Project Access Now Honors Health Care Volunteers for Outstanding Service to Portland's Uninsured
Three Portland area clinics and one individual will receive awards at April 30th benefit
(Portland, Ore.) - April 11, 2013 – Project Access NOW (PANOW) will honor Oregon Anesthesiology Group (OAG), Compass Oncology (Compass) and Orthopedic + Fracture Specialists (OFS) for providing volunteer health care to low income and uninsured residents of the Portland metropolitan area. Priscilla Lewis, executive director for community services and development for Providence Health & Services will also receive an individual award. Bridges to Health Care will take place on Tuesday, April 30, at the Oregon Zoo.
OAG was the very first group to commit to PANOW and provided key momentum to get other groups involved in addition to providing anesthesia services for well over half of the surgeries donated through PANOW. Says Laurinda Mackenzie, CEO of OAG, “Oregon Anesthesiology Group gladly supports Project Access NOW [and] their efforts to help ensure the health and welfare of our community.”
Compass (a member of The US Oncology Network) and OFS were also among the first groups that agreed to work with PANOW and have both been incredibly generous with their commitment to the program. Dr. Gregory Patton, Compass’ practice president, explains, “Compass Oncology is proud to partner with Project Access NOW, a lifeline of support for those who need health care assistance. Participation in Project Access NOW aligns with the Compass commitment to provide expert care for cancer patients in the region regardless of insurance coverage challenges.”
Says PANOW’s executive director Linda Nilsen-Solares, “We are so fortunate to have such amazingly generous volunteer partners. None of these groups receive any financial compensation for the care they donate. They do it because they are committed to serving the community.”
Priscilla Lewis is among the most active founders of PANOW. She has been a strong vocal supporter of the current and potential value of PANOW. Her leadership within and between hospital systems has been critical to PANOW’s success. “It is no exaggeration to say that without Priscilla, Project Access NOW would not be the successful and effective organization it is today. We are honored to have her fingerprints all over our work.” Says Nilsen-Solares.
Thanks to the generosity of these volunteers as well as the 3,000 health care providers who donate their time to Project Access NOW, more than 3,400 people in the Portland metropolitan area received health care in 2012 and the value of the services donated exceeded $12 million.
For more information or to reserve seats for the fourth annual Bridges to Health Care event on April 30, please visit www.projectaccessnow.org. There will be opportunities to financially support PANOW at the event, including a Wall of Wine, raffles, and a paddle raise. Sam Imperati will be the emcee for the evening. Live music will be provided during the pre-event reception by Los Gallos Rumba and Portland’s own soul singer, LaRhonda Steele, will perform during the dinner. Thanks to the support of generous event sponsors, there is no cost to attend.
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About Project Access NOW
Project Access NOW (PANOW) plays a unique role in health care transformation, by helping Portland area low-income and uninsured people get the health care they desperately need. With its network of 3,000 volunteer providers, clinics and hospitals, PANOW provides access to medications and free medical visits, surgical procedures, clinics and hospitals. Since 2007, more than 9,000 PANOW patients have improved their health and reduced their emergency room visits by 36 percent. Every dollar PANOW spends results in more than $10 worth of health care-
www.projectaccessnow.org