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January 15, 2026

Employees Generously Support HMC Foundation in 2025

Employee contributions support several programs and initiatives through one-time and recurring gifts.

 

 

 

Thank you to all Hillsboro Medical Center employees for supporting the Hillsboro Medical Center (HMC) Foundation. In total, $38,577 was donated to the HMC Foundation through one-time gifts and recurring payroll deduction contributions in 2025! 

Thanks to our donors, the HMC Foundation supports a variety of programs and initiatives, including:

  • Dick Stenson Healthy Community Fund: Supports HMC patients experiencing hardship by offering gas, phone and grocery gift cards; funds to cover the cost of necessary medical supplies and prescriptions, as well as transportation home after discharge; new clothing and toiletry items; and various other needed supports as identified by clinical staff.

  • ED Compassion Closet: Provides clean clothing to ED patients at discharge

  • Evolv Weapons Detection System: Installed on October 20, 2025 at the main hospital entrance and Emergency Department, this non-invasive system provides added security for employees, guests and patients.

  • Family Grocery Bags for NICU families at discharge

  • Employee and High School Scholarships

  • ¡Salud!: Program of the HMC Foundation that brings mobile health clinics to agricultural workers and their families at their place of employment. The bilingual, bicultural ¡Salud! team offers initial health screenings, immunizations and case management services that help patients overcome various barriers to accessing healthcare.

  • Employee Food Pantry

  • Equipment purchases that help enhance the patient experience for various units and department.

 

We’re grateful for all those who choose to contribute their time, talents and treasures to Hillsboro Medical Center. Our employees and donors are what make HMC an exceptional and welcoming place to receive care!

To make a one-time donation or enroll in recurring gifts through payroll deduction to support the Fund of your choice, please click the button below.

Employee giving
one-time donation
June 16, 2023

Claudia Abney: ¡Salud! Services Is With You All The Way

Claudia standing in front of the ¡Salud! sign
Claudia Abney, Administrative Coordinator & Community Outreach, ¡Salud! Services | Photo credit: Easton Richmond

Your Support Saves Lives!

When Julio* mentioned at a wellness clinic that his eye was dry and painful, Claudia called a local eye clinic to get it checked out. When it came time for the appointment, Claudia accompanied Julio.

A nationally certified healthcare interpreter, Claudia facilitated the appointment for Julio ensuring he had a chance to ask questions about the diagnosis: he needed surgery.

While Julio had insurance, after his procedure he still faced a major medical bill. Unable to work for several months, Julio was unsure how he would pay, and the debt weighed on him. Claudia helped him apply for financial assistance, spending hours gathering documents and filling out forms. Claudia also called the provider to advocate on Julio’s behalf and was able to get the doctor’s fee waived. Today, Julio’s bill has been granted 100% financial assistance.

Julio and his wife have a child with special needs who requires round-the-clock care. Without income for several months, Julio’s family was unable to afford groceries for a time. ¡Salud! was able to provide a grocery gift card, personally delivered by Claudia, to ensure Julio’s recovery from surgery was as smooth as possible and his family was taken care of. Claudia also connected them to nearby food banks, so they always had someone to call.

*Names changed

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February 26, 2020

Keeping Families Together: One Family’s Story

Mother and two babies
Niko and Makai with Vanessa (mom)

Your Support Saves Lives!

Today, Niko and Makai look like any other newborns from Forest Grove, Ore. They spend their days sleeping, eating and having their diapers changed. The boys, and parents Jon and Vanessa, however, had a busy couple of days after birth.

Niko was born first, weighing 5 lbs. 3 oz with ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes. But, shortly after birth Niko went into respiratory distress. He needed more care than was available at OHSU Tuality Healthcare.

Niko was transported to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, and dad, Jon, rode with him in the ambulance the 18 miles to Portland. Soon after, Makai (6 lbs.), showed signs of distress and also needed to be transported to OHSU Doernbecher.

Mom, Vanessa, still recovering, stayed behind in Hillsboro.

