OAHHS Hospital Voice Fall/Winter 2019

30 » A magazine for and about Oregon Community Hospitals. HOSPITAL SPOTLIGHTS, CONT. HOUSING IS HEALTH  THIRD NEW HOUSING IS HEALTH FACILITY OPENS OAHHS President Andy Davidson joined members of six Portland area health care organizations, local elected officials, and a large crowd on July 9 for the opening of the Blackburn Center in east Portland. The facility combines housing, a health clinic (including mental health and addiction counseling), and employment services to serve an estimated 3,000 people each year. helped me out of homelessness and addiction,” she said. “I can't believe I'm actually helping to expand an agency that helped me so much.” The six health organizations announced their collaboration in the fall of 2016. The three facilities provide 379 units of desperately needed new affordable housing, which provides both transitional and permanent homes. The other two facilities, Hazel Heights and the Charlotte B. Rutherford Center, opened in the fall and winter of 2018. To be eligible for housing and services, individuals need to earn between 30–60% of Median Household Income (that’s between $18,000 and $36,000). Many of the residents are employed and have experienced homelessness. Experts say a clean, safe home is the best way to prevent negative health outcomes. “That stability that comes with a home allows them to make regular doctor’s appointments,” said Robert Friant of Community Source for Housing Solutions in New York. “We’ve had people who’ve had to spend months in a hospital because they’ve been homeless and their health has deteriorated.” There is a well-documented connection between housing and health. Homelessness and the daily struggle to survive are incredibly stressful, and that stress takes its toll on both physical and mental health. What’s more, many of those in need are also experiencing addiction. The center is run by Central City Concern (CCC) and is the third project in the Housing is Health initiative, which received over $21 million combined from Providence Health, Legacy Health, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, OHSU, Adventist Health, and CareOregon. The other two facilities, Hazel Heights and the Charlotte B. Rutherford Center, opened in 2018. Officials in attendance included Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury. Also on hand, were people like Julie Smith, who says services and support from CCC have helped her turn her life around. Smith is an apprentice at Walsh Construction, the project’s general contractor. She helped build the Blackburn Center. “Central City Concern actually