every day I can help to make a change in someone’s life. - Providence Health & Services · “every day I can help to make a change in someone’s life.” “We are truly grateful

Providence Health & Services in Oregon 2008 Community Benefits Report

“What’s wonderful is that sense that the Sisters of Providence still walk our halls.”“…and the dedication of so many people who work there, taking care of people in our community 24/7, is pretty remarkable.”

“…our Mission is to work with others to bring presence and assistance to the poor and the needy.”

“…every day I can help to make a change in someone’s life.”

“We are truly grateful to Providence for their support.”

“…we see Providence as the generous mother ship, extending out to us, a nimble, little boat navigating the smaller channels in our community.”

2 | www.providence.org/cares

A Providence nurse was recently reflecting on why she chose her career. “My wish to help others began to develop when I was old enough to comprehend that people suffer,” she noted. “I knew I wanted to alleviate as much pain in the world as I could.”

The nurse’s words speak to the heart of our Mission. In this corner of the world, Providence seeks to provide comfort and compassionate care for the people of our Oregon communities, never forgetting the poor and vulnerable.

We focus our community benefit outreach on four specific populations. These are low-income and uninsured people, diverse populations, older citizens, and people with behavioral health needs.

As shown in this Community Benefits Report, our outreach can range from covering the medical bills of a husband and father disabled by diabetes, to financially supporting a nonprofit that embraces older refugees and immigrants.

Providence provided nearly $166 million in community benefits in 2008, including more than $77 million in free care to patients in need.

During these hard economic times in our neighborhoods and our nation, we reinforce our commitment to caring for the poor and vulnerable. This compassionate caring is, and always has been, the heart of our Mission.

Cover photo: Providence St. Vincent nurses Ann Bufkin, R.N. (left), and Heidi Lindner, R.N., cradle little Kaitlin Orem, who benefited from a free “fever kit.” Story on page 8.

Elizabeth McCabeChief Mission Integration Officer, Providence Health & Services, Oregon Region

Russ DanielsonVice President and Chief Executive, Providence Health & Services, Oregon Region

As people of Providence, we reveal God’s love for all, especially the poor and vulnerable, through our compassionate service.

MissionOur

Respect, Compassion, Justice, Excellence, Stewardship

Core ValuesOur

From the beginning of the Sisters of Providence, Mother Gamelin and Mother Joseph taught and showed us that our Mission is to work with others to bring presence and assistance to the poor and the needy.– Sister Rita Ferschweiler, S.P.

The Heart of our Mission | 3

I never felt that I had a family / And no one bothered to understand me. / I never had a smile / I always had a frown. / All my life I always felt down.

In “Family Forever,” a rap song he wrote and performs, Jesus voices the pain and turmoil that have clouded most of his 19 years. He hopes his music will help other young people find the healing that has come to him.

“Jesus has such a good heart, but he’s had such a hard life,” says Sommer Wolcott, a staff member with ChristieCare, which provides critically needed mental health treatment for children and families. Born to parents who couldn’t care for him, Jesus lived in a succession of foster homes and other settings while struggling with mental health issues. He reacted to stress with rage or withdrawal.

Life changed for Jesus after he moved into ChristieCare’s Mosaic House, a residence for young adults transitioning from the mental health system to the community. “Mosaic has given Jesus a chance

to be safe and stable,” says Sommer, the home’s program manager, “and to gain the skills he will need to be a healthy, successful adult.”

Jesus has blossomed into a role model at Mosaic House, one of the innovative ChristieCare programs made possible by grants from community partners such as Providence. He holds down maintenance and kitchen jobs on the ChristieCare campus south of Lake Oswego. He’s reestablished contact with his birth mother and keeps in touch with his adoptive mother and younger siblings. Having resisted the lure of gangs, Jesus is committed to setting a positive example.

“I don’t want other kids to go through what I’ve gone through. I want to make change through my music,” Jesus says. Family is all I need / Forever.

Providence gave $3,878,925 in community benefit donations to support some 215 nonprofit organizations and service agencies around Oregon in 2008.

Creating change in one life and in many

Sommer admires the young man Jesus has become. “We know each other really well,” she says.


