Our Mission

Nuestra Comunidad Sana (NCS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the physical and mental health and well-being of the Hispanic communities of the Mid-Columbia. We seek to overcome the barriers to access and care which place the Hispanic/Latino community at a greater health risk than is the community as a whole.

Our Support

We receive major support from the Meyer Memorial Trust, the Oregon Health Division, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. We also receive generous support from the Hood River County Lions Club Foundation, the Hood River County (Oregon) United Way, the Mid-Columbia (Oregon) United Way, United Way of Klickitat/Skamania Counties (Washington), the Oregon Community Foundation, various fees for service, and numerous professional and business donors of time and material.

Our Approach

The Health Promoters of Nuestra Comunidad Sana come from the Hispanic/Latino Community, as does a plurality of our Board of Directors. We attempt to address the needs of the community as perceived by the community. We believe in Collaboration with many partners as the most efficient and cost-effective way to serve the community, and to bring communities together.

The Demographics of Our Communities

Nuestra Comunidad Sana serves the Hispanic residents of five counties along the Columbia River in Oregon and Washington (Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman in Oregon and Klickitat and Skamania in Washington), a region known as the Mid-Columbia.

The local economy is largely dominated by agriculture with the primary crop being tree fruit (pears, apples and cherries). Farmworkers and their families migrate and increasingly settle year-round in the region to plant, thin, harvest, pack and process fruit crops. Local agencies calculate that there are over 8,000 settled out Hispanics and up to 20,000 migrant workers (present from February through October) in our service area.

This population is largely Mexican-American and predominantly monolingual in Spanish. Among the adults, approximately 90% have immigrated from rural Mexico, with an average educational attainment of sixth grade for men and third grade for women, resulting in low literacy levels. The vast majority are legally present in the United States, either as lawful permanent residents or holders of work permits while applying for such status. Approximately a quarter of the population of Hood River County and 10% of Wasco County is Hispanic. There are about 2,000 Hispanic children enrolled annually in the school systems of the region. Hispanic children now comprise 35% of enrolled students in Hood River County schools (the county in which NCS is located), most of them U.S. citizens by birth.

Although it straddles two states, the Hispanic/Latino population is highly contained both geographically and socially. Hispanics live and work almost entirely within the bounds of Hood River County and a narrow strip along the Columbia River in Klickitat and Wasco Counties. It is an entirely rural population with limited services of any kind. The largest town in the region, The Dalles, has approximately 11,000 inhabitants.

Many Hispanics/Latinos are isolated both socially and physically. Some members of the community live in farm labor camps, with no individual address, and receive their mail at a post office box or at a friend's. Many have no telephone service. Many do not own an auto, and relatively few women drive, in an area with essentially no public transportation. The Oregon Health Division reports that nearly twice as many Hispanics, compared with the general population, are medically uninsured and/or cannot afford a visit to a doctor. Medical care, when sought, often results in inappropriate use of emergency care facilities.

Our History

NCS began in 1988 as a well-child program of La Clinica del Cariño, a federally-qualified community-based health clinic. At that time, we were known as El Niño Sano ("The Healthy Child").

As we became more involved with the Hispanic community, we learned more about the needs of the mothers of the children we served. In 1992, we expanded our services to these women, and changed our name to La Familia Sana/Madres en Marcha ("The Healthy Family/Mothers on the Move").

By 1995, we were serving the entire family, and shortened our name to La Familia Sana. At the same time, we separated from La Clinica del Cariño, and became an independent private non-profit organization.

The inception of our Tobacco Awareness and Prevention Program in 1998, the Diabetes Screening and Referral program in 1999, and the Breast Cancer Outreach program in 2000, coupled with our long-standing work in community capacity building, made it clear that our work eached not only children, mothers, and family, but the entire community at large, both Hispanic and Anglo. Thus we entered the new millennium with a new name - Nuestra Comunidad Sana.