Despite the economic downturn and restrictions resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, philanthropy appears to be alive and well in Clark County. Today, The Free Clinic of Southwest Washington announced the healthcare organization has received a $50,000 Impact Award grant from Ninety-Nine Girlfriends to help the Clinic complete the significant changes needed to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, and provide better service to its patients. Ninety-Nine Girlfriends is a local collective giving organization benefiting the Portland/SW Washington region.
Ann Wheelock, executive director of the Free Clinic, said the grant “will help us with the significant costs we are incurring to adopt a new operating model in response to the pandemic.”
This grant will help fund a new triage nurse manager position at the Free Clinic to ensure the Free Clinic can adapt from a walk-in to an appointment-based clinic model. The new model will allow the Clinic to pre-screen patients for COVID symptoms, and manage patient flow to better protect patients, volunteer providers, and staff from potential exposure to COVID and other illnesses. Moving to an appointment-based service model will better serve the Free Clinic’s patients and their employers, since patients will no longer have to take significant time off work and wait in long lines to receive care at the Clinic. Both telemedicine and in-person medical appointments are available based on patient need. The triage nurse manager will also advise and assist patients who call with health concerns.
“Approximately 33% of the COVID-19 cases in our region are from within the Hispanic/Latinx community, yet they make up just 10% of the population. The Free Clinic of Southwest Washington provides essential services for Latinx people, many of whom face financial, language, cultural and immigration status barriers, preventing access to medical care,” according to the Ninety-Nine Girlfriends 2020 Health and Wellness Grant Review Team. “We appreciate that the Free Clinic bridges a critical gap for undocumented people who do not qualify for Medicaid and/or may be fearful of approaching governmental organizations for assistance. We are proud to support this organization.”
In other nonprofit news, the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington announced on Saturday that more than 6,000 donors donated $2,889,790 to support 225 local nonprofits during the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington’s annual Give More 24! event. The 24-hour, online giving marathon kicked off at midnight on Thursday, Sept. 24, with the goal of raising $2 million through the website.
Collective donations surpassed the $2 million goal around 5 p.m. and continued to come in steadily until midnight. This year, nonprofits secured more than $800,000 in matching gifts. In addition, sponsors provided sixteen nonprofit prizes that donors could help their causes win.
Community Foundation President Jennifer Rhoads said expectations had waned leading into this year’s effort. The $2 million goal was set before COVID-19 and the recent wildfires. Yet, this year became the most successful to date.
The event saw exponential growth in its seventh year, setting records for the number of organizations participating and the number of donors making contributions. In fact, this year’s event attracted more than 2,200 additional donors—the largest increase in the event’s seven-year run.
Cause categories covered a full spectrum of interests, such as animal welfare, arts and culture, environment, housing and homelessness, social justice and veterans. Those that attracted donors most were education (2,234), health and wellness (1,407), and poverty and hunger (953). These three causes also raised the most dollars.
When the event ended, Camas Christian Academy was the most popular organization with 321 supporters donating. The most successful fundraiser was Share, a large-sized organization with $96,614 in total giving. Options360° Women’s Clinic ($88,856.23) topped the medium-sized category in funds raised and iUrban Teen ($56,613) led all small-sized organizations.
Businesses, musicians, news anchors and comedians were just some of the many partners who pitched in to assist with this year’s event. Most of all, the community effort is made possible through sponsors like Davidson & Associates Insurance, which has served as presenting sponsor for the last five years. Additional support came from Columbia Bank and Russell Investments, Blue Blazes, Bicoastal Media, Wager Audio and several local media outlets.