Like a cherry orchard in blossom, Roberto Nuñez-Elisea’s life teemed with promise. He had settled in Hood River with his wife, Lilia, and son to lead Oregon State University’s sweet cherry research program. In 2007, the couple decided to fulfill a longtime dream of running their own consulting business in fruit production.

Then the pain started. At first Roberto thought it must be a return of kidney stones, but the pain in his back and right side grew worse. Tests last summer revealed aggressive kidney cancer.

“Everything changed,” Roberto says, recalling the agonizing pain, the spine operation, the multiple other surgeries and treatments at Providence Cancer Center in Portland. He struggled to walk. He could no longer do the work he loved.

“The odds were all against me, you know. I said, ‘It’s not my turn yet. I’ve got a lot of things I still want to do.’”

Roberto’s resolve got a boost when he met Veronica Ortiz-Tapia at Providence Hood River Memorial

Cultivating resolve in the Hood River Valley

Hospital. She coordinates the hospital’s Medication Assistance Program, which provides free medications for patients in financial need, mainly by applying to charitable programs offered by drug companies.

Through Veronica’s efforts, Roberto has been receiving some $20,000 worth of lifesaving cancer drugs every month. “There’s just no way we could afford that, without my ability to work,” he says. “She’s been very, very helpful to us.”

Some Providence staff call Roberto a “miracle man” for his warm-spirited endurance. He feels very optimistic about recovering and about retiring his walker. “I’m letting my hair go crazy,” he quips of his curly locks. “I’m defying cancer.”

Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital provided $4,113,000 in community benefits during 2008, including $2,602,000 in free care to patients in need.

To Roberto, Veronica’s perseverance in making medications available to him has been “a lifesaver.”

My work with Providence is very rewarding. I feel like every day I can help to make a change in someone’s life.

- Veronica Ortiz-Tapia, medication resource specialist, Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital


When Saigon fell to the Communists in 1975, Teresa Tho Dang and her future husband crowded onto a fishing boat, fleeing Vietnam for their lives. Today, this survivor of the massive “boat people” exodus is quietly working to save the lives of others.

Teresa volunteers as a health promoter teaching women in Portland’s Vietnamese community how to protect themselves against breast and cervical cancers. Ironically, soon after signing on, she discovered a lump in her breast. “So I think, wow, this is a good way to have other people find out (about early detection), by my experience.” Fortunately the lump was benign.

“The Vietnamese women are very hard-working, taking care of family, and they don’t take care of themselves,” Teresa says. She helps them understand the need for breast self-exams, mammograms and Pap tests. She eases their cultural embarrassment about such personal matters. She reassures them that a lack of insurance or English skills should not keep them away from a doctor’s office.

Believing “God created us to help other people,” the dedicated volunteer looks for these one-on-one teaching opportunities during her part-time work as a Vietnamese interpreter. She often makes medical appointments for the women, including free screenings, and even accompanies them to the doctor.

Teresa is among scores of trained volunteer health educators in a Vietnamese Volunteer Health Promoters program sponsored by Providence Portland Medical Center, the Susan G. Komen For the Cure Foundation and the Vietnamese Health Promotion Organization. In October 2008, the program drew some 300 people to a free Vietnamese Health Fair designed to enhance – and save – more lives.

Providence Portland Medical Center provided $51,547,000 in community benefits during 2008, including $24,660,000 in free care to patients in need.

A personal commitment to saving lives

Teresa feels grateful for her own good health and wants others to share her peace of mind.


It started as a restful August evening together in Denise Arnold’s household, her husband and 4-year-old son absorbed in a video game, and toddler Tristan cuddled on her knee.

In a split second Denise turned her head to see an object flying toward her face. Little Tristan had abruptly leaned backward as he sat on her lap. “The back of his head just pops me right on the nose,” she remembers. “And then all of a sudden it was get the tissues out, because I’m spurting blood.”

More than the pain, what jolted Denise was knowing that she needed to see a doctor but had no health insurance. Husband Richard’s medical benefits didn’t cover her. “I was just really concerned about the finances,” she says, and balked at seeking treatment.

Finally, driven by concern that her badly bent nose was broken, Denise went to the Providence Newberg

Medical Center emergency room. She was treated and referred to otolaryngologist Greg Porter, M.D., of Providence Medical Group – Newberg for nose surgery.

