Portland, OR – The Oregon Primary Care Association (OPCA) is pleased to announce its 2018-2019 Awards of Excellence.
Each year OPCA takes pride in honoring the individuals and organizations of community health centers who do outstanding work to provide quality health and health care services for people experiencing poverty and marginalization in Oregon. This year, eight awardees from four community health centers were honored for their contributions. Awards were presented at OPCA’s Annual Meeting today, May 17, 2019, at Mercy Corps in Portland.
“OPCA is delighted to be able to recognize the accomplishments of the award recipients, said Board President Ron Hjelm. “The selection committee is humbled every year by the challenging task of choosing award winners in each category because of the extraordinary work that is highlighted in the nominations we review. The community health centers are truly providing innovative, compassionate, and remarkable services in their communities throughout Oregon.”
Denise Weiss, Quality Director at Rinehart Clinic, will be honored with the CHC Value award for fostering a clinic culture focused on improving patient care. Weiss has led numerous initiatives to improve diabetes care, patient wait times, the clinic phone system and intake/discharge process, and development of Tillamook County’s only Medication Assisted Treatment program to treat opioid use disorder.
CHC Value award: Denise Weiss, Rinehart Clinic
Denise Weiss, Quality Director at Rinehart Clinic, was nominated for fostering a clinic culture focused on improving patient care. Weiss’ dedication to improving the patient experience is evident in her approach to co-facilitating Rinehart Clinic’s Patient Advisory Council. Weiss uses a structured process to gather input and formulate an action plan, and always circles back with updates to let council members know their feedback is valued and making a difference. Council guidance has led to measurable improvements in the clinic’s patient wait times, phone system, and intake/discharge process. She also spearheads numerous quality improvement initiatives that range from diabetes control to development of Tillamook County’s only Medication Assisted Treatment program to treat opioid use disorder. These and other programs have shown dramatic improvements, leading to invitations to Weiss and her team members to present at multiple regional conferences. Coworkers describe the secret to her success as a passionate approach that inspires improvements and champions the entire team’s successes.
One Health Equity award will go to two awardees, the team of Angelica J Godinez Garcia, Promotora y Navegadora de Inscripción (Outreach & Enrollment Navigator), and Sara Todd, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, both of Rinehart Clinic. They will be recognized for their work championing quality health care for all in their community. Together, they are nurturing organizational change that addresses the ways systems of oppression and trauma present themselves in health care settings, and facilitating opportunities for the entire team learn to recognize their blind spots and identify opportunities for growth.
Health Equity award: Angelica J Godinez Garcia and Sara Todd, Rinehart Clinic
Angelica J Godinez Garcia, Promotora y Navegadora de Inscripción (Outreach & Enrollment Navigator), and Sara Todd, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, both of Rinehart Clinic, were nominated for their work championing quality health care for all in their community. Together, they are nurturing organizational change that addresses the subtle and overt ways systems of oppression and trauma present themselves in health care settings—even in clinics where the whole team has the intention to provide compassionate and equitable health care. This includes putting on a day-long training that helped staff experience the need to improve cultural sensitivity in the clinic’s daily operations, and an interactive training on medical interpretation processes that made clear the challenges faced by patients with limited English proficiency. Godinez and Todd have sparked conversations about clinic-wide changes, from bilingual health education classes to Latinx patient representation on the Board of Directors and Patient Advisory Council. Through their ongoing efforts to keep health equity front and center, the entire team is learning to recognize their blind spots and opportunities for growth. “Angelica and Sara’s dedicated leadership and commitment have more than inspired their fellow staff members; the entire team is on board and looking to them as leaders in this important change,” says Leigh Ann Hoffhines, Communications Manager.
“We are PROUD AS CAN BE that three Rinehart Clinic staff members were honored with Awards of Excellence by the Oregon Primary Care Association today.” From Rinehart Clinic Facebook page …
About OPCA:
OPCA is a non-profit membership association of Oregon’s 32 community health centers, also known as Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and those who support them. The organization’s mission is to lead the transformation of primary care to achieve health equity for all. For more information about other award winners, go to www.orpca.org
