As we celebrate National Health Center Week (Aug 4-10), the Washington Association for Community Health (Association) is happy to announce that a new Community Health Center (CHC) joined our membership, One Community Health (OCH).
Based in Hood River, Oregon, OCH now serves 38,000 patients with their expansion into White Salmon and Stevenson, Washington. They serve Skamania and Klickitat counties along with Hood River and Wasco counties in Oregon.
Originally La Clínica del Cariño Family Health Care Center, Inc., OCH was founded in 1986 by local advocates aiming to fill gaps in care for farm workers and their families. Their original focus on farm workers, children, and maternal health care led to an expansive OB/GYN program.
Today, OCH’s OB/GYN program is one of their strongest and delivers many of the babies in and around the Columbia River Gorge. OCH has community health workers (CHWs) and nurses dedicated to prenatal care and helping their patients navigate the health care system.
Michele Shrum-Guerrero, Communications Manager for OCH, has witnessed the impact of the specialized services on their patients.
“The community health workers especially walk hand-in-hand with the pregnant person and their partner during their whole prenatal care. They make sure they have all their appointments, they go over lab results, and they do education. It [provides] this level of support that you really can’t get even if you have good insurance.”
OCH also has a diabetes and a chronic disease program called Salud. The program provides certified diabetes educators, CHWs, and nurses directly assigned to the program. Like their OB/GYN model, the CHWs help with case management and education.
Shrum-Guerrero, who used to work as a dietitian, said, “Often clinicians are not the best at explaining health and medical information in terms that people understand, especially if there is a language or cultural barrier. The community health workers are good at really listening, knowing what the patients need, and interpreting medical jargon.”
Salud also provides cooking classes called “Salud’s Kitchen”, which is an interactive class focused on creating healthier versions of traditional foods. Exercise classes are also available to patients, who can choose between Zumba, yoga, and strength training classes.
Operating on a similar philosophy to Salud, OCH has an Integrated Medication Assisted Treatment (IMAT) program dedicated nurses and peer support specialists serving individuals dealing with chronic opiate use. The program, used by many health centers across the state, is based on a medical model that pairs treatment with counseling.
The program’s peer support specialists are folks with lived experience who often work outside the CHC to connect with folks who need treatment. Shrum-Guerrero said they assist in getting folks to a place where they are ready to enter the program.
We are honored to have OCH join the Association. Happy National Health Center Week!
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