Denise emerged with a well-restored nose and tears of relief: both Providence Newberg and Dr. Porter wrote off all of her care. “It was amazing and wonderful, and the doctor was so nice.”

Afterward, the homemaker, Girl Scout leader and aspiring nurse midwife told her children what the financial assistance meant to the family. “I explained to them, ‘It’s what Daddy makes in two months....’ I wanted to make sure they understood that there was someone else out there taking care of our family.”

Providence Newberg Medical Center provided $4,404,000 in community benefits during 2008, including $3,329,000 in free care to patients in need.

An unexpected family drama

Denise and Tristan pose with family members (from left) Reid, Bradley, Richard and Chelsie.


Twenty thousand miles and who knows how many grapefruits, bananas and potatoes were rung up by Partners for Seniors volunteers last year on the northern Oregon coast. Giving older adults a lift to the grocery store is just one of the ways these volunteers help elders stay more independent and involved.

“Partners for Seniors is a terrific gift that we can give to our community,” says Darlene Harbison, a volunteer from Cannon Beach. “Our seniors feel like they are meeting a new friend. A bond gets created between us, and it gives them the freedom they need to be able to live an active life at home.”

In her volunteer work, Darlene has formed a warm friendship with Gladys Sawyer. “I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have Darlene,” says the Seaside senior. “She helps me do everything.” They’ve sometimes combined their grocery outings with picking up Gladys’ prescriptions or going to her medical appointments.

Partners for Seniors is a program of Faith in Action, a nonprofit service organization. Besides transportation and shopping, the Partners volunteers also make friendly visits, do chores, stay in touch with elders by phone and provide other services. Drivers even take seniors to Portland for medical care.

To fund its work, Partners for Seniors depends on grants from community organizations such as Providence Seaside Hospital. Funds provide volunteers with liability insurance and, as desired, a small reimbursement for mileage.

For Darlene and Gladys, the companionship is priceless. Gladys recently moved into an assisted living facility but still enjoys regular visits from her well-traveled friend.

Providence Seaside Hospital provided $3,493,000 in community benefits during 2008, including $2,924,000 in free care to patients in need.

Giving a lift to the lives of older adults

A trip through the produce section is more fun for Darlene (left) and Gladys when they’re together.


“Fever is your friend,” some pediatricians like to say. After all, a child’s high temperature is not an illness but rather a symptom, a sign that a little one’s body is fighting an infection.

Still, worried parents flock to hospital emergency rooms, seeking relief for their feverish children and sometimes reassurance that their offspring won’t suffer fever-caused seizures. While some of these hospital visits are medically necessary, most fevers can be handled at home.

Giving parents just the tools they need are “fever kits” created by the Emergency Department at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. Each kit includes a digital thermometer, liquid acetaminophen, a syringe, a dosing chart to ensure correct amounts, and information on tracking and treating fevers. The information is available in English, Spanish, Russian and Vietnamese.

“Our Pediatric Patient Care Committee thought giving the parents the tools and the knowledge to

confidently care for their children would be a great thing,” notes Heidi Lindner, R.N., an Emergency Department charge nurse. “When we give the kit to the parents, it feels really good and makes the parents feel good. It lets them know we care and have confidence in them to care for their children. We empower the parents.”

With funding from Providence Health Plans, emergency staff hand out the free fever kits to families needing assistance. All told, the kits reduce unnecessary visits to the emergency room, decrease costs, make countless children more comfortable, and lower the anxiety thermostat for loving moms and dads.

Providence St. Vincent Medical Center provided $48,532,000 in community benefits during 2008, including $24,599,000 in free care to patients in need.

Getting familiar with children’s fevers

Young patient Kaitlin Orem tries out a fever kit as Ann Bufkin, R.N. (left), and Heidi Lindner, R.N., supervise.


Gazing across the harbor years ago as their truck bustled along, Micah and Holly Bernabe had only moments to admire the distant Statue of Liberty. Their long-haul schedule allowed no time for sightseeing.

This year they have the time – and the determination, steeled by a painful ordeal. The Portland couple is setting off this spring on a journey across the United States that they dub “Walk n Roll,” with Holly traveling by foot and Micah by wheelchair.

