Page A3 lanuaiy 16. 2008 Goal is Decent Healthcare for All County faces hurdle with grassroots solutions in R AYMOND Rl •MILKMAN Tin P ortland O bserver Among all the major com m unity- justice challenges, none presents more com plications than providing an entire population w ith decent healthcare. Despite serious budget lim ita ­ tions to address preexisting dis­ parities in a wide range o f ailments, the M ultnom ah C ounty H ealth Department tackles the issues us­ ing grassroots methods. The c itiz e n -le d C o m m u n ity Health Council represents patients' concerns to department leadership in a key way that the agency avoids top-down management. A direct lin k between officia ls and com m u­ nity members, many o f whom are department patients, is especially im p o rta n t c o n s id e rin g the struggles that the county faces in providing healthcare to all. V isit one o f the county's health clinics, and the firs t thing y o u 'll probably notice is its crow d o f d i­ verse patients in the w aiting room. O fficialscalculatethatm oreclinics, especially in East County, w ould generate sim ila r scenes o f people. "W e could open another c lin ic a number o f places and be fille d up, so there's many more people out there who need the services in the com m unity than our capacity al­ low s,” says L illia n Shirley, depart­ ment director. Such an overburdened system m ight be easier to run through a strict hierarchy, but Shirley w e l­ comes the advice o f normal fo lk by engaging w ith the council during its meetings, a practice above and beyond what the federal rules de­ mand. "T echnically you don’ t need to have the director there,” says Kate Yen, council coordinator, "but we make a sincere e ffo rt to make it hig h -p ro file and let the com m unity make a difference.” The effort to bridge the gap be­ tween populations and leadership makes all the difference fo r a coun­ c il member like Ruth Duran, who has strong ties w ith the Hispanic com m unity and advocates fo r cu l­ tural s e n s itiv ity and translated materials at every opportunity. “ People have to know that, re­ gardless p f y o u r c u ltu re , you should be treated the same,” Duran says. "T h is is the United States, so it's tim e we started liv in g up to our name.” C o n sid e rin g that h a lf o f the c o u n ty 's clients are c h ild re n ages 18 and under, another co u n cil more uninsured patients are being seen at the county clinics, includ­ ing the facility on Northeast M artin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Accord­ ing to last year's annual report, more than 28,(XX) o f the 62,300 people w ho received healthcare services from the county last year d id n ’ t have insurance, m arking about a four-percent increase in the total number o f patients and the proportion o f uninsured front the year before. "T here's no place to send the b ill, so the county itse lf from its general fund has had to pick that up," Shirley says, acknowledging the com m unity-w ide challenge o f assuring access to quality care for as many people as possible w ithin increasingly lim ited budget. A lthough the past decade sig­ n ifica n tly altered demographics o f the northeast c lin ic 's surrounding neighborhood, its patient demo­ graphics have remained steady. It still serves Hispanics at the highest photo in R aymond R t ndi km an /T iie P ortland O bserv er rate fol lowed by blacks then whites, Community Health Council members Ruth Duran (left) and Bonnie Malone meet outside the the same breakdown it saw when Multnomah County Health Centerin northeast Portland. the area was m ajority-black. Northeast C lin ic D irector Bob m em ber named Bonnie M alone Duran. The three o f them discussed T h ro u g h th e ir meeting w ith Saum sees as reflective o f ongoing advocates fo r school-based c lin ­ the importance o f talking about county and state representatives, civil-rig h ts struggles along the sym­ ics w h e n eve r possible, saying problems before they become fo r­ and theircom m itm ent to healthcare bolic boulevard, access as an issue o f justice, Yen. th a t the c o u n c il is to u g h on mal, widespread concerns. "H is vision o f people being c o u n ty leadership. "W ith any system there's going Duran and Malone proceeded to judged by the content o f their char­ Malone had just finished meet­ to be something, but w e're striving relate their struggle with worldwide acter rather than the co lo r o f their ing w ith a patient in an e ffo rt to to fix that th ro u g h e le c tro n ic c ivil-rig h ts struggles, a sentiment skin is significant, and I think that mediate a healthcare-quality com ­ records, more oversight and a more easily found at the local health level. addressing health disparities is in plaint when she met w ith Yen and holistic approach,” Yen said. Reflecting countyw ide trends. line w ith that visio n ," Saum says. Sòii! King Memorial Construction Nears (A P ) - Construction is slated to begin this spring on the long- planned M a rtin L u th e r K in g Jr. M e m o ria l on the N ational M a ll in W ashington, D.C. An artist's sketch shows the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial coming to the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. "K eep A liv e the Dream” 'contin- ues to be recognized as one o f the finest com m unity-based M a rtin Luther K ing Jr. celebrations in the U.S., as it gives voice to comm on citizens by showcasing the greater Portland com m unity's response to historic achievements "against all odds" fo r c iv il rights and human d ignity. The stage program begins at I I a.m. on Monday, Jan. 21 at H ig h ­ land Christian Center, 76(X) N.L. Glisan St.. Regional, national and local talent w ill converge in adi verse program o f music, dance, theater, awards and presentations against a backdrop o f gospel choirs in humble tribute to the American civil-rights movement for human dignity. . A donation o f $4 or four items o f nonperishable food fo r the Oregon Lood Bank w ill be accepted at the event. Sylvester Recovers from Second Hip Surgery most popular entertain­ Portland blues m usi­ ers, w ith a career that cian Norman Sylvester spans more than four had successful hip re­ decades. He has re­ placement surgery Jan. leased three full-length 8 at Portland A dventist albums under his own Medical center. name, and performed at S y lv e s te r has had the A rle n e S chnitzer such surgeries before; Concert H all, the Port­ both his hips had been land W aterfront Blues replaced in 2000, undone Norman Sylvester F e s tiv a l, S e a ttle 's o f his artificial hips failed after an automobile accident in 2006. Bumbershoot, the M ount Hood Recovery tim e is expected to be at Jazz Festival, local live television and radio, as w ell as thousands ol least tw o months. Sylvester. 62. is one o f the region’s nightclub performances. Renee Mitchell “ T angoing w ith Tornadoes,” a story speaking to dom estic v io ­ lence and the pow er o f o u r words, is com ing to the C enter fo r S e lf Enhancement, Inc. (S E I), 3920 N. K erby A ve., fo r a series o f p u b lic performances. Producer Renee M itc h e ll calls the play a “ choreopoem " because it includes music, poetry, singing and in te r p r e tiv e d a n ce . She T riM e t bus and light-rail sched­ ules for M arin Luther King Jr. Day. Monday. Jan. 2 1 w ill be m odified Io match rider demand. Because ridership on the h o li­ 1 day is expected to decrease by 25 percent over a normal weekday, the transportation agency is providing more service than a typical holiday/ Sunday schedule. Max trains w ill run on Saturday schedule a n d 5 9 o f the most heavily- traveled bus lines w ill run on week­ day schedules. Eighteen bus routes w ill run on Saturday schedule, and 11 weekday express lines w ill be canceled. For more inform ation on routes and schedules, visit trimet.org or call5()3-238-RIDE. N M A R K E T Pfarmaat s AT A R B O R îr< in s fe ra Cp rCUS,° 'n e ml 9et a J jo « T r,p,i° n