The Sept. 26, 2024 forum was one of the most ambitious and newsworthy neighborhood forums of all time.
Presenter: The Neighborhood Leaders Council heard a behind-the-scenes account of one of the most ambitious and newsworthy neighborhood forums of all time, broadcast live from the Willamette Christian Center last September. Representing Churchill Area Neighbors (CAN) July 22, NLC co-Chair Jensina Hawkins:
[00:00:19] Jensina Hawkins (Churchill Area Neighbors): We put on the citywide health care forum on Thursday, Sept. 26. This was the brainchild of Councilor Randy Groves. He came to (CAN Chair) Sarah (Zoll) and me at CAN and said, “What if you guys do a health care forum? I went to one at Salem. It was pretty cool. You could probably get some folks from the legislature to come and talk.”
[00:00:38] Presenter: Last fall, the city was reeling from the closure of Eugene’s only hospital, followed by new corporate ownership of Oregon Medical Group (OMG), which many said contributed to a sudden shortage of primary care physicians. Everyone was talking about health care. Jensina Hawkins:…