Before each twin left, Vanessa said goodbye, but it would be nearly 12 hours before she was reunited with her newborn boys.

Within a few hours, each baby was breathing without assistance. Less than 24 hours after arriving at OHSU, both boys were discharged from the NICU and snuggling comfortably with mom.

Both babies are now thriving and the family is adjusting to being a family of seven. Visiting Tuality, they thank their doctors and providers for the wonderful care they received. But, they recognize that if Tuality had a NICU at the time of their birth, they would have been able to stay together as a family.

“It killed me that I couldn’t be with my kids. It was difficult knowing they were in another city.”
– Vanessa, Niko and Makai’s mother

December 20, 2018

Ron Wastier: Hearts of Gold to Save a Heart

Ron (in plaid shirt) with part of his medical care team.

Your Support Saves Lives!

Ron’s Story

Ron Wastier knows a lot about the heart, having had a number of cardiac procedures over the years. When Ron’s cardiologist retired, he was referred to Dr. Vincent Reyes, a community doctor with hospital privileges at Hillsboro Medical Center.

Ron has spent a lot of time in hospitals as a patient. He believed they were all pretty much the same, but something was noticeably different about Hillsboro Medical Center. Ron was overwhelmed by the kindness, care, and communication he received from his caregivers. “They (his medical care team) told me what was going to happen and what to expect. The communication here is the key.” At Hillsboro Medical Center, the medical staff not only took great care of him, he noted, but of his family too.

Ron recalled a visit to Hillsboro Medical Center’s Emergency Department (ED). He decided he was well enough to go home and left the hospital, even though the ED doctor, Dr. Garcia, advised against it. The next morning, Ron’s primary doctor reached him and told him to get back to Hillsboro Medical Center. Dr. Garcia had contacted Ron’s primary doctor the night before to tell him about his concern for Ron. Ron was touched that Dr. Garcia made the extra effort to make sure he was alright.

Ron continues to receive care at the Hillsboro Medical Center Cardiac Rehabilitation. Recently, he experienced leg pain while walking on the treadmill. His therapist, Barb, noticed and recommended he get checked out, just in case. It turned out that blood clots were forming in his legs. He returned to the hospital to have stents (small mesh tubes) inserted into his legs.

Ron takes a little better care of his body these days including regular check-ups. He feels safe and secure when he comes to Hillsboro Medical Center, so much so that his blood pressure actually drops because he knows he’s in caring and competent hands.

Ron feels he owes a debt to his caregivers. By sharing his story, he hopes to encourage other people to choose Hillsboro Medical Center because their medical staff have “hearts of gold”. Take it from someone who knows a lot about heart.

November 13, 2018

How 20 Minutes can Save a Life

The Leola story
Leola Kalamau with daughter Shaddie

Your Support Saves Lives!

Leola’s Story

As a 35-year-old widowed mother of four children, Leola Kalamau juggled family and work. Life was so hectic she couldn’t find time to get a mammogram. It could take half of a work day to get a mammogram considering travel, waiting room and screening time.

When Tuality’s mobile mammography van came to Leola’s workplace, it was easy for her to step outside her office on her coffee break to get a mammogram.

She received a phone call the day after her mammogram with news that her results were abnormal. Further testing led to a diagnosis of breast cancer. In Leola’s words, “Without Tuality and the mammography van, my diagnosis might have been a lot worse—and caught a lot later. I might not be here today if not for them.”

November 13, 2018

Prakash’s Story

The Prakash story
Dr. Lucas Christianson (left) with Prakash Shukla (center) and wife Datta Shukla (right).

Your Support Saves Lives!

Prakash’s Story

On the evening of the June 11, 2018, retired Intel engineer Prakash Shukla experienced a sharp pain in his shoulder. Prakash is a healthy and active person who typically exercises for an hour and a half each day, so he assumed he sprained a muscle during one of his workouts.

