September 2015
3030 NE MLK Jr. Blvd.
Portland, OR 97212
503.287.4932
Health happens here.
www.nxneclinic.org
[email protected]
As the co-chairs of
North by Northeast’s
Board of Directors, we
are excited to launch
the countdown to our
10 year anniversary
next August! As we
remember our beginnings and look to the future, we have
much to be grateful for and plenty of energy for the work
ahead.
We were founded in 2005 after a chance meeting related to
relief for Hurricane Katrina survivors (visit our website if you
aren’t familiar with the story). Demand for our services grew
quickly after we opened in 2006, prompting a move from our
original 500 square foot home on N Williams Avenue to our
current space in the Garlington Center on NE Martin Luther
King, Jr. Blvd. Our staff has grown from one to eight and now
includes an Executive Director, a Community Health Worker
and paid medical providers. We’ve grown and diversified
our board, donors and volunteers. Over the past two years
we navigated a rapidly changing healthcare landscape
and successfully transitioned from a volunteer-based free
clinic for uninsured adults to a primary care home that now
serves both the uninsured and those covered by Medicaid.
We are a model for others across the state seeking to make
a similar transition. Our services have increasingly focused
on African American health, and word is spreading that our
clinic is a welcoming and respectful place to get care. We’ve
outgrown our current location and are actively seeking a
larger space for a permanent home.
The media images from the ten-year anniversary of
Hurricane Katrina were a stark reminder of the impact
of racism, displacement and historical trauma on
a community’s health. Closer to home, the recently
published State of Black Oregon report documents
ongoing unacceptable health inequities right here in
Portland.
On the other side of this page you’ll see some of the
ways we are making a difference. At a recent Patient
Wellness Council meeting, past and current patients
shared the transformational and lifesaving impact of
North by Northeast in their lives. Our barbershop blood
pressure program allows us to meet with men in a place
familiar and comfortable to them, and engages barbers as
advocates for community health.
Over the coming year we’ll celebrate our successes
while remaining focused and intentional about the future.
In the spirit of Ujima (Swahili for collective work and
responsibility) we invite you to join us as we continue
to embody faith, social justice and resiliency. Please
consider making a gift in honor of our 10th year.
Use the enclosed envelope to make a recurring or
one-time gift of any size. Thank you!
- Charlene McGee and Lisa Hawash
“If it weren’t for this clinic, I’d be dead. Because you’re still here, I’m still here.” - a patient
Cuts and Checks
Since we opened nine years ago, we’ve been relentless
in our fight against uncontrolled high blood pressure,
as this is proven to be one of the best ways to prevent
heart attacks and strokes. We recently launched Cuts and
Checks, our barbershop high blood pressure program,
under the leadership of our Community Health Worker,
Sharetta Butcher. This program is aimed at increasing
awareness of high blood pressure and reducing the rate
of heart disease and strokes among African American men
in our community. In April three neighborhood barbershops
took the Cuts and Checks pledge to be a “heart attack- and
stroke-free zone”: Champions Barbershop, Geneva’s Shear
Perfection and Terrell Brandon’s Barber Shop. With financial
support from Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, we supplied
each shop with a professional BP machine and offered
training for the barbers in its use. Sharetta and two trained
patient ambassadors visit the shops regularly, providing
health information and offering additional blood pressure
checks to customers. Since April almost 300 barbershop
customers have had their BP checked, many finding out
they needed follow-up for elevated readings. The program
is growing – we’ll be adding a fourth shop soon and will be
training more barbers and patient ambassadors.
(For updates and more photos, “like” our Facebook page!)
Sharetta Butcher checks Jason Green’s blood
pressure at Terrell Brandon’s Barber Shop in August
Daisha Tate, Kevin Howard and Derwin Cunningham
share a laugh during a recent Patient Wellness
Council meeting
Still Here!
In August our Patient Wellness Council (PWC) kicked off
their third year with an evening of stories, laughter, good
food and sharing. This summer, staff members personally
invited some additional patients to consider joining the
PWC. What stood out to us in each of the people we invited
was their tenacity in making positive changes in their health
and their desire to encourage others to do the same.
The PWC has a big year ahead of them. The motto for
this year is “Still Here!” At the August meeting, one of our
new PWC members shared that when he had no health
insurance, NxNE was here for him…and because of that he
is still here. As he shared his story, the theme of “still here”
echoed through the room. Patients shared their stories of
gratitude for NxNE and the fact that we are “still here”
when so many other agencies have moved or shut down.
They talked about wanting to give back to NxNE because of
all they’ve received. Over the coming year the PWC will be
assisting NxNE’s Board of Directors in carrying out our 10
year anniversary celebrations and in finding a new home
for NxNE. They’ll also help our outreach staff spread the
word about us through community events, health fairs, and
in their own personal networks of family and friends. I am
so excited about this year’s PWC and excited that after two
years they are “still here” and growing!
- Sharetta Butcher, Community Care Manager
We exist to improve health outcomes and advance health equity by offering primary care services focused on
chronic health conditions affecting the local African American population.
Printing generously donated by Providence Health & Services
Newsletter design by Annette Sabo