was on the line.

He called his legislators who told him to call someone else. He says the folks at the Oregon Health Plan told him that he didn’t qualify because he wasn’t pregnant, over age 65 or under age 21. The various medical clinics wanted some form of payment. (read more)