Outreach Extraordinaire

Rachel is our fantastic new Outreach Specialist. She is an AmeriCorps member placed with Josiah Hill through Confluence Environmental Center. A graduate from Adam’s State College in southern Colorado, she has degrees in both Biology and Fine Art. Through her work with local organizations like Hands On Greater Portland, Catholic Charities, and Creative Cares she has honed her skills in outreach and volunteer management. She adds these skills to an already extensive background in environmental education and conservation.
After spending a large part of her academic and post colligate career focusing on how “We” effect the environment Rachel was drawn to Josiah Hill III Clinic for two reasons; the first being the opportunity to apply her skill set to build capacity in a organization poised to effect real change in the health and well being of those communities least served in Portland, and, second, to explore how our environment effects “Us” as much as “We” effect our environment. Rachel has already begun working with the Somali community establishing a partnership to better the well-being and health of those effected by indoor toxins and lead.

Missoula, Portland and Radon!

Did you know that most of the radon in Portland is actually from Missoula, MT.? Over 12,000 years ago, a series of floods brought radon producing rocks and sediment from the Missoula area to Portland and the Willamette Valley. A naturally occurring radioactive gas, radon is odorless and tasteless. Prolonged exposure to radon can damage the lungs and may contribute to the development of lung cancer.

This month, JHC participated in the EPA Region 10 Radon Summit. Hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), the Radon Summit brought together representatives from Region 10 radon programs, local business leaders and community health organizations to discuss the current state of radon in Region 10.

JHC participated in lively discussions about radon policy change and barriers to testing and mitigation. Our future plans include working more closely with local business leaders, the EPA and OHA on radon awareness and community advocacy for radon reduction.

Kim Mokuau, Health Educator

As some of you may know, Kim Mokuau was a former intern extraordinaire with Josiah Hill Clinic. Not only has she opted to volunteer for us even after her internship with us, but has also been coordinating workshops with us and has signed on with us as a health educator to the community spreading education on creating healthy homes for families in Portland. With our current intern, Rebecca Ross, Kim has been researching current information about the effects of lead, asthma and radon and together they have created 3 powerpoints for JHC that will better emphasize the dangers at stake for children and their families do to the exposure of these toxins. Kim has also been a generous donator to us this month, stopping by the clinic with various items such as a printer and what every clinic can’t do without, a microwave. Thank you for all of your support for our clinic Kim!!!

Welcome our new Program Manager, Kimie Ueoka!

The Josiah Hill Clinic is ecstatic to welcome in our new Program Manager, Kimie Ueoka to our team. Her passion for children’s health and environmental justice has led her to us. Her spunk and innovative ideas will lead the clinic forth in a realm of countless possibilities. Kimie graduated with a BS in Public Health from Portland State University and has previously worked in child health with both the Neighborhood House Head Start and the HIV/AIDS affected community through Our House of Portland. She has worked very closely with many diverse communities and has advocated for increased opportunities and access to health for underserved communities. She is looking forward to joining the JHC team!

5th Annual ‘Leaving a Legacy’ Fundraiser

On May 19^th, more than 150 guests, including State Senator Chip Shields, Representative Lew Fredrick and City Council Member Amanda Fritz, as well as Josiah’s family, healthy home proponents, community partners, supporters, and concerned citizens celebrated the 5^th Annual Leaving a Legacy Celebrations. The Environmental Protection Agency, represented by Mike Slater; Multnomah County Environmental Health Services, represented by Lila Wickman; and Portland Water Bureau, represented by Jimmy Brown, were awarded the 2011 Environmental Justice Awards for the shared commitment to protect children from environmental hazards and promote community action for healthy homes.In a related development, William Lambert, PhD, Board Chair; Martha Carter-Balske, Board Co-Chair, and Bruce Watts, Fundraising Chair, were presented the Leaving a Legacy 2011 Awards for unceasing commitment to promote public awareness about ways to improve public health and build capacity for the Clinic to provide direct community services and reduce disparities.

Earlier, Shelda Holmes, FNP-C, PC, Medical Director/Owner, Hands On Medicine, reported that the clinic is a community based nonprofit that has evolved into a children’s environmental health organization with four core programs: (1) Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention through a mobile clinic, and on-site that provides blood lead screenings and outreach; (2) Non-toxic Cleaning Workshops that educate community members of the dangers of household cleaning products and offer resources and recipes for inexpensive, non-toxic cleaners; (3) Internships and Community Health Leadership Training that promote home health awareness and protection; and (4) Healthy Homes Project that conducts assessments for environmental hazards and provides an action plan to address the issues.

