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We close out our National Health Center Week 2019 series with a unique take on what it means to be “rooted in community” by focusing on Central City Concern (CCC) volunteers. CCC Volunteer Manager Westbrook Evans shares several ways our volunteers help CCC take root in our community, as well as how volunteers themselves become part of the community to which they give their time.
This year’s theme of National Health Center Week is “rooted in community.” To honor this theme, we’re highlighting a group of people that elevates CCC’s work and roots it in the broader community every day: our health center volunteers.
From administrative tasks and customer service roles, all the way to volunteer providers, more than 200 volunteers worked in our health care sites over the past year. On top of the positive impact volunteers have on our clients and staff, volunteers are often some of the best ambassadors for our mission. They share their work and experiences with their families, friends and co-workers. Volunteers truly spread our roots throughout Portland!
Check out some of the ways volunteers make a big difference in our community health centers.
The Living Room
The Living Room program is at the cornerstone (literally) of two Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) sites, Old Town Clinic (OTC) and the Old Town Recovery Center (OTRC). The Living Room is a program for CCC patients who are living with and managing behavioral and mental health challenges, and serves the spiritual and community needs of patients engaged in our medical services. It is a peer-led, community-driven program, and a place for its members, CCC staff and our members of the broader community to come together and support one another through activities, conversations and relationships.
According to Living Room Coordinator Hayden, volunteers are an integral part of the work the program does. Volunteers participate as part of a service team alongside staff, helping set up and facilitate Living Room activities. Most importantly, they spend time with members building relationships while participating in the programing. An important part of well-being is building and creating positive community connections.
Volunteers often help to bridge the gap between paid staff and users of CCC services. I asked Beau, a Living Room volunteer, what being “rooted in community” means to him in relation to his volunteer role. “To me, it means people. People make up a community with the knowledge and ideas they share with each other.”
We are so grateful that the Living Room volunteers show up every day to share this experience and build the community.
Clinic Concierge Program
The Clinic Concierge program is in its fifth year at OTC. The concierge role is part of CCC’s goal to create a clinical environment where those alienated from mainstream medical services feel welcome. When a concierge is on shift, visitors are always met with a friendly smile. As in the Living Room, knowing that the volunteers show up just because they want to be there emphasizes that our patients are valued members of the community. In the words of an OTC staff member:
“The concierge program has been awesome. They may be the first point of contact when someone walks into the building. They are full of information and resources, and may have a friendly conversation with our patients or help the patient to find their way around the clinic.
“Patients are always really happy to see them; they are one of the first people they see or approach. Concierges improve patient flow. We get so busy up front that sometimes we forget to smile, but the concierges are always ready with one. Some form really good rapport with the patients. The concierges
make an effort to let patients know they are welcome here by learning their names, their pets’ names, and remembering specific facts about them. They are a lovely presence here in the clinic.”
Other volunteer activities
Within OTC and OTRC and across our 13 FQHC sites, volunteers assist in many more ways. We have volunteer pharmacists, medical providers, administrative and data entry assistants, translators and more, all freely giving their time and energy to our clients and staff. We are so grateful for all our volunteers and how they root our health centers in the community!
To learn more about volunteering in our health center, visit our volunteer opportunities page.