The wheelchair became part of Micah’s life in 2008. Diagnosed nine years ago with type 2 diabetes, he recalls: “From there the odyssey began of me being in denial.” Nonchalance toward taking his medicines and watching his diet, and a spiraling depression, led to diabetic infections and eventually the amputation last summer of his lower left leg.

Meanwhile, Holly despaired at “watching him kill himself.” The couple separated. “That was just so hard because we get along so well,” she says. “He’s my best friend in the whole world.”

Providence Milwaukie Hospital helped Micah find his way back. The hospital provided his care at no charge, and helped him enroll in the Oregon Health Plan. As well, Providence Milwaukie advocated for and funded his respite care in Central City Concern’s Recuperation Care Program.

“I’m really proud of Micah. He’s come a long way,” Holly says. On their walk across the country, the amiable couple, accompanied by their children, hopes to raise awareness of diabetes. Holly, a film student, plans to make a documentary of their adventure.

They imagine the end of their journey – the Statue of Liberty standing before them. “And we both start getting tears in our eyes,” Holly says.

Providence Milwaukie Hospital provided $9,750,000 in community benefits during 2008, including $4,619,000 in free care to patients in need.

A long way traveled, a good journey ahead

With brisk morning walks and other workouts, Micah and Holly build endurance for their trek.


Inhabited by Raggedy Ann and Andy, a pink octopus and other colorful characters, the vividly decorated space doesn’t much resemble a medical exam room. And that is the intent.

The Jackson County Children’s Advocacy Center offers a safe, reassuring environment to help abused children begin the healing process. This Medford center cares for young victims of physical, sexual and emotional abuse.

“We’re here to tell them they’re going to be OK, that they didn’t do anything wrong,” says medical director Kerri Hecox, M.D. “We’re the first step in the child’s transition to recovery.”

Dr. Hecox’s position with the center was funded in part by a $25,000 contribution from Providence Medford Medical Center in 2008. “We depend on the community standing behind us to make this work for the children,” the pediatrician says. “Without the support, these fragile children would end up in

emergency rooms, which can be very traumatizing for them.”

In 2008, more than 800 children received care at the center, many of them requiring medical exams to look for forensic evidence. These noninvasive procedures take several hours and include care from social workers and therapists as well as medical treatment. Sometimes, it’s the first time a child has been seen by a physician.

Children’s Advocacy Center executive director Marlene Mish says of Dr. Hecox, “She’s very reassuring in a time when the child is most vulnerable. Dr. Hecox represents that one person in the child’s life who can tell them they’re going to be fine – and have the child believe it.”

Providence Medford Medical Center provided $16,179,000 in community benefits during 2008, including $9,344,000 in free care to patients in need.

In a child-friendly setting, Dr. Hecox helps young victims of abuse feel more at ease.

Bringing children to a safe, healing place


On their threadbare budget, Torgom Avakyan and his wife, Valentyna Bortnichuk, took meticulous care of their little white ’99 Suzuki Swift. “The car was everything to us,” Valentyna notes, “our legs and arms.”

So the couple from Ukraine was devastated when in October 2008 their car was stolen. The stress sent Torgom – a Jewish refugee with diabetes, difficulty walking and failing eyesight – to the hospital with a heart condition. For days the couple couldn’t get groceries or insulin.

Torgom and Valentyna turned to Jewish Family & Child Service’s Integrated Senior Access Project, which has been a lifeline for years for the once-isolated couple.

“When we found out about this program, we felt like we were born again,” Valentyna remembers. It provides vital services to low-income seniors, many of whom are Russian-speaking refugees and immigrants with heartbreaking needs.

The program connects seniors to community resources such as transportation, medical assistance and social activities. It provides translation and interpretation, English language and citizenship classes, and case management.

Bilingual case manager Rita Shmulevsky helped Torgom and Valentyna fill out a police report about the car theft. And, after the badly damaged vehicle was recovered, Rita helped them with a victim impact statement and other paperwork. Their car is back on the road.

A refugee from Latvia, Rita herself benefited from the nonprofit Jewish Family & Child Service when she settled in Portland. In 2008 Providence gave a $25,000 grant to support the important work of the Integrated Senior Access Project.

