Healthy communities nurture healthy individuals.
Our Mission
Creating health through building communities, education and affordable holistic care.
Our Vision
A healthier world.
Our Core Beliefs
At Healthy Living Community, we believe that healthy communities grow healthy individuals. We foster growth in our community by holding regular events (classes, workshops, gatherings), establishing platforms for communication among our members, and ensuring our clinic is an affirming and supportive place for all. We also establish connections with local organizations to build a supportive network of health.
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With this healthcare model, people are able to make meaningful investments in our own health and the health of our communities. Together, we can work to create a sustainable community of wellness for all of us here at Health Living Community. Let’s demonstrate to other health communities that a different accessible approach that provides superior care is possible.
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It has been an iterative process in defining our Core Beliefs, which offer guiding principles in the why and how HLC functions. Please review our Core Beliefs below, and as always, connect to us if you have anything that could be added/revised!
Healthy Living Community's
Story (in brief)
in 2019 Healthy Living Community was founded with the goal of creating a clinic that could offer accessible, quality, integrative, and trauma-informed primary care while also supporting (and not burning out) its providers and staff. HLC's Founder, Dr. Kaeri, worked in a traditional family medicine clinic after her residency and felt how hard it was to practice deeply human medical care in a fast-paced corporate Western model of healthcare.
As a non-profit focussed on community-care, HLC offered various events and community-building offers. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, HLC continued to keep its doors open but reduced community events and had more virtual offerings. During this time, and similar to many clinics and healthcare settings, we felt some burnout! Like many aspects of life, when you are pushed hard in one area, it can lend itself to envisioning what can be done differently. Our providers and staff took extra time off and we maintained flexible schedules. HLC also created a small outdoor 'pagoda' which we offered care with option of opening all four sliding doors to offer a safer space during the height of the pandemic.
In 2022 and 2023 we were excited to have brought on more clinicians and staff to support the growing and evolving clinic we are and continue to lead with integrity and creativity in offering accessible functional and holistic care. We are also excited to grow our Board to continue to ensure solid leadership for our non-profit. While the founding intention was only have sliding scale cash pay and Medicaid, this was not financially feasible. In 2023 and 2024 we have started to accept commercial insurance which offers more financial sustainability and accessibility. We are now offering more community events and programming! We have also partnered with Alder Commons, a non-profit community space in NE Portland, to host larger events with a kitchen space.
Deepest thanks to Dr. Kaeri for founding the vision and mission; warmest gratitude for our Providers and Staff who offer wild care, amazing healing, and creative growth and evolution; huge appreciation to our dedicated Board members, past and present, who lead with care and thoughtfulness; and most critically, all the love and admiration to our Members who continue to contribute to this vision and are dedicated not just to their own healing and wellbeing but that of our families and
communities at large!