City of Portland, Multnomah County Invest in LGBTQ+ health
Recognizing the need for safe, welcoming, and knowledgeable healthcare for the LGBTQ+ community, Portland City Council and the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners both voted last month to appropriate funds for a planned new location of Prism Health. The City of Portland will allocate $200,000 for the acquisition of the building, while Multnomah County will provide $90,000 for healthcare-provider staff costs.
Mayor Ted Wheeler proposed the City’s one-time appropriation. "I am proud to support the expansion of Prism Health with funding in the City's fiscal year FY22-23 Budget,” Wheeler said in a statement. “Prism Health provides compassionate healthcare to LGBTQ+ people and all those seeking compassionate care, and this funding will allow them to meet demand and serve more Portlanders."
“We know that LGBTQIA2S+ people experience many health equities compared with their cis-heterosexual counterparts, and at the same time, have limited access to culturally responsive services,” said Commissioner Sharon Meieran, who championed the County’s allocation along with Commissioner Susheela Jayapal. The funds, Meieran said, will “help LGBTQIA+ community members access culturally responsive healthcare in a safe and affirming environment.”
Almost 3,500 patients have established care at Prism Health since the health center opened on Belmont Street in 2017, and the clinic lacks both the physical space and the healthcare providers necessary to serve additional community members. This support from local elected officials will enable Prism to open a new location, on N. Williams Ave., in early 2023 and assume full ownership of the building within five years. Once “Prism Health—Williams” is operating at full capacity, it will be able to serve an estimated 5,000 additional patients.
For more information, please contact CAP’s Public Policy & Grants Manager, Jonathan Frochtzwajg, at jfrochtzwajg@capnw.org or (503) 278-3852.
About Cascade AIDS Project
CAP is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1985 as a grassroots response to the AIDS crisis. As the oldest and largest community-based HIV services provider in Oregon and southwest Washington, we seek to support and empower all people with or affected by HIV, reduce stigma, and provide the LGBTQ+ community with compassionate healthcare. We do so by helping to ensure the health and well-being of our program participants each year through health, housing, and other social services. When the need for affordable, accessible, and culturally affirming primary care services was identified as a community need, we responded by opening Prism Health in 2017. More information can be found at www.capnw.org.
About Prism Health
Prism Health provides high quality, affordable, and accessible health care for all, with a focus on serving individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus all other gender and sexual minorities (LGBTQ+). All of Prism services aim to reach the most vulnerable – those living below the poverty line, communities of color, homeless or unstably housed individuals, and people experiencing mental health and/or addiction issues.
