Metro grant provides free health care

North by Northeast clinic gets $5,650 to help chronically ill

By Mariah Summers

The Portland Tribune, Jul 24, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (1 Reader comment)

L.E. BASKOW / Portland Tribune

(From left) Patient Phillip Delaney meets with Dr. Jill Ginsberg as patient Gaylon Taylor meets with registered nurse Molly Smith at the North by Northeast Community Health Center. A Metro grant will allow the center to help patients manage chronic diseases, reducing costly visits to emergency rooms and urgent care facilities.

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.

“Metro’s grant program continues to motivate people to step forward and make something extraordinary happen in their neighborhood,” said Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder, chairman of Metro’s North Portland Enhancement Committee. “The awards support innovative solutions that help solve neighborhood problems and improve the quality of life for residents.”

“North by Northeast Community Health Center’s grant proposal was responsive to Metro’s funding guidelines that result in employment and economic opportunities for North and Northeast Portland residents,” Metro’s Karen Blauer said.

The health center, at 4725 N. Williams Ave., was started in August 2006 by Pastor Mary Overstreet, a longtime advocate for the poor and vulnerable in Portland. Overstreet was motivated to help residents of North Portland who recently had moved to the area after Hurricane Katrina.

She soon discovered a need for a community health clinic, not only for the hurricane victims, but for all neighborhood residents. Overstreet enlisted the help of Dr. Jill Ginsberg, a family physician with Kaiser Permanante, to help open the health center, a proposal Ginsberg couldn’t turn down.

“I wanted to see if I could help Pastor Mary in some way,” Ginsberg said. “I was so inspired by her actions, and I started talking to people at Kaiser to find equipment and doctors for the clinic.”

Today, North by Northeast has a staff of 15 volunteer physicians and holds free walk-in clinics from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. every Thursday out of a small building on North Williams Avenue that formerly housed a bakery. There are two exam rooms and a small waiting area, usually packed with 15 to 20 patients each week.

At the clinics, patients are provided with blood pressure screenings, immunizations, assistance with free or low-cost medications, ongoing care for chronic illnesses such as diabetes and asthma, and off-site laboratory services provided by Legacy Health System at no cost.

A patient advocate is available during clinics for social service information and referrals. Monday evening follow-up appointments also are offered for established patients.

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