Pete’s Story
A longtime NxNE patient and retired London firefighter, Pete came for a visit and described some worrisome symptoms to Dr. Michele Babaie – fainting one night before bed, lightheadedness and stomach upset. Pete (pictured at right with Dr. Babaie) isn’t one to complain and might have avoided seeking care altogether or glossed over these symptoms during a visit. He trusted the staff at North by Northeast and knew he would be treated well and get solid advice. Dr. Babaie took the time to get…
Pasquale’s Story
The Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion in Oregon may have rolled out over two years ago, but that doesn't mean our efforts to get people enrolled and help them stay enrolled in health insurance have slowed down. Every day community members call or walk through our doors looking for assistance with health insurance. The stories they share with us about what health insurance means to them inspire us and keep us going! We can't capture all the stories, but thanks to a generous board member…
Bruce’s Story
We get calls every day from people looking for assistance. This one started out pretty routine. “I’m so worried about my friend,” it began. “He just got out of the ER and he needs help.” Bruce was new to town and had uncontrolled diabetes, no insurance and a bad wound on his foot. During the conversation, the man on the phone became upset and started yelling. Bruce had passed out and fallen down on the sidewalk. “Hang up and call 911!” we told his friend. “Call us back and let us…
Our Community Health Worker in Action
We first met George H. in 2010 when he needed the blood pressure medications he’d run out of when he lost his health insurance. Over the past four years, George’s blood pressure has been up and down, and he hasn’t always been able to get to his appointments. We knew we could do better for him and enlisted the help of Sharetta Butcher, our Community Health Worker. Sharetta stayed in close touch with George and arranged for him to get free bus tickets so he could get to his medical visits…
Three Generations of Connection
The three generations of women pictured here have deep connections to our community and to North by Northeast. We met Skylar in the fall of 2011 when she joined our mentorship program as a junior at Jefferson High School. We immediately loved Skylar’s cheerful personality and got to know her well during her yearlong internship. A quick learner and eager to put her new knowledge to use, Skylar talked with her family and friends about the risks of high blood pressure. When her grandmother, Sue…
Abigail’s story
Abigail Lawrence has a dream: to open her own theater company and help build local youth theater opportunities. Pursuing her dream meant leaving a steady job at a state university – and the health insurance she relied on – and moving back to Portland and a variety of jobs that didn’t provide health coverage. When she came to us for her first visit in mid-September, it was for follow-up of a leg wound that she worried could turn into something serious. She didn’t know there was a far…