However, after a while, the pain began to move down his arm and he began sweating profusely. His wife called his son who is a doctor in California and he instructed her to call 911 immediately.

The moment he arrived at OHSU Tuality Healthcare, he was impressed with the care and attention he received. “When I arrived, I was seen right away and everyone knew what to do”, said Prakash. His EKG was reading normal, but cardiologist Lucas Christianson, M.D., ran more tests and concluded that Prakash was experiencing a heart attack. Shukla was deeply impressed with the communication he received from Dr. Christianson. “I’m an engineer. I always have a lot of questions and want to know why things are happening.”  Dr. Christianson explained the procedure thoroughly to Prakash and his family. “Dr. Christianson made me feel so comfortable. He made an effort to take time for me and my family”.Prakash was not only grateful for the attentive care he received from Dr. Christianson, but was blown away by the level of care he received from nurses Andrea Gilliland and Christie Schleich. “I’ve never had that kind of care before”. A few years ago Prakash had been hospitalized for an ulcer in another state. In his past experience, when he would press the button for assistance, the nurses were either delayed or would never respond.When asked how quickly the nurses at OHSU Tuality Healthcare responded when he pushed the button, he stated with a smile “I never had to press the button. They were always on top of everything.”

What stuck out the most to Mr. Shukla was a special trick that ICU nurse Christie Schleich used when removing the electrodes after his EKG. “I have a hairy chest, and it was really painful when nurses would rip them off”. However, Christie used a rubbing alcohol wipe on the electrodes which prevented the electrode from sticking. This made the removal of the electrodes painless. “That was such a clever idea. I didn’t feel anything!”

Prakash was very impressed with all of the detail that was put into his care and comfort. To him, OHSU Tuality Healthcare “felt like home”, and to honor the staff that supported him, he recently made a generous donation to the Tuality Healthcare Foundation on behalf of Dr. Christianson and his nurses Andrea and Christie.

November 13, 2018

Shirley Bates: A Journey from Heart Surgery to a 5k

Three woman wearing fundraising shirts
Shirley Bates (center) with OHSU Tuality Healthcare Exercise Leaders Cheris Hollis (left) and Karen McCoy (right).

Your Support Saves Lives!

Shirley’s Story

In January 2018, Shirley Bates had a major health issue that required quadruple bypass heart surgery.  The operation was a success but her road to recovery was far from over. To improve her health, her doctor recommended participating in OHSU Tuality Healthcare’s Cardiac Rehabilitation program.

Shirley was apprehensive. You see she’s not a big fan of going to the gym. To make matters even more challenging, the cardiac rehab team informed her that she would need to complete 36 one-hour sessions. All of it felt a little overwhelming to her.

Yet after only three sessions, Shirley’s attitude changed. She started looking forward to going. Shirley credits the supportive environment created by the Cardiac Rehab exercise leaders, Cheris Hollis and Karen McCoy.

“Cheris and Karen made an effort to get to know me and always interacted in a positive and supportive way,” Shirley said.

There was a special moment Shirley remembers when she casually mentioned her plans to attend a concert that evening. At her next rehab session, she was surprised to hear the music playing by the same artist from the concert. Shirley was deeply touched by this gesture. “They really do care about us. This place is more than a gym, it’s a community.”

Not only did this supportive environment motivate Shirley to prioritize her health, it also inspired her daughter to organize a 5K called New Heart & Sole.

Shirley at the time could barely walk to the sidewalk in front of her house. So completing a 5K seemed nearly impossible. With the help of Karen, Cheris and other patients in the program, this daunting goal became a reality. On August 12, 2018, eight months after major heart surgery, Shirley completed her first 5K.

Not only had Cheris and Karen supported her leading up to the race, they participated in the event with their families.

“I cannot say enough good things about the program. I had many questions and never once was made to feel that they were silly or a waste of time.”

Shirley has completed all 36 sessions and currently is in the maintenance program. She has lost 20 pounds and credits the staff for helping her feel better than she has in a long time.