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Southeast Health Center Reopening Represents 'Triumph of Can-Do Attitude Over Austerity,' Says Jeff Cogen

April 20, 2013 – Nine years ago, the Multnomah County Health Department's Southeast Health Center – situated at the intersection of Southeast Powell and 34th Avenue – fell prey to a series of drastic cuts to county-funded services – keeping dental care services but sending patients elsewhere for county services. Now it's back.
April 20, 2013

April 20, 2013 – Nine years ago, the Multnomah County Health Department's Southeast Health Center – situated at the intersection of Southeast Powell and 34th Avenue – fell prey to a series of drastic cuts to county-funded services – keeping dental care services but sending patients elsewhere for county services.

Now it's back.

“The reopening of the Southeast Health Center is a triumph of the can-do attitude over austerity,” said Multnomah County Chair Jeff Cogen at Friday's ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Remarking that the clinic opened after a “long and tragic week in our country,” marked by explosions in Boston and rural Texas, and the ongoing search for suspects connected to the former, Cogen said the clinic's reopening also offered an opportunity to reflect on the better parts of human nature.

“This is a community coming together, caring for itself,” Cogen said, noting that southeast Portland has “the greatest diversity and the most poverty” in the city.

Multnomah County Health Department Director Lilian Shirley, who spoke immediately after Cogen, said 32 percent of people who live in southeast Portland lack health insurance, and that homelessness in southeast increased by 31 percent in the last year alone.

The county was able to reopen the clinic, she said, with assistance from CareOregon, Kaiser Permanente and Providence Health System, though she did not elaborate on the details of this partnership.

County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury talked about a constituent of hers named Cindy who has been a patient at the county's west side clinic (situated in downtown Portland) for many years, and was “really nervous” when she found out about impending changes to healthcare at the state and county level. Cindy feels like such a part of the system that she regularly contacts Kafoury and county health officials to let them know how she feels about the care she receives, representing what Kafoury described as a shift to more patient-centered care.

“We need people to be engaged,” Kafoury said. “This model needs to be the future of healthcare.”

Kafoury echoed Cogen's comments about the wraparound services offered by the clinic, which will aim to be a medical home for uninsured and low-income people in the neighborhood.

“When folks come into this facility, they're not just going to be numbers, they're not just going to be body parts,” Cogen said. Instead, they'll have consistent providers and receive personalized care, and will hopefully be engaged in the process of ensuring that care is delivered correctly.

“When we talk about the American dream, it's a dream that's inclusive,” said County Commissioner Judy Shiprack. “To realize it, we really need to share it. It's the city's aspiration to provide culturally appropriate care.”

Shirley also thanked the dental clinic and its staff for their patience during the clinic's remodel. The clinic continued to provide dental services throughout the ceremony, with patients waiting in the lobby where the ceremony was held, along with an audience of about 50 people wearing “I (Heart) SEHC” buttons.

After the ribbon was cut – by County Commissioner Loretta Smith, with the three commissioners who spoke assisting – the ceremony concluded with a tai chi sword dance, performed by four members of the Asian Health and Community Center, just across the street from the Southeast Health Center.  

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