In 1969, when the Oregon Country Fair was still in its infancy, a small group of White Bird Clinic volunteers showed up with a box of medical supplies and established White Bird Rock Medicine, a nonprofit medical organization that provides services at OCF and other major festivals.
Now, 57 years later, WBRM is able to provide comprehensive care, dealing with medical emergencies, behavioral health issues and providing harm reduction to fairgoers.
At the Fair, WBRM has two distinct locations, Big Bird and Little Wing. Both are staffed 24-hours a day with nurses, paramedics, behavioral health workers, emergency medical technicians and even medical doctors. “We always have an emergency room physician at each location as well as other doctors to support less intense situations,” says Kate Gillespie, WBRM executive director…