Formerly Portland Community Health Center, Greater Portland Health is a not-for-profit, community health center and is the applicant organization for this FQHC 330(h) Competing Service Area application. Portland CHC was originally established in 2009 as a new access point (NAP), under a co-applicant agreement with the City of Portland, to respond to the needs of the City’s low income population, including the tremendous needs of the City’s large and growing immigrant/refugee population and its increasing homeless population.

Portland CHC was the culmination of a comprehensive needs assessment and strategic planning process conducted by the Portland Public Health Division in close partnership with a Community Coalition made up of the region’s leading heath care and public health stakeholders in 2007. The result of this planning process was a truly collaborative, integrated primary care clinic that has been instrumental in expanding access to comprehensive primary care medical and enabling services, improving service integration/coordination, and reducing the target population’s reliance on the area’s hospital emergency departments.

Portland CHC first opened its doors under a co-applicant agreement with the City of Portland’s Public Health Division with the intention of becoming an independent 501(c) 3, not-for-profit organization as soon as the center was fully established. On January 1, 2013 Portland CHC separated from the City of Portland and was awarded 330e funding. The Health Center has operated as a free-standing community governed community health center for almost a year. At the time that Portland CHC applied for 330e funding, the City of Portland applied for 330h funding. Portland CHC intends to apply for 330 h funding for this service area in order to assure the care of Portland’s growing homeless population, especially children and families.