GRESHAM, OREGON: On December 9 the Wallace Medical Concern (WMC), a non-profit federally qualified health center, will open a second primary care clinic to serve more East County residents. WMC has been providing compassionate, affordable care for low-income individuals and families since 1984—and since 2012 has been providing full primary care at its clinic in the Rockwood Building at NE 181st and NE Couch. The new clinic will be located at 254 NW Burnside Road in Gresham Square shopping center in Gresham, Oregon.
The new clinic will significantly expand access to high quality primary care for underserved and uninsured individuals and families in the Gresham community. WMC’s patient-centered approach focuses on removing barriers individuals have to participating in medical care and improving their health, with services designed to “wrap around” each patient based on their specific circumstances.
“We believe that health care extends beyond the exam room, so we focus on serving the whole person with support and resources that engage them fully in creating good health,” said WMC Chief Executive Officer, Lisa Cline. “For one person that might mean transportation assistance and language interpretation. Someone else might need help locating food resources and enrolling in health insurance. It’s all about listening and partnering with each patient to address their priority needs.”
Cline also noted that increasing numbers in Gresham experience challenges related to ethnic and language differences, homelessness and other barriers to accessing healthcare in a traditional setting. As a federally qualified health center, WMC has specific expertise in navigating patients through what can seem a bewildering and complex health system.
The new clinic marks the first of two major expansions for Wallace during 2016. Later this spring the organization will open a dental clinic adjacent to its Rockwood Building clinic.
