| Every
Portlander should have access to healthcare.
In this section, Portlanders discuss access to healthcare,
which they generally see as resulting from a combination
of three factors: availability, proximity and affordability.
On the whole, Portlanders are thrilled that there are
so many healthcare options available in Portland. They
like the many choices for both western and alternative
healthcare services and they like the size of our city,
saying that it feels like healthcare opportunities are
relatively close by. They also value the mix of healthy
lifestyle choices available, including the availability
of healthy food, outdoor recreational opportunities
and walkable, bikeable, mixed-use neighborhoods.
However, many people acknowledge that while excellent
medical care and healthy lifestyle choices are available
in Portland, not all Portlanders have access to these
services or the ability to afford them. They point to
the rising costs of healthcare and difficulties in obtaining
insurance as two of the biggest barriers to receiving
needed health services. Overwhelmingly, Portlanders
want to see all people have access to healthcare, either
by expanding insurance programs to cover everyone or
by creating a local system of universal care. They also
want to see a more equitable distribution of “healthy
infrastructure” throughout all of Portland’s neighborhoods,
so that all people can benefit from prevention and healthy
living.
Note: Issues
of access inevitably overlap with issues of cost and
issues related to insurance. To gain a fuller perspective
on healthcare accessibility in Portland, see Health:
Cost of Healthcare and Health:
Health Insurance.
- In
Portland, many excellent healthcare options are available.
- Many
people lack access to healthcare and healthy living
options.
- High costs and lack of
insurance represent the largest barriers to access.
- In
Portland, many excellent healthcare options
are available.
- Portlanders value the wealth of healthcare
options available in Portland.
- They speak highly of the city’s mainstream
medical establishment, including:
- The well-trained, caring doctors, dentists,
nurses and other healthcare professionals;
- “World class” hospitals and conventional
medical treatment; and
- The presence of OHSU as a research,
teaching and medical facility.
- They also value the availability of a wide
variety of alternative healthcare options
in the city and region, including:
- Naturopathy and the naturopathic college;
- Chiropractic and the Western States
Chiropractic School;
- Acupuncture and the various acupuncture
schools;
- The abundance of massage therapists,
chiropractors and other alternative health
practitioners in the area;
- The acceptance of alternative healthcare
practices by a larger portion of the city’s
population; and
- The ability to locate and purchase alternative
healthcare medicines and remedies.
| "Portland
has culture, beauty, good schools, good
shopping, good hospitals, and other health
care centers, choice of churches, recreation,
and Tri-Met provides an excellent service.” |
| “I
also value our diverse health care practitioners
because there is so much to learn about
health and better, more affordable ways
to healthier living.” |
| "Portland
attracts people and businesses which value
healthy lifestyles including natural organic
food stores, alternative health practitioners
like Naturopaths, Chiropractors, Acupuncturists,
and Massage Therapists.” |
- Many
people lack access to healthcare and healthy
living options.
- Despite a vast array of healthcare options
that are located in Portland, many people
lack access because they cannot afford to
take advantage of these options.
- Portlanders are specifically concerned about
the ability of certain groups to access the
health amenities in our region, including:
- Low-income families;
- Children living in poverty;
- Elders;
- Homeless individuals and youth; and
- Artists, small business owners and self-employed
people, many of whom cannot afford their
own healthcare.
- Portlanders want to see neighborhood health
amenities (free clinics, farmers markets,
walking trails, etc…) distributed fairly and
equitably throughout our city.
- In particular, people want to see access
expanded to the following:
- Health insurance;
- Medicines (prescription, natural or
other);
- Quality preventative care;
- Alternative care and therapies (including
massage, acupuncture and chiropractic);
- Dental care;
- Safe, clean environments (gang-free,
pollution-free, smoke-free, toxin-free,
etc.);
- Opportunities for exercise and physical
activity; and
- Healthy food (although it exists in
abundance, many cannot afford it);
- Portlanders believe that everyone deserves
access to health amenities and envision a
future in which affordable, quality healthcare
is available for all.
| "[I
would like] To see this: many disparate
voices converge around core ideas about
the importance of access to healthcare
for all and to position Portland as a
model of the healthy city presents and
exciting opportunity in thinking about
our vision for the future.” |
| “[I
would like to see] accessible, affordable
health care.” |
| “I’d
like to see Portland make more effort
to house its homeless, have neighborhood
schools for its children with art and
music restored and see that all its citizens
have access to good health care including
alternative healthcare systems, including
acupuncture, naturopathy, homeopathy,
etc…" |
| “[In
the future] everybody has the same opportunities
for health care, housing and employment.” |
- Provide sufficient in-home services
for elders.
- Provide free health clinics in every school
so children can access the care they need.
- There should be more free clinics for those
without insurance to prevent them from developing
severe and costly illnesses.
- Build parks and walking/cycling trails
in park-deficient neighborhoods to improve
the air and create opportunities for outdoor
activities.
- Focus on expanding access to healthy food
in low-income neighborhoods.
- Develop universal health care, either at
the local, state or national level.
- Build more affordable housing so that lower-income
families can live in dense, walkable neighborhoods
that are well-served by amenities.
- Develop a sales tax or increase cigarette
and alcohol taxes to provide health services
for all.
- Demand that schools improve the quality
of cafeteria food and serve only healthy food
to children.
- High
costs and lack of insurance represent the
largest barriers to access.
- While Portlanders note that lack of proximity
to health services is one factor reducing
access for certain groups, they overwhelmingly
believe that the primary barriers relate to
cost and lack of insurance.
- Specifically, people believe that the following
limit Portlanders' access to the quality care
they need:
- The high and rising costs of medical
care and prescription medicine;
- The employer-based insurance system,
which leaves many people without coverage;
- Restrictive insurance policies, which
do not cover certain procedures or many
forms of preventative care that people
need.
- High co-pays and deductibles, which
force some people not to seek care, even
though they have insurance (for more on
people’s thoughts regarding costs and
insurance, see Health:
Cost of Healthcare and Health:
Insurance).
| “[In
the future] health care is less costly
and more readily available to all.
That we live in a healthy, clean environment
where civic pride prevails.” |
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