Taking Our Health and Safety Into Our Own Hands

For several years, nonprofits Trash for Peace (TFP), Ground Score Association (GSA), and Portland Street Medicine (PSM) have committed to serving Portland’s most vulnerable communities, while addressing interconnected issues of poverty, inadequate healthcare access, and environmental justice. Through a grant by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), our three organizations collaborated with members of the latinx and unhoused community to leverage our expertise and resources to create this booklet. We hoped that by working together, we could share more resources and information that lead to healthier, stronger communities.

To do so, we invited community members to a series of listening sessions, collectively exploring ways to collectively address complex issues facing our communities, specifically around the topics of:

Emergency preparedness: how to train and be prepared for both natural and manmade emergencies

Communicable disease prevention: how to contain and prevent the spread of disease and infection

Climate adaption: actions we can take to adjust to the current and projected impacts of a changing climate

A well-informed community is a strong community. The more we learn, the better we can care for ourselves and those we love. We hope this booklet helps you spot signs of illness or infection early and know when to reach out for help. Taking charge of your health means being your own hero—every single day.