Board member profile: Jill Ginsberg, MD, MPH
Dr. Jill Ginsberg had been a family physician for more than 20 years when, together with a local pastor, she co-founded the North by Northeast Community Health Center, a free medical clinic for low-income uninsured adults in North and inner Northeast Portland. Before the clinic opened its doors, she knew she had a lot to learn from others in the community who were doing this successfully. One of those she turned to for advice was Linda Nilsen-Solares, then-Executive Director of the Essential Health Clinic.
When Project Access NOW started, Dr. Ginsberg immediately saw the benefit to the uninsured patients at North by Northeast who needed specialty care as well as to the community at large. She continued to meet regularly with Linda and followed the early development of the program with interest.
The collaboration shifted to higher gear in late 2008 when, after working as a family physician in a Kaiser Permanente medical office for 14 years, Dr. Ginsberg became Kaiser Permanente’s Physician Lead for Community Care. She’s now responsible for physician engagement in the company’s community programs, including Project Access NOW.
At about the same time, Dr. Ginsberg joined Project Access NOW’s Board of Directors to serve as a liaison with Kaiser Permanente. As part of her Board service, Dr. Ginsberg participates in the Project Access Medical Scope and Clinical Capacity Committee.
“This committee looks at what services are needed and how to make the most of our limited referral resources. It’s a great role for me as a physician with a background in community health,” Dr. Ginsberg said. “I also help out with the medical review process for specialty referrals. We really value our volunteer specialists and want to make sure they have all the information they need when they see a Project Access patient.”
Dr. Ginsberg continues to be very involved with the North by Northeast Community Health Center. As Medical Director and Board President, she volunteers 10-20 hours per week seeing patients, reviewing charts, raising funds, and collaborating with the paid staff on program development.
As a Project Access NOW board member, Dr. Ginsberg finds it “extremely satisfying as a provider of care to the uninsured to know that every month people come to the table to work together on this enormous community problem. Collaborating with people across health systems in such a competitive market is inspiring and helps me remember why we are all here.”
In Dr. Ginsberg’s mind, “Collaboration brings out the best in all of us. I always leave meetings feeling hopeful, even when we’re dealing with hard issues. I hope people will look to Project Access NOW more and more as a model for how communities can come together to address their most difficult problems.”
(March 2010)
