Statesman Journal

April 4, 2011

After 15 months of scrambling to raise money and find, design and build a new home, the Willamette Family Medical Center will begin a new chapter today in northeast Salem.

The process has been stressful for Dr. Robert Steele and his staff. Until Steele, one of the founders and chief executive director of the clinic, received the certificate of occupancy last week, he wasn’t sure the move would be possible. But having ownership of the clinic and the prospect of growing into the 30,000-square-foot space are enough to make it all worth it, he said.

“No one thought it could be done but hey, look at it here,” Steele said.

The nonprofit medical center, which serves uninsured and underinsured people, had been in the original Salem Hospital building on Medical Center Drive for 15 years. In December 2009, the hospital requested that the clinic move out, stating that the building is “at the end of its useful life,” spokeswoman Julie Howard said.

Howard said the building eventually will be demolished.

As of Feb. 15, more than 60,000 people in Marion County were eligible for the Oregon Health Plan, with about 91 percent of those enrolled, according to the Oregon Division of Medical Assistance Programs. More than 6,000 are eligible for other forms of medical assistance. The Medical Center serves about 40,000 patients and can see as many as 180 per day.

At the clinic’s new home, in a former Circuit City at 435 Lancaster Drive NE, the signature giant, red plug still greets visitors. The rain has delayed painting. Inside, the empty reception area still has concrete floors. Carpeting also has been delayed, Steele said.

But today, Steele plans to run the clinic as usual, with no disruption of services.

“With what we’re doing,” he said, “how do you stop things? Send them to the Emergency Room?”

The clinic closed early Friday to allow time for the transition. But call coverage will continue as usual, Steele said.

So far, about two-thirds of the space is built with a few administration offices still being built.

“We have just enough space to cram everybody in,” he said.

Fundraising for the project continues, but Steele declined to say the total cost. As plans take shape, the price is an evolving number, he said.

The clinic originally planned to take up just 2/3 of the former big-box retail space and lease the remainder. But now it’s considering growing into the extra space by adding oral health services and expanding its existing services.

“Primary care is in tremendous shortage already,” Steele said. “This isn’t an entire answer to that but it’s a step in the right direction. We’ve got room to grow here.”

Statesman Journal

October 6, 2010

Statesman Journal

February 5, 2010

Brittani Padilla, 19, of Salem, felt shy at first when she learned she was going to take her
pregnancy checkups among a group of other women at the same time.
But she’s glad she can listen to what the other women have to say.
“They’re going through the same signs and stuff — I’m not the only one,” she said.
Padilla is among 34 women who are taking part of Centering Pregnancy, a 10-session program
offered through Willamette Family Medical Center.
The Centering Pregnancy concept is based on a model of health care developed by the
Connecticut-based Centering Healthcare Institute that integrates health assessment, education
and support.
It is the first time Centering Pregnancy is being offered in Salem, said Willamette Family
Medical special projects coordinator Stephanie Wong.
It’s sponsored by CareOregon, a not-for-profit health plan that serves patients eligible for the
Oregon Health Plan.
The program has been shown to reduce premature births and ensure better birth weights,
Wong said. It also better prepares women for delivery, labor and parenting.
“It’s different than the traditional model of having one doctor in the room with the patient,”
Wong said.
Group participants learn from each other, rather than having a doctor talking at them, and can
feel validated about certain pregnancy concerns, such as common back pain or heartburn.
Drs. Paul Balmer and Anne Wild and medical assistants Melanie Nixon and Claudia Garcia
facilitate four different groups.
Each participant gets “tummy time,” or one-on-one check-ups with the providers during the
90-minutes sessions. Then the group takes part in discussions that focus on pregnancy health
such as nutrition or breastfeeding.
Balmer said the participants in the program appear more comfortable in talking. With all
patients, he worries about their unasked questions.
“I’ve learned so much more about my patients, about what their lives are like at home,” he
said.

rliao@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 589-6941
Copyright ©

By Ruth Liao • Statesman Journal • March 30, 2010

Marion County Children and Families Department distributes free books to partnering agencies such as Willamette Family Medical Center on Monday.

It may seem like an unlikely bedtime story setting, but every night, one of the staff members at Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility in Salem reads books out loud to incarcerated teen boys.”It’s amazing,” said Griselda Solano, a multicultural services coordinator with Oregon Youth Authority. “They like it, and they fall asleep after that.”On Monday, Solano was among nearly 40 agencies and nonprofits picking up free books collected during December’s community-wide book drive organized by the Marion County Children and Families Department. Marion County school districts also were part of the book drive’s recipients. Solano said she was excited to bring the books back to Oregon Youth Authority, especially as youths in their programs discover reading as recreation. The boys particularly like hearing the science-fiction fantasy series by Robert Jordan, Solano said. “It’s good to keep their minds active on something positive,” she said.

