BLACKHISTORYMONTH
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Portland Observer
Online
‘City of Roses’
Volume XLV
Number 7
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • February 17, 2016
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
photo by A ndie p etkus
Dr. Alisha Moreland-Capuia of Portland (center) is honored for her work to bring better health outcomes to communities of color, especially mental health services,
during an Oregon Historical Society reception in her honor. She draws support at the event from Self Enhancement founder Tony Hopson and Kay Toran, president and
chief executive oficer of Volunteers of America Oregon.
Making History, Impacting Change
Doctor works to improve mental health services
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t he p ortlAnd o bserver
With every generation, African Americans celebrate
new victories at the forefront of intellectual, political, ar-
tistic and social frontiers.
Here in Portland, Dr. Alisha R. Moreland-Capuia, is one
such leader and a game-changer in the ield of medicine.
by
Dr. Moreland is the irst Oregon-born African American
woman to become a board certiied and licensed psychia-
trist. Her work has been recognized for changing the way
mental health is provided and accessed by people of color.
The Oregon Historical Society presented her with a
“Making History, Impacting Change” award last week for
addressing mental health care needs for diverse popula-
tions as it relates to work on issues of criminal justice,
community and education.
“We are in the heart of criminal justice reform and
health care transformation, and one of the things that
connects those two is mental health,” Dr. More-
land-Capuia says.
C ontinued on p Age 5