Past Events
Caring for People in Crisis
Community Solutions to Crisis
- Sept 25, 2025 at 5:30 PM
- 3036 NE MLK Jr. Blvd
The demand for crisis services far exceeds available resources. What are the solutions and what will it take to end the crisis? This event will offer an overview of where the issue stands and Cascadia’s strategic plan to solve the challenges that face us.
Sponsored by:
City of Portland, We Are Better Together
Moderator: Jackie Thomson, LCSW
Jackie Thomson currently works for Cascadia Health as Senior Director of Crisis Services. Jackie has worked for Cascadia since 2018 overseeing different programs supporting crisis response for shelters and the community. Jackie earned her master’s in social work from Eastern Washington University in 2013, and worked in homeless services in Spokane, Washington for six years before joining Cascadia Health.
Rachel Griffith (Project Respond Mobile Crisis Counselor):
Rachel is a licensed mental health and rehabilitation counselor who has worked with Project Respond since October 2022. She previously worked as a counselor and case manager with Washington County EASA serving youth experiencing first episode psychosis. Prior to going into the mental health field, Rachel was a CNA and worked for four years caring for people with dementia and then for ten years caring for medically fragile children. She is originally from Washington state, has lived in Portland for 17 years, and loves to spend free time in nature with her dogs.
Daniel Blachowski (Mobile Crisis Peer Support):
Daniel is a dynamic and compassionate Peer Wellness Specialist with over two decades of experience fostering meaningful, client-led relationships across behavioral health, real estate, and community advocacy. With a foundation in trauma-informed care and a deep commitment to social justice, Daniel brings a unique blend of empathy, creativity, and strategic thinking to his work. His career spans roles as a licensed Oregon real estate broker, founding member of several men’s support groups, and ambassador for LGBTQIA+ empowerment initiatives, production designer in the entertainment industry, a background in the arts with an MFA, and mental health peer support—each reflecting his dedication to building trust, empowering individuals, and facilitating personal transformation.
Cassy Gemelli, LCSW (Crisis Counselor at UWIC)
Employed with Cascadia for 32 years, since 1993. Working as a crisis counselor/clinician with the Urgent walk-in clinic for 24 years, since 2001.
Breaking the Mental Health Stigma
A Human-Centered Approach to Mental Health
- Oct. 10, 2025 at 5:30 PM
- 3036 NE MLK Jr. Blvd
We’ve been evolving our care to meet people where they are and provide wrap around support. We recognize that mental health is interconnected with all aspects of an individual’s health. Learn how we’re enhancing coordination across all levels of care.
Sponsored by:
Moderator: Dr. April Sweeney, MD – Chief of Clinical Services
Dr. April Sweeney is an adult psychiatrist who has been practicing in the Portland metro area since 2007. April joined Cascadia Health as Chief of Psychiatry in 2023 and is now serving as Chief of Clinical Services. After earning her MD from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in 2007 and completing psychiatry residency at Oregon Health & Science University in 2011, she served as a community psychiatrist in residential, enhanced care, houseless outreach and supported housing programs at, as it was known at the time, Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare.
Her career since then has involved work as an inpatient psychiatrist at the Portland Veteran’s Administration Medical Center, psychotherapist in private practice, women’s health psychiatrist and primary care consultant at OHSU’s Center for Women’s Health. From 2018-2022, Dr. Sweeney served as a consultant for the Oregon Psychiatric Access Line, providing in-the-moment psychiatric phone consultation to primary care providers across the state. She is a member of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s Medical Director Institute and a former board member of Healthcare for All Oregon. She is passionate about whole person health care for everyone, with a focus on improving health outcomes for those who live with serious mental illness.
Jennifer Wilcox – Director, Clinical Programs
Jennifer Wilcox earned a MS in Rehabilitation Counseling at Boston University while working at the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation under the leadership of Bill Anthony. She spent the early part of her career working in Supported Employment both in San Francisco and in Boston. She has worked at Cascadia Health for 19 years and is currently the Director of Community Wellness, providing support to teams that focus on integrating individuals into the community. As part of her role, she serves on the board of the Eliot Neighborhood Association.
Liz Middleton – Director, Clinical Programs
Liz Middleton earned an MSW at Temple University and is an Oregon Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Liz has worked at Cascadia Health in several community-based roles starting as a clinician and now as a Clinical Director with the Intensive Case Management program. Liz strives to be a recovery- oriented leader focused on developing and maintaining strong teams.
Molly Griggs – Sr. Director of Peer-Delivered Services
Molly Griggs, THW, PWS, CRM, is the Senior Director of Peer Delivered Services at Cascadia Health and Chair of the Oregon Consumer Advisory Council (OCAC). Recognized as Oregon’s Homegrown Peer Leader of the Year at Peerpocalypse 2024, Molly has been a steadfast advocate for peer support.
Molly’s journey with peer support began in 2012 in a volunteer role at a drop-in center in Portland. She has been advocating for authentic peer services and for the expansion of peer services into all areas of behavioral health, substance use, physical health, and housing. She brings a peer perspective, strong peer values, and accountability to both peer and clinical teams delivering client-centered care.
Molly was born in Oregon and has lived here most of her life; she currently resides in a multi-generational setting in rural Washington county with family members aged 19-88 and a fair number of dogs, cats and chickens. One of Molly’s favorite things to do is to interrupt stigma reminding people in meetings (and on councils) that she has been placed on psych holds, held in restraints, force medicated, has spent time in solitary confinement, has been jailed and more — and that she is proof that we should not judge people on our worst days because dark days are not a predictor of our ability to bring light.
Dr. Andrea Matsumura – Primary Care Program Medical Director, Lead Medical Director
Andrea Matsumura, MD, MS, FACP, FAASM attended medical school at The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. She moved to
Portland, Oregon for her residency in Internal Medicine and was an Internal Medicine Physician with Northwest Permanente for 13 years before entering her fellowship in Sleep Medicine. She attended Oregon Health and Science University as a fellow in Sleep Medicine. She became a partner at The Oregon Clinic in
Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine after completing her fellowship. During her tenure there she focused on women’s health and became a sought-after expert on women and sleep. She is currently Medical Director of primary care services and medical home development for Cascadia Health.
Dr. Matsumura is a strong contributor to the community as a physician and sleep expert. She is a member of the Oregon Medical Association (OMA) executive committee. She sits on their JEDI committee (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion) whose goal is to review and guide the activities of the OMA through this lens. She is also a distinguished member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) as a fellow of the AASM. At the AASM she is a leader for the public awareness task force for The Sleep is Good Medicine campaign which focuses on educating the general public and practitioners on the importance of sleep and sleep disorders. Dr. Matsumura also volunteers her time to future doctors and clinicians. She is on the executive board of the Oregon Medical Education Foundation (OMEF) which supports and mentors medical and physician assistant students.
Dr. Matsumura is a founder of the M/Power a Menopause Collective, comprised of four physicians from varied specialties who seek to advance awareness, foster inclusive dialogue, and provide high-quality evidence-based education for the public and healthcare professionals about menopause health. The collective’s goal is to elevate diverse voices and address the unique experiences of women from different cultural and racial backgrounds, to promote a more equitable and informed approach to midlife health. The Portland Menopause Collective hosts conferences and is available for speaking engagements nationwide.
WHOLE HEALTH. WHOLE LIVES. WHOLE COMMUNITY.
Would you like to become a sponsor of the Let’s Talk About It! series? Please contact give@cascadiahealth.org for more information or visit Give.