The book drive, called “12,000 Books in 12 Days,” exceeded its target goals and pulled in at least 32,000 books for children and youth. The book drive is part of the Mid-Valley literacy campaign known as Reading For All. “It’s so exciting to finally see this come full circle,” said Cathy Crocker, book drive coordinator with the children and families department. Crocker said the department relied on hundreds of volunteer hours to help sort the books and organize them into age-appropriate categories. Schools and programs serving children and youths then were asked to submit requests to the department for books. Some had specific needs: Critter-themed books, for example, were destined for Willamette Humane Society. Jenna Wall, a development assistant for the humane society, was on hand to help carry off boxes of about 250 books marked “pets.” The books will be used to create a reading corner for children waiting in the lobby, as well as the humane society’s new story hour featuring animals. The humane society offers a lending library, but it’s a few shelves of books, Wall said. “This has googled our library right here,” Wall said, looking at the dolly stacked with boxes.

Also picking up books Monday was Jacob Bailey, a coordinator with Salem Family Literacy Program. The program is part of Salem-Keizer School District’s early learning services, aimed at supporting low-income, low-education Latino families with young children as old as 5 years, as well as teen parents. Bailey said the books will go into circulation with the program’s lending library, as well as go out on home visits for the families to keep. “We’re able to give away books, no strings attached,” Bailey said. The program, which helps parents attain a high school degree or general education development equivalent, teaches families to make reading an everyday practice. One demonstration shows parents how it’s OK for young children to drop, or even kick books, as it can be part of the child’s development of play and learning, Bailey said.

Stephen Cox, a program specialist with the Salem-Keizer library media support services, took his time to pick through and sort books to benefit schools in the district, both for school libraries and classrooms. Cox said he was amazed by the quantity of books collected during the book drive, including several series of brand-new, hardback copies of literature classics such as John Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath.” “This is like Christmas,” Cox said.

rliao@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 589-6941

Within the past few years, early childhood development has become more of a focus at the local, state and national fronts — spurred by research in the past 15 years about how the brain develops.
“People started to pay attention,” said Tamra Goettsch, coordinator of Marion County’s early childhood initiative Great Beginnings, which includes literacy efforts. About 90 percent of a child’s brain develops by the age of 5. And 85 percent of a child’s intellect, personality and social skills are developed by that age. “It was a bubbling of research that kind of came and hit the tipping point,” Goettsch said. “That caused our community and many like ours to stand up and begin looking at it and making plans to implement change and improvements.” A handful of nonprofits and organizations in Marion and Polk counties have plans to expand their programs or have already done so, reaching more young children during their formative years.
Parents remain the main ones responsible for their young ones, however. The choices they make — from how frequently they read to their child to choosing a quality preschool — can affect their child. It’s why many local efforts are focusing on educating parents and caregivers about early literacy. Some organizations also aim to educate parents about finding a quality preschool, as in Oregon there is no state oversight or regulation for part-time preschools for 3- and 4-year-olds. No law requires staffers to have background checks. Nothing requires facility inspections to ensure safety. And there are no minimum requirements for teacher qualifications or training.

Literacy
The Marion County Children & Families Commission has taken a number of steps to promote early childhood literacy in the past few years — starting the day a child is born. There were early-childhood literacy efforts before, but many were targeted to specific audiences. There was no coordinated, comprehensive effort to seek out and support all families. “We want to lift up and support all kids and all families,” Goettsch said. The commission aims to educate families and caregivers about why early childhood literacy is important and how to encourage early literacy skills. They also want to help provide resources and support. “We want kids to be ready for school, and we want parents to have a greater understanding of what building early childhood literacy is,” Goettsch said. Children that are read to three or more times a week are twice as likely to show three or more emerging literacy skills, such as recognizing letters of the alphabet, according to a study for the National Center for Education Statistics. One way literacy is being promoted locally is in doctor’s offices. “You see the doctor as a professional,” Goettsch said. “They’re there, knowing what’s important for your kid’s development.”
Five pediatrician’s offices in the county are participating in the national Reach Out and Read
program, according to the program’s Web site. The effort promotes literacy by having doctors answering parent’s questions and giving out books during the 10 wellness checks children usually have between 6 months and 5 years old. “It comes at literacy from another angle,” said Joanna Ristow, a special-projects coordinator at Willamette Family Medical Center. “It opens up the dialogue for them with a parent. Do you read at home? Do you have access to books?”

