Westside Compassion Free health, social services offered

Saturday in Hillsboro

Westside Compassion, the traveling health care unit, will provide medical and dental, as well as other social services in a free, one-day health care clinic Saturday, July 11, at the Hillsboro United Methodist Church, 168 NE Eighth Ave.

The event will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will be the second annual free dental, optical, medical and social services clinic held here for those who otherwise have no access to such services.

Here's what will be provided: basic dental cleaning and emergency dental treatment, dental cleaning for ages 3 to 18, basic chiropractic services, basic eye examinations, seminars on legal and social counseling, social services and children's activities. Interpreters will be available in many languages including Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese and Spanish.

The first free clinic served just over 120 patients. This year that number is expected to double. Volunteers - interpreters, dental professionals and anyone who would like to help guide patients and assist the clinic in other ways - are needed.

Anyone interested in helping can sign up online at www.westsidecompassion.com, or call event coordinators Eric Conklin (503-951-0026) or Genevieve Bustamante (503-888-4781 - in Espanol).

Westside Compassion is the result of organizations such as Imago Dei, Portland Impact, the Luis Palau Association, church groups and others, coming together a couple of years ago to host a traveling clinic offering dental and medical services, free food and connections to social agencies.