Frequently Asked Questions

Our programs are designed primarily for adults aged 55 and older living in Multnomah County, Oregon, and their family caregivers. Most programs have no income requirements or insurance prerequisites. The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program is open to any adult living with one or more chronic conditions regardless of age. Medicare Navigation Assistance is available to anyone approaching age 65, already enrolled in Medicare, or qualifying through disability. Caregiver support services are open to any family member providing ongoing care for an older adult, regardless of the caregiver’s own age. Some programs funded through Oregon Project Independence require participants to be aged 60 or older with functional impairments and income below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. Our intake coordinators will assess eligibility during the enrollment process and connect you with the most appropriate services.

The majority of our programs are offered at no cost to participants, funded through grants, donations, and health system partnerships. The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, fall prevention classes, caregiver support groups, Medicare navigation assistance, and cognitive screenings are all free. Some services, such as individualized home safety assessments and extended health navigation visits, are available on a sliding-scale basis for participants who do not qualify for grant-funded slots. We never turn anyone away for inability to pay. If cost is a concern, speak with our intake team about scholarship and fee waiver options. Contact us at (503) 555-0194 to discuss your specific situation.

Enrollment begins with a brief intake call or in-person visit at our office at 2205 NW Vaughn Street, Suite 140, Portland. During the intake, our coordinator will ask about your health conditions, care needs, current medications, and program interests to recommend the most beneficial services. You can also complete the interest form on our Get Involved page, and a coordinator will call you within two business days. For the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, workshops start quarterly and fill on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend enrolling at least three weeks before the workshop start date to secure your spot. Walk-in enrollment is available Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

Legacy Health Foundation is a community-based non-profit organization, not a healthcare provider. We do not bill Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance for our programs. Our services are funded through grants, donations, and health system contracts. However, our Medicare Navigation Assistance program helps you understand and optimize your own Medicare coverage, including plan comparison, enrollment, appeals, and benefits counseling. We are not affiliated with any insurance company and provide unbiased guidance. Our SHIBA-certified counselors are independent volunteers trained through the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation and have no financial incentive to recommend any particular plan.

All health navigator volunteers complete a comprehensive 40-hour training program before being assigned to participants. The curriculum includes chronic disease fundamentals (diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, COPD, arthritis), motivational interviewing techniques, Medicare basics, cultural humility and health literacy principles, Oregon mandated reporter training, boundaries and ethical guidelines, confidentiality and HIPAA awareness, community resource navigation, and emergency protocols. Training cohorts run quarterly and include both classroom instruction and supervised field experience. Volunteers must pass a background check and provide two professional or community references. Continuing education requirements include eight hours annually of topical workshops and skill refreshers. Bilingual volunteers receive additional training on medical interpretation standards.

Home visit health navigation is our most intensive service tier, designed for homebound seniors or individuals with complex, multi-system health needs. A trained community health worker visits the participant’s home weekly or biweekly, depending on the care plan. During visits, the navigator reviews medication adherence, monitors vital signs (blood pressure, blood glucose), assists with appointment scheduling and transportation coordination, connects the participant with community resources, and provides companionship and social engagement. All home visit navigators carry identification, have completed comprehensive background checks, and follow strict infection control protocols. Initial visits are scheduled Monday through Friday between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM. The first visit typically lasts 90 minutes to complete a comprehensive needs assessment, with subsequent visits averaging 45 to 60 minutes.

Absolutely. We accept referrals from family members, healthcare providers, social workers, hospital discharge planners, Area Agency on Aging case managers, clergy, and community members. To make a referral, call our intake line at (503) 555-0194 extension 1, email referrals@legacyhealthfoundation.org, or complete the interest form on our Get Involved page with the individual’s basic contact information and a brief description of their needs. We follow up on all referrals within two business days. For urgent situations, such as a senior being discharged from the hospital with inadequate home support, call our main line and ask for the on-duty navigator for same-day triage.

Legacy Health Foundation does not operate its own transportation fleet, but we coordinate transportation assistance through several partner services. TriMet’s LIFT paratransit service is available for qualifying individuals with disabilities. Ride Connection, a Multnomah County non-profit, provides volunteer driver services for older adults. We also facilitate TriMet reduced-fare Honored Citizen passes for eligible participants. For participants in our home visit program, transportation coordination is built into the navigator’s role, including scheduling rides for medical appointments and program sessions. In limited circumstances, transportation vouchers are available through our partnership with CareOregon for Medicaid-enrolled participants.

Our core programs are delivered in English, with Spanish-language CDSMP workshops offered twice annually in East Portland. We maintain a roster of bilingual health navigators and community health workers who can provide services in Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Russian, and Somali. For languages not represented on our team, we partner with the Pacific Interpreter Network to provide professional medical interpretation services at no cost to participants. All program materials are available in English and Spanish, with select documents translated into Vietnamese and Russian. We are actively recruiting bilingual volunteers to expand language access across all program areas.

Legacy Health Foundation adheres to strict confidentiality standards aligned with HIPAA principles, even though as a community organization we are not a HIPAA-covered entity. All participant records are maintained in a secure, encrypted database with role-based access controls. Staff and volunteers sign confidentiality agreements during onboarding and receive annual privacy training. We never share participant information with third parties without explicit written consent, except as required by law (mandated reporting of elder abuse or neglect). Health data collected during program activities is used solely for service delivery and aggregate outcomes reporting. No individually identifiable information is included in grant reports, research publications, or public communications. For our complete privacy practices, please visit our privacy policy page.