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irectly to the east of Legacy
Emanuel Hospital sits a non
descript building that looks like
the former family practice clinic it
once was. Inside, however, medi
cine as it is becoming known in the 21st centu
ry is thriving.
The facility is home to Project Quest, a
unique integrative health center that has con
tinued to expand its programs since its inception
in 1989. The organization originally was formed
to help people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, and
although it still offers a wide array of services to
those who fit into that category, its menu now
offers something for everyone.
Those who approach Project Quest expecting
a traditional medical environment are bound to
be surprised. Its philosophy is “grounded in the
belief that people thrive when their physical,
emotional, spiritual and social needs are effective
ly met,” according to informational materials. In
other words, when a client approaches the organi
zation for services, a specialized plan designed to
fit the needs of each individual is created.
There is, according to executive director
Christy Carl, no rushing people in and out. “A
lot of time the practitioners will meet with
clients for over an hour,” she says.
The organization has four separate programs:
HIV/AIDS, Mind-Body Wellness, Eliot Medical
Clinic and Arquette Cancer Program. Each one,
however, operates under the same mission:
“Project Quest seeks to provide services, com
munity and education to people seeking a well
ness-focused approach to living and dying; to
help people make and sustain lifestyle changes
that support healing, health and living life fully;
to effectively support people diagnosed with
chronic or life-challenging illnesses.”
To accomplish that goal, the organization
employs medical-osteopathic, chiropractic,
physical therapy, naturopathic, osteopathic,
Chinese medicine and mental health practi
tioners who provide services in both individual
and group settings. And the client always works
in partnership with the practitioners to deter
mine which treatments are most effective.
Common areas of focus include increasing
social support, addressing addictions, implement
ing exercise programs, exploring spirituality and
teaching, and learning stress management tech
niques and assertiveness. The health care team
develops a relationship based on a partnership
model between clients and practitioners.
Project Quest has had a long, positive rela
tionship with the sexual minorities community,
according to Carl, who notes that several of the
practitioners are queer. The idea, she says, is that
everyone involved wants clients to feel “a sense
of community, a sense of intimacy” when using
the services.
Q uest for H ealing
Integrative health center reaches out to queer community
b y T om Stev en son
Christy Carl wants everyone to feel “a sense of community, a sense of intimacy” at Project Quest
“Those who deal with HIV/AIDS want that
kind of care...just as everyone else does,” she
says. “We work hard to give it to them.”
The HIV/AIDS program not only offers cri
sis intervention to people who are HIV-positive
or diagnosed with AIDS but also provides on
going support to anyone who
has faced or been affected by
the challenges of those diag
noses. That support might
mean receiving traditional or
naturopathic medical care;
working in support groups
with others facing the same
challenges; learning about
proper nutrition, which Carl
says is a huge issue; or going
on a retreat in a safe and
peaceful environment simply to learn how to
live with the complex issues.
A huge part of the programs centers around
the idea that “psychological, physical and spir
itual selves all interact to impact the overall
state of health and well-being.” For those not
used to alternative methods of healing or deal
ing with disease, that might sound a little
strange, but according to Gregg Carigan, a
longtime participant in Project Quest pro
grams, it certainly works.
Carigan is a gay man who
has been HIV-positive since
1986. Prior to beginning his
association
with
Project
Quest, he was an alcoholic
who was struggling with a
number of issues, not to men
tion his HIV status.
“They taught me how to
appreciate my life in general,”
Carigan says. “Basically, they
helped me find direction in my life. Every
one...has been very supportive. It really is a
whole different lifestyle. They allow you to be
who you are. You can still be gay. You can still be
"It really does make a
difference feeling like
you are the one who is
control. It totally turned
things around for me."
— Gregg Carigan
whoever you want to be. I never really had a
tight community of friends before, but that
changed when 1 started going to Project Quest.
Everybody is a part of the community.”
Carigan, who was one of the very first Project
Quest clients and who remains highly active
today, says that with many traditional health prac
titioners you are treated, or led to feel, like a vic
tim. That is not the case at Project Quest, he says.
“You become a part of it, you are the one
doing the work, you are the one who has con
trol,” he says. “You are not the victim anymore.
It really does make a difference feeling like you
are the one who is control. It totally turned
things around for me.”
Another Project Quest service that Carl says
is important to the lesbian community is the
Mardiningsih Arquette Breast Cancer Program,
which offers crisis intervention to newly diag
nosed women as well as ongoing support to any
one who is facing the challenges of such a diag
nosis. “We really do want people to know we
have very lesbian-friendly services of all kinds.”
Funding issues are also big not only for those
who operate Project Quest but also the clients.
For some clients, their insurance policies cover
most of the services provided. For others, there
is a sliding fee scale. For HIV/AIDS clients,
there are federal dollars available for some serv
ices, including scholarships to the retreats.
Carl says that the organization also uses small
grants and donations to continue to provide the
services but that additional funds always are
needed. “If people would like to help, we cer
tainly would appreciate it.”
Most important, Carl says she hopes p e o
ple who are interested in alternative medi
cine will take the time to stop by and visit.
They will see a facility that is painted in
warm, soothing colors and rooms filled with
comfortable furniture.
They will find hallways lined with the work
done by those participating in the Roger Bell
Memorial Art Program, which “encourages
healing through art and creative expression.”
The service was founded in 1995 in honor of a
former Project Quest board member and com
munity leader.
“We do encourage people to give us a call
if they have questions,” Carl says. In addition,
she is quick to mention that Project Quest
periodically offers special programs such as a
series of cooking classes for cancer patients, a
cancer support group and a three-day psy
chodrama retreat planned in August. JT1
For more mformanon call PROJECT QUEST at
503-493-0288.
T o m STEVENSON is a Portland free-lance writer.
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