OHSU partners with Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare to open new family medicine clinic where no appointment is required
06/20/13 Portland, Ore.
Beginning next week, a new partnership between Oregon Health & Science University and Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare will expand health care access in Southeast Portland. This expansion will take place through the opening of the new OHSU Family Medicine at Richmond Walk-In Clinic. The clinic will reside within newly remodeled space in Cascadia Plaza, longtime home to Cascadia’s Urgent Walk-In Clinic – the only of its kind in Multnomah County.
The new clinic is just three blocks east of OHSU Family Medicine at Richmond and is considered an extension of the OHSU clinic, which was established in 1995. The Southeast Portland addition will provide health services to local residents and improve access to mental health care through this unique new partnership.
All services are open and available for all, whether insured or uninsured. This collaborative venture is intended to increase access to and promote care for the whole person, both physical and mental/behavioral.
The new walk-in clinic is in the final stages of preparation and is scheduled to open for patient services on Monday, June 24, 2013.
Most of the same services currently available at OHSU Family Medicine at Richmond will be available at the new walk-in clinic. Hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
The clinic will offer non-emergency health care when needs arise without warning. The walk-in clinic will also help meet the heightened demand for service during cold and flu season, when same-day clinic appointments can be difficult for families to schedule. In addition, the partnership with Cascadia will greatly aid in the many cases where family medicine and mental health intersect.
“Sharing the same building will also allow for increased care coordination, a key principle of state and federal health reform,” explained Erwin Teuber, executive director of OHSU Family Medicine at Richmond. “We look forward to increasing levels of integration between OHSU’s clinic and Cascadia over time. We believe this will benefit patients of both organizations in getting the care they need in an efficient and streamlined way.”
The addition of the new walk-in clinic was made possible primarily through funding by OHSU and the Bureau of Primary Health Care, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. Cascadia also contributed to remodeling costs.
About OHSU
Oregon Health & Science University is the state’s only academic health and research university. As Portland's largest employer with approximately 14,000 employees, OHSU's size contributes to its ability to provide many services and community support not found anywhere else in the state. OHSU serves patients from every corner of Oregon and is a conduit for learning for more than 4,300 students and trainees. OHSU is the source of more than 200 community outreach programs that bring health and education services to each county in the state.
About Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare
Cascadia is one of Oregon’s largest community behavioral healthcare providers; providing a critical safety net for approximately 12,000 people each year who are struggling with serious mental illness, addictions, and who as a community are disproportionately impacted by physical health issues, poverty and homelessness. Cascadia provides a continuum of crisis intervention, a range of residential treatment, supportive housing and homeless services, and housing, mental health and addictions outpatient services, forensic services, medical services, and affordable housing development.