More than a dozen religious groups (all faiths) have answered the rallying cry of Samira Godil. Godil, the executive director of the Southwest Community Health Center in Multnomah Village, has seen the resource of free and low-cost health care grow in use from 1,100 patients visiting to over 1,600 with clinic hours nearly doubling in the process. While need exploded, donations dried up. In fact, while clinic visitors grew by nearly fifty percent, donations dropped by the same amount.
So she reached out to various faith groups and they have responded remarkably, kicking in tens of thousands of dollars and dozens of volunteers to keep the clinic doors open. Plus, a one-hundred thousand-dollar grant from Providence will lead to a new location, doubling capacity.
You can read the full story from the Portland Tribune here:
http://portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=122471305762326800