“They need us,” Rita says of the older adults she serves. “They truly need us.”

During 2008, Providence gave $834,987 in community benefit donations to support organizations that serve elderly people and culturally diverse groups.

Case manager Rita (right) helps seniors such as Valentyna and Torgom overcome loneliness, language barriers and other difficulties. The couple has no local family.

The language of caring

In our Integrated Senior Access Project we respond to people with such poignant needs. We are truly grateful to Providence for their support.

- Marian Fenimore, executive director, Jewish Family & Child Service


Nurturing the skill and altruism of residents

Eugene Johnson worked all his life until a shipyard accident injured his back and drove him onto disability. In addition to chronic back pain, the 67-year-old Portlander lives with an array of other health problems including heart disease, hypertension and gout. He finds a balm in picking up his bass guitar and singing gospel music.

Gene finds another type of comfort in visiting the Providence Ambulatory Care and Education (PACE) clinic at Providence Portland Medical Center. There, Erik Geissal, M.D., always greets him with a smile and a well-honed understanding of his needs. “He gives me all his attention,” Gene says, “and the nurses do too.”

A third-year resident in Providence Portland’s Internal Medicine Residency Program, Dr. Geissal serves as primary care physician for Gene and about 100 other PACE clinic patients. Staffed by both faculty and residents, the clinic gives residents

invaluable training in providing skilled, respectful care for patients from diverse medical, socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds.

“What we’re trying to do is to nurture the altruism of our residents,” Mark Rosenberg, M.D., says of the residency he directs. “They come to us wanting to provide service, and we want to provide them a venue where they can feel both challenged and supported in providing care for the underserved.” Four out of 10 PACE patients are uninsured or on Medicaid.

Residents care for their PACE patients throughout the residency experience. Says Dr. Geissal, “It’s a relationship that, even though it lasts only three years, is still a profound one.”

The PACE clinic provided $2,253,403 in community benefits during 2008, including $750,089 in free care to patients in need.

For Dr. Geissal, knowing Gene and other patients well leads to providing better care for them.


In our shared commitment to excellent end-of-life care, we see Providence as the generous mother ship, extending out to us, a nimble, little boat navigating the smaller channels in our community.

– Patricia Cary, executive director, Martha & Mary Ministries

Providence Health & Services partners with many nonprofit organizations and service agencies around Oregon that share our commitment to serving the poor and vulnerable. These organizations touch people’s lives in so many ways, easing the burdens of illness, financial hardship, family turmoil, grief, loneliness and more.

Here are just some of the partners we are pleased to work with through our financial sponsorships, grants and other support.

Community partners with heart

Black United Fund of Oregon

Building Bridges

Central City Concern

Children’s Center of Clackamas County

Children’s Relief Nursery

Clatsop Community Action

Community Outreach, Inc. (Benton County)

Domestic Violence Resource Center

Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon

Hood River County School District Nursing Program

Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization

La Clinica del Valle (Jackson County)

LifeWorks Northwest

The Lighthouse for Kids (Clatsop County)

Loaves and Fishes (Clark County)

Martha & Mary Ministries

My Father’s House Community Shelter

Native American Youth Association

Northwest Family Services

Open Door Counseling Center

Oregon Food Bank

Our House of Portland

Outside In

Portland Rescue Mission – Shepherd’s Door Women and Children’s Shelter

Restoration House, Inc. (Clatsop County)

Self Enhancement, Inc.

Shiloh Ministries Food Bank

St. Vincent de Paul Society (Clatsop, Jackson and Lane counties)

Urban League of Portland

Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center

Youth Guidance Association

YWCA Salem


Providence Health & Services in Oregon

Community benefits: our Mission in action during 2008

A financial overview of how we contribute to our communities

Free medical care

Health services for underserved patients

Oregon Health Plan and other government- sponsored medical care

Medical education and research

Community health and wellness

Grants and donations

Total cost of care and services donated in 2008

Statewide giving by our seven hospitals*

$ 72,077,000 $ 4,244,000 $ 40,870,000 $ 16,681,000 $ 3,150,000 $ 1,368,000 $138,390,000

Providence Health Plans

$ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 6,272,000 $ 1,084,000 $ 7,356,000

