Throughout our 30-year history, CareOregon has partnered with a variety of community organizations to meet the health care needs of low-income Oregonians. One of our most valuable partnerships is with Project Access Now, a Portland-based nonprofit that delivers culturally relevant and person-centered health care and social service navigation to the local community.
The mission is in the name: Project Access Now increases access to care by helping individuals navigate the health care system, whether that’s by signing people up for the Oregon Health Plan (OHP), helping them access pharmacy benefits, or otherwise filling gaps in care that traditional insurance doesn’t cover.
CareOregon works with Project Access Now to administer health-related social needs (HRSN) to our members. For example, if a member with a relevant health care condition needs an air conditioning unit, they can apply to CareOregon to access funding from Medicaid’s HRSN benefit. CareOregon then administers the funds to Project Access Now, whose staff work with the CareOregon member to purchase the AC unit.
“Although we’ve had a longstanding partnership with Project Access Now, the HRSN space is where our collaboration really kicked up,” says Jonathan Weedman, CareOregon Senior Vice President of Clinical Services. “We need help delivering these health-related goods and services to our members, and Project Access Now really stepped in to help support us in that process. They’re a pivotal partner in helping us help our members get their health-related social needs taken care of.”
Project Access Now was also instrumental during OHP’s recent “redetermination” period, helping all OHP recipients, including CareOregon members, to fill out the necessary paperwork to avoid losing their insurance. Their role in helping community members navigate the complex world of health insurance has been important to ensuring equity and access to care.
CareOregon provides funding to Project Access Now to carry out this programming. Additionally, Ifeoma Muoto, CareOregon Community Health Partnerships Director, serves on the Project Access Now board to inform strategy while providing guidance and connection within the larger sphere of community health organizations. “The definition of ‘access’ has evolved over time, as more people have insurance, and then you have new services coming on the horizon, like HRSN. So as a board member I help Project Access Now to continue to identify what access gaps exist now,” Muoto says.
“When I think of health equity and the work we do among vulnerable, underserved populations, CareOregon always does that work in partnership. And partners like Project Access Now are key in our mission of being more equitable,” Muoto says. “There are people who have unique needs who just don’t fall into your traditional services. And our ability to serve those people well really depends on the strengths of the partners that we have out in the community.” Muoto says Project Access Now is one of those vital partners whose diverse workforce and strategic mission have evolved over time to meet the emerging needs of our community.