Presenting sponsors were Albina Early Head Start and Portland Housing Bureau. Donors included: CH2MHILL, Portland Development Commission, Portland Water Bureau, Stacey & Witbeck, Multnomah County Health Department, Acadian Ballroom, Coalition of Black Men, David Evans & Associates, ECOTECH, Evren Northwest, George C. Reinmiller & Associates, Martha Carter-Balske, Miller Paint, Office of Multicultural Health Services, Bureau of Planning & Sustainability, Ken Rhoten Agency, Metro Multifamily Housing Association, Radon Away, Richard E. Bayer, Richard A Lucas Agency, and the Skanner Foundation.

 A key attraction at the celebration was the acclaimed Kukatonon Children’s African Dance Troupe who thrilled the audience with their performance to receive a standing ovation. According to Charles A. McGee, II, the Clinic’s Executive Director local businesses and community members donated over $4.5K worth of auction items, while sponsors, donors and other guests contributed nearly $26K.Quick facts provided by the Clinic reveal that the EPA ranked lead as the number one pollutant nationwide and is the number one environmental health hazard facing our children today. Moreover, each year nearly one in 50 children in Portland are lead poisoned, eighty-four percent of the housing stock in Portland was built before lead-based paint was banned in 1978, the majority of lead exposure in Portland comes from home remodeling or lead based paint, seventy-one percent of the homes in North, Northeast and South Portland exceed EPA maximum level for lead dust composite, three to five children out of every 1000 screened for lead in Portland had lead levels above the federal standard, and out of 3,500 counties nationwide, Multnomah County ranked 48^th at being at risk of lead poisoning.

A special thanks to all of the volunteers and interns who made this event a huge success!

Family Fit Night

Thursday night at the Beach Elementary School brought on all sorts of fun activities for us from the JHC to enjoy with the students at Family Fit Night. The event was filled with plenty of nutritious snacks and physical activities for the students to participate in. Our Program Manager, Amanda Lawrence along with our intern Kim Mokuau from Portland State University and our helpful volunteer Randy from University of Portland were there giving outreach and providing free blood lead testing for all the kids. Given that our clinic has had many kids with  high levels of lead in their blood, the event had many helpful healthy tips parents and students can use to prevent lead-posioning in children. Physical activity for kids is always a great preventable tool as well as eating a healthy diet consisting of foods rich in calcium and iron. Kids and parents at the event noshed on apples, bananas, and burritos. For activities, there was an obstacle course, a yo-yo show, bikes for sale, $5 helmets for sale, and an outdoor race which the children did not let the rain and chill deter them from competing in. To view more pictures from the event, Click here to see them on our Facebook. A special thanks to the Beach Elementary School for letting our little clinic be a part of such a fantastic event!

Happy Birthday to Josiah Hill III!

We had a wonderful day on Sunday, the birthday of our beloved founder Josiah Hill III. In the early afternoon, community members, partners, board members and volunteers gathered together for the naming of our office at 5018 NE 15th Avenue as the official Josiah Hill III Building. Some of Josiah’s family members even traveled all the way from Seattle to be present at the occasion. A commemorative plaque and doorway banner were placed in the front patio, and Josiah’s widow Martha Carter-Balske cut the ribbon to symbolize the ceremony. To read the press release, click here. Thanks to all who participated!

Later in the evening, the party moved to the Widmer Pub and Brewery, where JHC’s invaluable volunteers and interns were invited to share in an evening of food, drink, and general merriment. Program Manager Amanda Lawrence shared an overview of the Clinic’s many accomplishments, then seven volunteers were featured in the honoring ceremony. They were showered with fancy shmancy certificates, speeches of glory, and enticing-looking JHC goody bags. Click here to see a slide show of the seven darling do-gooders.  A big thank you to all our volunteers, interns, and supporters who attended! Hope to see you all next year again!

Josiah would have been 72 years old.  He is deeply missed.

The Very Best of the NW Environmental Health Conference

The third annual NW Environmental Health Conference was last Friday, and what a wonderful way to end the week it was. The Conference brought together a plethora of experts from the health field to deepen our understanding of the emerging intricacies of environmental health.

After a stimulating keynote address by Megan Schwarzman of the Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry, attendees chose between a number of relevant break-out sessions. Popular panels included Pediatric Health, Environmental Factors and Neural Development, and Chemical Policy.  Josiah Hill III Clinic’s own Medical Director, Shelda Holmes, shared her experiences on addressing environmental health within the clinical practice- click here for a list of her resources.

