Walking into a Greater Portland Health (GPH) center means stepping into one of the most diverse waiting rooms in the state.  GPH is a federally qualified health center (FQHC) that is committed to providing high-quality healthcare to everyone in the community regardless of ability to pay.  The health center staff serves patients with commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid insurance.  GPH provides a sliding fee scale program for those without insurance. In any of the nine locations around the Greater Portland area, multiple languages are spoken; individuals receive financial counseling, peer support, and case management; and a full suite of healthcare services that include medical, behavioral health and oral healthcare.GPH serves over 10,000 patients; 50% are uninsured and may have otherwise not had access to quality healthcare services. GPH staff works collaboratively with many other nonprofits in the community to provide services to anyone in need. GPH services are offered to anyone who walks in the door.

“There is great need in our community, and it is our responsibility to make it work.”

— Ann Tucker, CEO of GPH

The staff of 96 professionals speaks 12 different languages.  GPH is committed to creating quality jobs and offers full benefits, vacation time, training, and fair wages, with a strong focus on promoting from within and creating opportunities for professional development. With a collaborative environment committed to empowering its employees to make decisions, GPH couldn’t exist without a staff that believes in, and supports, the mission: to provide high quality patient-centered healthcare that is accessible, affordable, and culturally sensitive.

Many New Mainers volunteer at GPH while awaiting their work permits. This has led, in multiple instances, to employment for these individuals as Patient Services Representatives. Nanouchka Muhimpundu, for example, moved to Portland from her home country of Burundi in 2013. Having a background in business management and a BA in International Business Administration, she immediately began volunteering in the enrollment and outreach department at GPH. When she received her work permit, she was hired as a Patient Services Representative, and later she was promoted to a Financial Assistance Counselor position. Her broad experience within the healthcare center primed her for a second promotion to Office Manager at the Park Avenue location. “I work here to help patients,” she said. “It reminds me of my own experience when I first arrived in Portland.”

In 2013, GPH began operating as a 501c3 after four years of support from the City of Portland.

“CEI lent us our first loan, which allowed us to get through that first year on our own. We were a huge risk, barely able to make payroll at the time. As a standalone 501c3, we wouldn’t be here without CEI.”

— Ann Tucker, CEO of GPH

The second loan from CEI provided necessary capital to bring IT infrastructure in-house to reduce hosting expenses and be able to provide more healthcare services to the uninsured.

Greater Portland Health stands out as an organization that is promoting shared prosperity in its community by promoting health care access for everyone.