Staff profile: Tara Foley
Tara Foley moved to Portland from the East Coast “to preserve my sanity and live a slower, more financially stable lifestyle”. The move seems to have paid off: Tara has “found a great community. I love living here.” And Project Access NOW loves having Tara on board!
Tara joined the Coalition of Community Health Clinic team as soon as she arrived. Working as an Access and Referral Coordinator, she helped patients get the care they needed at the Coalition member clinics and through the Coalition’s access programs. In that role, Tara managed Project Access Multnomah County.
Tara said she learned a lot at the Coalition. “I experienced first hand the workings of the partnership between the Coalition and Project Access NOW. I now know a lot more more about Oregon’s healthcare system and the safety net. The clinics and Project Access NOW play a very important role for the region’s uninsured.”
Project Access Multnomah County moved under the wings of Project Access NOW in July, and with the transition, Tara joined the growing Project Access NOW team. In her role as Technical Assistance and Quality Assurance Coordinator she moved from coordinating care for patients toward providing infrastructure and program management for care coordination.
“My role is to support clinics in the transition to the new database and maintain the quality of the program,” Tara said. “I’m really excited to see the program continue to grow. There are so many different ways to expand it further. And we have such a great opportunity with the healthcare reform to support clinics, connect the community, and use resources efficiently.”
Similar to many other staff, volunteers, and board members, Tara conveyed a sense of satisfaction about what’s been accomplished and about the road ahead.
“I’m excited to be a part of Project Access NOW, it’s a great organization to work for. It’s so nice to see a dedicated core group of people working on what seems like an insurmountable task – systemic healthcare change. It can sometimes be daunting and overwhelming, but at the end of the day, I’m inspired when I take a step back and see what we’ve done here. Twenty-five million dollars in healthcare services leveraged for every dollar spent, that’s amazing.”
(October 2010)
