Brenda has lived in the Beaverton area for almost 10 years, and has a special love for her community— so much so, that she stepped into the role of Clinic Manager at our clinic near Beaverton City Park just under two years ago. Reflecting on her last two years, she says it feels like such a family at First Image. She particularly loves being able to pray with the staff before the day begins, “Spiritual connection with the people you work with…is incredible, and being a manager here is amazing and a huge blessing.” She notes that even patients can sense the togetherness we have. They always say how comfortable and how peaceful it is in the clinic, and Brenda believes that has to do with faith, prayer, and inviting the Holy Spirit into the atmosphere. Patients may not know why they feel so comfortable at our clinic, but they know something is definitely different.
On January 15th, 2024, Brenda was driving her normal commute to work on a Monday morning. One message came, then another, then another, mentioning something about the Beaverton Clinic being flooded with water. Brenda’s heart dropped, and in shock, pulled into the parking lot. With a deep breath, she and her staff walked in together through the front doors. Initially, they thought it was going to be a couple inches of water. They would maybe just replace the carpet, and it would be fine.
“It was like a warzone,” Brenda recalled. There was a huge flood of water coming out of the back of the clinic, over the desks and calendars. The entire ceiling was down in the lab, and everything was a mess. The walls were drooping with water. Once the water traveled up the walls, the mold started almost immediately. All of this, caused by a one-inch crack in the plumbing. The whole bottom floor was destroyed. It was devestating.

The site of the leak

The original leak
Six months later, as Brenda and I walked through the bare bones of a first floor, with much construction still ahead of us, Brenda remarked that the hardest part has been not being able to see patients. Her team misses serving the community. Despite the discouragement, the staff is choosing to look on the bright side: “We get to renovate the clinic into a better situation for our patients, and create a space that is both functional as a health clinic and calming as a safe space.”

Current state of our Beaverton clinic

Beaverton clinic under construction, Feb 2024

Writing statements on the walls as we rebuild
The Beaverton community is diverse, and Ava Health loves having all ages, nationalities, and religions feel welcome in the space. The staff loves giving the community the free resources they need. Several people in the Beaverton community are suffering financially— and then an unplanned pregnancy on top of that is a whole different set of needs. We are here and able to serve these women that are overwhelmed. We’re also able to give them referrals for housing, material needs, addiction management, etc. It’s a huge blessing to our community, and we’re so excited to be there again for those that need us most!
Recent Comments