PORTAND, Ore. – Beginning next week, a new partnership between Oregon Health & Science University and Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare will expand health care access in Southeast Portland. This expansion will take place through the opening of the new OHSU Family Medicine at Richmond Walk-In Clinic. The clinic will reside within newly remodeled space in Cascadia Plaza, longtime home to Cascadia's Urgent Walk-In Clinic – the only of its kind in Multnomah County.
The new clinic is just three blocks east of OHSU Family Medicine at Richmond and is considered an extension of the OHSU clinic, which was established in 1995. The Southeast Portland addition will provide health services to local residents and improve access to mental health care through this unique new partnership.
All services are open and available for all, whether insured or uninsured. This collaborative venture is intended to increase access to and promote care for the whole person, both physical and mental/behavioral.
The new walk-in clinic is in the final stages of preparation and is scheduled to open for patient services on Monday, June 24, 2013.
Most of the same services currently available at OHSU Family Medicine at Richmond will be available at the new walk-in clinic. Hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mondaythrough Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
The clinic will offer non-emergency health care when needs arise without warning. The walk-in clinic will also help meet the heightened demand for service during cold and flu season, when same-day clinic appointments can be difficult for families to schedule. In addition, the partnership with Cascadia will greatly aid in the many cases where family medicine and mental health intersect.
"Sharing the same building will also allow for increased care coordination, a key principle of state and federal health reform," explained Erwin Teuber, executive director of OHSU Family Medicine at Richmond. "We look forward to increasing levels of integration between OHSU's clinic and Cascadia over time. We believe this will benefit patients of both organizations in getting the care they need in an efficient and streamlined way."
The addition of the new walk-in clinic was made possible primarily through funding by OHSU and the Bureau of Primary Health Care, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. Cascadia also contributed to remodeling costs.