Other local literacy efforts include:
-Creating reading circles in the waiting rooms at the Department of Human Services.
-Creating small libraries of 50 age-appropriate books at home day cares.
-Supporting the United Way’s literacy efforts, called Born Learning.
-Offering a free early childhood literacy symposium Oct. 18 for early childhood educators and
providers.
The Salem Public Library, a longtime supporter of early-childhood literacy efforts, also has a
host of programs for young children and families. Parents of new babies at the Salem Hospital are given a board book and materials about early literacy, which is funded by Comcast and the Salem Public Library Foundation. “The best time to start teaching them about books and how to handle books is right after birth,” library spokeswoman Sonja Somerville said. “If you wait until you’re in school, (you)’re already behind the curve.” The state also has taken steps to promote early literacy at libraries, narrowing who would be served by the Ready to Read grants, said MaryKay Dahlgreen, state program manager for library development. The grants are used to support any programs for infants to 14-year-olds; in 2007 the Legislature approved funding stipulations so that the grant funded only summer reading for children from birth to age 14 and early literacy programs from birth to age 5.
Research has shown that “if we focused on those two things, we could be pretty assured that
we were really having a strong impact on children’s reading,” state librarian Jim Scheppke said.
The state also is providing better funding for the population-based grants. Every library that wins a grant now receives a minimum of $1,000. And overall funding went from an average of 83 cents per child per year to $1 per child per year. “It’s one of the things we do best,” Dahlgreen said of the focus and support for early childhood literacy. “Children’s librarians have a particular expertise in literacy activities, and more and more children’s librarians are being trained on specific literacy practices.”
Head Start for birth to age 3 At least one local agency that runs Head Start, a free preschool program for low-income children ages 3-4, is planning on applying for funding to start a similar program for birth to age 3.
Called Early Head Start, the program helps low-income families during the earliest years of a child’s life, starting as early as a mother’s prenatal care. “We’re really in a moment now that early childhood is the way to go,” said Jon Reeves, director of Community Action Head Start. Early Head Start began in 1995 — about 30 years after its preschool-age counterpart Head Start began — to serve families with children 3 and younger. Like Head Start, it takes a two-generational approach by providing support, services, education and referrals to low-income families. Research in 2002 found that the program had positive effects on low-income families with infants and toddlers, with significant impact on language development between 2 and 3 years old.
Last year, a federal act expanded the Early Head Start program, and at least one local agency
aims to capitalize on that. Oregon does not fund Early Head Start programs. There are no Early Head Start programs in Marion and Polk counties. Oregon has 16 Early Head Start programs, according to the program’s Web site. There are more than 200 Head Start programs in the state.
Family Building Blocks
Family Building Blocks, a nonprofit program in Marion and Polk counties, has child abuse prevention programs that help at-risk families by providing support, intervention and outreach. It serves 120 children in the therapeutic classrooms and 150 others through home visits and outreach, with ages ranging from 6 weeks to 5 years old. It’s one of the few programs in the two counties that serves at-risk children younger than 3. “Our goal is to help these children be ready for kindergarten,” executive director Sue Miller said. “It works because the parents are here voluntarily. They want to do something better for their children.” The program’s therapeutic classes for young children differ from other early childhood programs, as they focus on the social and emotional development of a child. “These children are coming from very challenged families,” Miller said. “Frequently, it’s the social and emotional behavioral issues that present themselves for these young children.” The preventative programs recently expanded to serve 70 more children in Polk County, including 30 in therapeutic classrooms and 40 through home visits, she said. The prevention programs are almost completely funded by private donations and supported by a large volunteer basis; about 400 people volunteer each year, with close to 70 volunteering each week in a classroom.
Head Start
Last year the Legislature expanded Head Start to an additional 3,068 children statewide, a $39
million expansion over two years. That increases yearly spending from $28.4 million in 2006-07 to $54 million in 2008-09. An additional 400 students in Marion and Polk counties will have spots in Head Start programs because of the funding. In all, about 1,470 students in the two counties will have seats in Head Start programs thanks to state and federal funding. “Kids are given more of an even playing field if they’re given that preschool experience before they go to school,” Reeves said. The program is successful because it prepares low-income students and parents for the public school system. Head Start has home visits, connects families with resources and teaches parents to advocate for their children, he said. And children build skills in the program, according to a research brief by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids. One national study found that Head Start cut the achievement gap nearly in half for pre-reading skills. Another study found that, by the end of kindergarten, Head Start students had doubled their vocabulary. “There’s not a whole lot of comprehensive programs out there that serve young children,” Reeves said. “Head Start … supports families and children.”

maryan@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6750
Copyright © 2008 – StatesmanJournal.com All rights reserved.