A panel that was specifically relevant to the mission of Josiah Hill III Clinic was “Air Quality, Health, and Environmental Justice.”  Lisa Arkin and Alison Guzman of Oregon Toxics Alliance gave a fascinating presentation on a project which addresses disproportionate air pollution exposures in the West Eugene industrial area, then opened up the floor for discussion.  Our friends Ben Duncan from Multnomah County Environmental Health, Jen Coleman of the Oregon Environmental Council, and Marcelo Bonta of the Center for Diversity and the Environment all contributed valuable input from their prospective experiences.

Another relevant topic that is close to the heart of the Josiah Hill III Mission was presented by Nimisha Ghosh Roy from the Cross Cultural Health Care Program.  She spoke to the importance of forging culturally competent partnerships that truly embrace the communities they are attempting to help and result in the development of healthy, strong relationships that promote lasting change.  Some very interesting perspectives were introduced, challenging participants to evaluate definitions of culture and environmental justice.

The conference ended with a reflective session and a call to action, encouraging the community to stay connected and united to create positive change.

Links to all of the valuable panels are now available!

Limpieza Verde Para Todos (Green Cleaning for Everyone!)

A curious crowd, super-sized bottles of Dr. Bronner’s, and Healthy Home Bingo- who could ask for more? Last week’s Healthy Homes workshop at Cesar Chavez Elementary School was a total blast.  Conducted entirely in Spanish for a monthly group of mothers that meets to discuss how to best promote healthy development for their children, Communications Specialist Nicole Staudinger gave a whirlwind outline of indoor environmental hazards. Concerns involving sources of lead poisoning, proliferation of mold and mildew, and the effects of dangerous household cleaning products were all addressed.  Then, the healthy alternatives were presented: lead poison prevention, mold management, and the favorite of the evening, how to make your very own cleaning products using every day kitchen materials.

Participants were eager to share stories and asked a myriad of questions before launching into a riotous round of Healthy Home Bingo, in which the information from the presentation was reviewed and winners received gigantic bottles of Dr. Bronner’s all purpose soap or non-toxic play dough for their little ones.

A special thanks to interns Tania and Kim and community leaders Jensi and Carmen for helping things run so smoothly!

For a full photo album of the workshop, check out our Facebook photo album.

Take a look at our Healthy Home BINGO!

Somali Workshop

Program Manager Amanda Lawrence and Communications Specialist Nicole Staudinger attended a very informational workshop regarding interaction with the Somali community at the Balthazar Ortiz Community Center.  The workshop was hosted by the Clinica at the center, and featured two Somali refugee speakers, Mohammed and Miam, who both work with the Africa House at IRCO.

Mohammed gave a brief synopsis of the tumultuous history and common religion of Somalia, which has lacked a permanent form of government since 1991. Then the floor was opened up for questions, and some really fascinating aspects of Somali culture surfaced.

Since most Somalians are Muslim, the culture is a very conservative one, which makes it particularly difficult for children transitioning to American culture.  On the one hand, they have the pressures of family life and their religion, which demands conservative values and dress.  On the other hand, they have the influence of the exact opposite, American culture.  Kids are forced to live double lives: their home lives and their school lives.

The Somali education system differs greatly from the American one.  In Somalia, the teacher is supposed to have all the authority and responsibility for educating the student.  Families take no part in the process; parents are in no way expected to assist with homework or help study for tests, so when extra effort is expected of parents of students transitioning to the American system, it only adds to the divide between the parent and child.

Another challenge for Somali youth is the American automatic placement system.  Sixteen year olds are freshmen, automatically, regardless of prior education.  These children come from refugee camps in which they may have received absolutely no formal education.  They are thrust into the high school setting with inadequate schooling and, even worse, a lack of ability to communicate their problems or even participate in classroom activity because of the language barrier.  Imagine the feelings of isolation, loneliness, and confusion this must foster.  Results include violence, drugs, and obviously a high rate of dropping out if school.

The most heartbreaking part of these tragic difficulties is that the entire reason refugees come to America is to for the sake of their children, to give them a better life. While these issues are daunting, Mohammed and Miam did present solutions.  They really emphasized helping parents understand the differences in the cultures and encouraging them to be flexible- for instance, allowing girls to have sleepovers, and to go on field trips, which would be unheard of in the Somali system.

Learning about the Somali community, especially in regards to the integration of children into our society, was especially pertinent when examining the process through Josiah Hill III Clinic’s mission. It developed the concept that keeping children and their homes safe expands past the simplicity of physical in-home environmental health to the emotional and mental environmental health as well.

Thanks to IRCO and La Clinica for inviting us!