Other program and clinic giving around the state

$ 4,944,000 $ 2,046,000 $ 6,243,000 $ 2,093,000 $ 3,456,000 $ 1,427,000 $ 20,209,000

Total cost $ 77,021,000 $ 6,290,000 $ 47,113,000 $ 18,774,000 $ 12,878,000 $ 3,879,000 $165,955,000**

*Also includes Providence Child Center and certain safety net clinics

Financial assistance for the uninsured and others who cannot pay for their care

Subsidized care for underinsured, including most of our primary care safety net clinics

Subsidies to make up the difference between the cost of care and what is paid by state and federal government – does not include Medicare

Subsidies for medical residency programs, nursing and other education, and medical research

Free community- building services such as patient education, health screenings, immunizations and support groups

Community- building grants, cash gifts, and in-kind donations such as food, medical supplies and child safety seats

**All totals are rounded


What’s wonderful is that sense that the Sisters of Providence still walk our halls.– Elaine Ritchey, R.N., Providence Medford Medical Center

Total 2008 community benefits from Providence Health & Services in Oregon: $165,955,000

Providence Health & Services in OregonProvidence St. Vincent Medical Center, Portland n Providence Portland Medical Center

Providence Milwaukie Hospital n Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital Providence Newberg Medical Center n Providence Seaside Hospital

Providence Medford Medical Center n Providence Child Center, Portland Providence ElderPlace, Portland and Gresham n Providence Benedictine Nursing Center, Mt. Angel

Providence Senior Village, Hood River n Providence Seaside Extended Care Providence Home and Community Services n Providence Health Plans

Providence Medical Group clinics n Providence Graduate Medical Education clinics

Free medical care 46.4%

Oregon Health Plan and other government- sponsored medical care 28.4%

Community health and wellness 7.8%

Health services for underserved patients 3.8%

Medical education and research 11.3%

Grants and donations2.3%

2008 community benefits by percentage

2006 2007 2008

180

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Community benefits increased 31.8 percent from 2006 to 2008Total community benefits(in millions)

$145.7

$1XX.9

$125.9

$165.9

290477 RP 3-09

Providence Health & Services in Oregon

1235 N.E. 47th Avenue, Suite 299 Portland, Oregon 97213

Providence Resource Line

503-574-6595 n 1-800-562-8964

www.providence.org/oregon

Providence Health & Services, a not-for-profit health system, is an equal opportunity organization in the provision of health care services and employment opportunities.

Providence Health & Services in Oregon is a not-for-profit network of hospitals, care centers, health plans, physicians, home health services, clinics and other services. We continue a tradition of caring that the Sisters of Providence began in the West more than 150 years ago.

Confronting desperation,experiencing hope

Some arrive desperate for help. Others who come to the Hooper Detoxification Center “are in the early stage of self-destruction,” says Ed Blackburn, and unable to grasp the impact of their substance abuse.

Ed supervises the center as executive director of Central City Concern, a Portland nonprofit that guides the homeless, addicted and poor toward self-sufficiency. The agency’s Hooper Detox Center opens a path to recovery for people incapacitated in public by alcohol or drugs.

“Hooper Center is really a very special place,” Ed reflects. “There’s a very high sense of mission, and for me it’s a spiritual place – a place where people are really confronting desperation in their lives and experiencing some hope that things can be different for them.”

As part of a health care consortium donating to Hooper, Providence committed $246,000 for 2008-09 to help keep the center’s “sobering station” running. Publicly drunk and

Ed stands beside the special van that transports people to the sobering station.

The professionalism of Providence and the dedication of so many people who work there, taking care of people in our community 24/7, is pretty remarkable.

– Ed Blackburn, executive director, Central City Concern

drug-affected people are brought there, rather than to hospitals or jails, to sober up. Some move on to Hooper’s detox program that offers medical treatment, counseling and a warm bed.

An earlier donation from Providence of an additional $100,000 is helping Hooper Detox Center remodel a Ramada Inn to serve more people needing support and hope.

“What’s wonderful is that sense that the Sisters of Providence still walk our halls.”

Documents

every day I can help to make a change in someone’s life. - Providence Health & Services · “every day I can help to make a change in someone’s life.” “We are truly grateful