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Oregon Community Health Access Collaboratives

Member Profile

Project Access Washington County (PAWC)
Advisory Council

Contact Information:
Essential Health Clinic
Administrative Office
266 W. Main, MS 68, Hillsboro, OR 97123
Phone: (503) 846-4904
FAX: (503) 846-4493
E-Mail to: sheila_hale@co.washington.or.us

Sponsors/Collaborative Members:

PAWC Advisory Council Members
Dick Stenson, President and CEO, Tuality Healthcare
Janet Meyer, Director, Tuality Health Alliance
Allyson Anderson, Administrator, Legacy Meridian Park Hospital (alternate Cindy Haldorson)
Janice Burger, Administrator, Providence St. Vincent Medical Center (alternate Priscilla Lewis)
Wendy Ray, Director Internalization, Kaiser-Permanente (alternate Sara Lee)
Dr. Sara Hopkins-Powell, Dean, College of Health Professions, Pacific University. (alternate Randy Randolph)
Sue Neal, Board of Directors, Essential Health Clinic
Sheila Hale, Director, Essential Health Clinic
Ann Blaker, grant writer, Essential Health Clinic
Gil Muñoz, Director, Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center (Alternate, Maria Loredo)
Dr. Laura Byerly, Co-Medical Director, Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center
Rod Branyan, Interim Director, Washington County Department of Health and Human Services
Dr. Laura Grandin, Sr. Community Services Analyst, Washington County Department of Health and Human Services

Counties Served:

Washington County

Collaborative Incorporated:

Project Access Washington County (PAWC) is now an official program of Essential Health Clinic, which is a 501-c3 organization.

Overview and Structure:

Project Access Washington County emerged as a result of leaders from the local healthcare community coming together to increase access to care for low income, uninsured county residents. A Project Access model was identified as a promising strategy for Washington County. Applications for funding were submitted to Washington County’s Community Development Block Grant program and to Providence Health Plans’ Community Benefits Council, with the County Department of Health and Human Services serving as fiscal agent. Both applications were successful. In addition, each organization represented on the PAWC board made a substantial commitment of money, time, goods, or services to launch the program. (Including multiple cash contributions from $5000- to $10,000, free office space, a computer and software, claims processing services, grant writing assistance, and program evaluation services)

Soon after start-up funds were secured, in April 2007, the Essential Health Clinic agreed to provide a permanent home for the emerging program. The funds were transferred to the clinic, and the founding board shifted it’s role to become the Essential Health Clinic’s PAWC Advisory Council.

The Advisory Council continues to actively support and guide PAWC’s development. Each member organization signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Essential Health Clinic agreeing to continue their initial commitments over the program’s first two years.

Mission:

To increase access to health care for low-income uninsured Washington County residents.

What services does the collaborative offer – Identify the Critical Activities being undertaking:

The PAWC Advisory Council will support the Essential Health Clinic in the development of the Project Access Program. The program will recruit and coordinate a network of volunteer medical practitioners to provide care to low income uninsured county residents, coordinate patient care, and secure needed ancillary medical services.

How is/has sustainability being/been achieved?

Project Access Advisory Council members are committed to the success of this program. Each organization represented on the Council has signed an MOU articulating a specific, two-year cash or in-kind commitment to the program. Two grants have been received to support the continued work and efforts toward long-term sustainability.

What goal or objective has your collaborative targeted?

• Broaden the network of volunteer specialty care physicians available to low income, uninsured county residents. By December 31, 2008 PAWC will recruit 50 volunteer specialty care physicians, creating a
  capacity to provide care to 200 new patients.
• Demonstrate an increase in the amount/value of donated medical services provided to Washington County residents: A baseline will be created in the first year. Subsequent years will be compared to baseline.

What measure of performance has your collaborative achieved that impacts the target population?

Project Access Washington County built a broad-based collaboration whose members have made concrete commitments of resources and dollars toward supporting the work.

How has you’re your outcome prevented/reduced other problems or demonstrated cost savings?

Too early to tell.

Has your collaborative enhanced revenue?

Through a combination of grants and in-kind donations Project Access Washington County has brought in $250,000 new dollars for the benefit of county residents.

How many People have you or does your collaborative serve by program area and/or active enrollment and individual members served per year?

Too early to tell.

What is the collaborative’s annual budget by revenue (please include in-kind funding in your numbers)

In its new role as the PAWC Advisory Council, the collaborative does not have a budget, but the collaborative brought a $250,000 start-up budget to the Essential Health Clinic.

Lessons Learned:

• Success is more likely if participants include a broad group of key people, with positional authority in their organizations, who focus on a clearly defined community problem/need.
• Know when and how to engage key participants; some phases of the work require “worker bees”, others require “chiefs”.
• The availability of paid staff to support the collaborative makes a big difference in the speed with which plans are realized.
• Skilled facilitation can be very helpful, but should be used in a targeted and time-limited way.
• It’s important to begin cultivating leadership within the collaborative early on.

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