Eugene weekly., August 25, 2016, Page 10, Image 10

NEWS
B Y A L E X V. C I P O L L E
‘WE JUST WANT TO KEEP SLIM
ALIVE, THROUGH HIS MUSIC
AND EVERYTHING,’ SAYS EAGLE
PARK SLIM’S LONG-TERM
PARTNER GWEN JOHNSON
FAREWELL
EAGLE PARK
SLIM
PHOTO: PAUL NEEVEL
ocal blues institution and Saturday Market staple
Eagle Park Slim, né Autry McNeace, passed away
at 74 last weekend, leaving behind his partner Gwen
Johnson, his son Donnie McNeace, two grandchil-
dren as well as Johnson’s nine children and 16 grand-
children. While Slim has had a history of heart failure, and
earlier this summer received a wireless heart-monitoring
system implant, Johnson tells EW the results for cause of
death are still pending.
“It is a great loss, but it’s a great loss to the city also,”
Johnson says. “Because he was so loved by everybody.”
Originally from Illinois and Colorado, Slim arrived in
Eugene in 1980 and quickly became a fixture in the local
L
NEWS
Johnson ordered 1,000 “Ain’t No Time to Hate” stick-
ers to hand out, the same stickers and code that many knew
Slim to live by. “We just want to keep Slim alive, through
his music and everything,” she says.
As of press time, the Eagle Park Slim GoFundMe ac-
count has raised $5,999 of the $7,000 goal.
“Eugene is so wonderful,” Johnson says of the help
flooding in. “Even though he’s from Eagle Park, [Illinois],
he said, ‘This is my home.’”
There will also be a tribute for Slim at 12:45 pm Satur-
day, Aug. 27, at the Saturday Market.
To find out more visit the GoFundMe page at bit.
ly/2bMNP60.
well as the symptoms.”
Associate Director Colleen Smith credits the quick rise
in clients to the comprehensive care provided by the two
new nurse practitioners, Valerie Thomas and Jin Park.
In 2010, Willamette Family received a grant through
United Way that allowed it to start offering treatment for
uninsured patients, and it says a $125,000 grant from Tril-
lium Community Health Plan in 2014 allows the nonprofit
to provide more affordable care for uninsured or lower in-
come patients.
“We’re a convenient one-stop shop,” Care Coordinator
Janet Bott says of the Rapid Access Center services which
meld drug, alcohol and mental health programs with medi-
cal care.
Willamette Family began as the Buckley House when
George and Honey Buckley decided to help those strug-
gling with alcohol and drug addiction and opened their
home to house people seeking treatment. The Buckley
House continued to serve and gradually expand through-
out Lane County before rebranding to Willamette Family
Inc., in 2003. The Buckley House that opened in 1967 still
exists and provides “sobering services” across from Wash-
ington-Jefferson Park.
Willamette Family now has eight locations throughout
Lane County and has specialized programs for men, wom-
en and families. Programs range from substance abuse to
child’s mental health to housing for recovering families.
Willamette Family attributes its increase in numbers
treated at its Rapid Access Center to its individualized
care. There are eight peer-support employees, people who
have struggled in the past with substance abuse or other
problems, that help the clients feel more comfortable.
Peer-support employees help the patients stay on top of
their medication, organize transportation and act as a guide
through the treatment process.
“We want to reduce patient stress and give them the
best care possible,” Smith tells EW. “We want everyone
who comes in to be treated like they are the only person
here.”
The nonprofit cites collaborations with other care pro-
viders in Lane County, such as White Bird and Trillium, as
a reason for its ability to provide comprehensive treatment.
“We bring hope,” Smith says. “Hope lives here.”
B Y RYA N M O L O N E Y
NEW TREATMENT
CENTER SURGES
illamette Family Inc., an affordable health
care provider that offers services rang-
ing from mental health to substance abuse
counseling, recently dramatically increased
the number of people it serves at its newest
W
Eugene clinic.
Willamette Family’s new Rapid Access Center and
Medical Clinic opened January 2016 at 12th and Charnel-
ton, and after serving 123 clients in the first month, Wil-
lamette Family says it now serves around 1,000 people per
month.
In a recent newsletter, Willamette Family writes, “This
number is staggering and only goes to show how many
people are seeking help. It is our goal to stop the cycle of
addiction and related disorders by treating the causes as
10
music scene. “When Mount St. Helens erupted,” Johnson
recalls, “he came to town.”
Johnson says family would call him “sunshine.”
“I would say that in the morning when I’d greet him,”
she says. “He’d flash that big old smile, and the twinkle in
his eye.”
Slim did not have insurance, and Johnson is responsible
for medical fees and funeral costs. Johnson’s daughter Ba-
tina Pitts has set up a GoFundMe fundraising page to help
pay for the burial, which Johnson tentatively says is set for
Saturday, Aug. 27, as well as a celebration of life later at
Mac’s at the Vet’s Club on Willamette Street; both are open
to the public with details TBA.
A ugust 25, 2016 • eugeneweekly.com