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| Vanetta Abdellatif |
Vanetta is Board Chair for the Northwest Health Foundation and Chair-Elect for Oregon Community Health Information Network. She also serves on the Health Policy Committee for the National Association of Community Health Centers, as well as the Board of Directors for both the Oregon Primary Care Association and Community Health Advocates of Oregon.
View Vanetta's archived profile on Colors of Influence.
What is your primary charge as Director of Integrated Clinical Services for Multnomah County?
I am the executive leader of 26-location Community Health Center -- also known as a Federally Qualified Health Center -- that is embedded in Multnomah County's Health Department. We are the largest Community Health Center in the state, providing services to over 72,000 people throughout Multnomah County. My primary responsibility is to communicate a compelling vision, establish policies and set objectives in accordance with our organizational mission and board directives.
To be successful in my role, I need to cultivate positive community relationships, keep a pulse on state and federal legislative changes that may impact services, and coordinate with both internal and external constituencies. I am a member of several Boards of Directors that share my commitment to health and wellness, including the Northwest Health Foundation, OCHIN (Oregon Community Health Information Network) and OPCA (Oregon Primary Care Association).
How does your office serve diverse communities?
We provide medical, dental, school health centers, pharmacy and other supportive services. More than 85% of our clients live in poverty: 100% of Federal Poverty Level is $11,800 annually for an individual or $24,300 for a family of four.
Our patient population are largely women and children. Nearly 50% of our patients were best served in a language other than English. Last year, our patient population spoke 59 different languages.
We have staff that come from the communities we serve and are mission-driven to do this work. We also employ community health workers and behavioral health providers as part of a team-based approach and to address other needs of our clients.
What do you like most about the work that you do?
My role is complex. I enjoy working with patients, my team, and community members to develop the best approach for solving those challenges. In the last few years, it was very exciting to see the gains Oregon and the country had made to health reform and assuring that everyone had the right to access essential healthcare. I really like the leadership team that I have built, mentoring new leaders, and finding humor in difficult situations.
What do you find most challenging?
The current political climate and focus on eliminating basic human and social services is very challenging. I wish that I could help raise the understanding that when a society assures that those most in need have basic needs addressed, we all win. And we save money!
In the years that you've been doing this work, what were some of the key advances that you've observed in advancing access to healthcare?
Team-based care and implementing person-centered medical home approaches have increased access and utilization of behavioral health, clinical pharmacy, and community health workers to the doctor office visit. We implemented electronic health records across our clinical system, including Corrections Health. This was a big improvement in terms of access to the needed information to best serve patients. We continue to work on reducing opioid prescribing in medical and dental services, which is very advanced across the country.
The Affordable Care Act has done a lot of good in expanding Medicaid and advocating for increased coordination in the health system to deliver the best care possible, while also reducing cost. However, with the persistent threat to repeal and replace the bill, there is a obviously a chasm of misinformation, even among the very communities helped by the ACA. In your opinion, what can advocates do to change the narrative about health reform?
I agree that this is truly a challenge. I think advocates will be challenged to change the narrative and I do not believe that is where they can be most effective. I would encourage advocates to continue to pay attention to changes proposed, partner with advocates in communities and states that do not have as supportive of Federal Senators (Oregon's Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley) as we do in Portland and encourage them to make the phone calls, attend the town halls.
I follow the Kaiser Family Foundation's Health Reform website, because they provide well-researched and factual analysis of health policy, especially Medicaid. I strongly encourage everyone who cares about this to track and share this information.
During this time of uncertainty about the future of healthcare and health access among the most vulnerable, what gives you hope?
I am hopeful and encouraged that there are so many young people who are going into health care careers. In our communities I see colleagues, friends, neighbors, and family working and showing up to make a positive difference. Seeing this energizes me and keeps me going to continue to do my part as well to make this a better planet.
How do you incorporate your cultural background into the way that you lead in your role?
As a leader, this helps me think about how I want to approach things in a more nuanced way because I am always going between all those identities and roles. We all are, but I am more conscious of it, because I am a woman of color in a leadership role.
As an African-American woman, sometimes my strengths and my contributions are not always valued or not always seen in the best light. For me, it’s been helpful to recognize that people don’t always have the same perception, and that truth is looked at in lots of different ways. I am always living with that paradox: knowing what I can do, and how capable I am, but some people are not able to recognize what I contribute initially. This has been my experience in my career. I am fully aware of it, and I am still continuing to move forward.
What has helped me is having multiple experiences professionally and personally where I’ve been able to take on a challenge, dissect it, and put it back together to be successful. It was also helpful to have people around me who constantly remind me to take a look back, and see what I’ve actually done.
My advice to other women of color: keep showing up. You don’t always have to be the sharpest or the best one, but if you keep showing up and committing to making improvement, you’ll make a difference. Remember that it’s not an accident that you’re there, so it’s important to show up and be present.