Eugene-Springfield NAACP hosts free health fair at Clear Lake Center

At Clear Lake Community Center in Bethel, the Eugene-Springfield NAACP turned its June 8 health fair into an immediate bridge to care for residents who often skip preventive visits. The event paired a free dental van with eye and cancer screenings, then added a diaper bank and outreach booths for the BIPOC community.

The fair was built around barriers that shape who gets screened in Lane County: cost, transportation and the hesitation that can come from fear or past bad experiences with the health system. By bringing providers and services into a neighborhood setting, the NAACP made the day less about a one-time checkup and more about a first connection that could lead to follow-up care.

The setting mattered as much as the services. Clear Lake Community Center is the former Clear Lake Elementary School, now a multi-use space in Eugene’s Bethel neighborhood that houses early childhood education, Boys & Girls Clubs, Food for Lane County pantries and the Eugene-Springfield NAACP as its official home. That mix of services gave the health fair the feel of a neighborhood hub rather than a stand-alone clinic day.

The event also fit a broader local pattern. The City of Eugene calendar listed a March 1, 2025 city-wide healthcare forum and health fair hosted by Active Bethel Community, Churchill Area Neighbors, Southwest Hills Neighbors, NLC, the NAACP and the Eugene Healthcare Coalition. Lane County’s community health assessment work has also involved Lane County Public Health, PeaceHealth, Trillium and United Way, underscoring that access to care has been a long-running concern across the county.

For Black residents in Eugene, the push for trust-building carries historical weight. The Eugene-Springfield NAACP marked the 75th anniversary of the demolition of the “Across the Bridge” community in 2024, a reminder of the exclusion that shaped where Black families could live and receive services. The health fair’s outreach to the BIPOC community pointed toward a different model, one built on direct contact, not distance.

Residents who missed the fair can still find help. White Bird Community Dental Clinic at 1415 Pearl Street in Eugene offers sliding-scale dental care for uninsured, underinsured and low-income patients, and can be reached at 541-344-8302. OHSU’s Casey Community Outreach Program provides free adult vision screenings through partner sites around the state, and Oregon ScreenWise offers free breast and cervical cancer screening services to qualifying uninsured and underinsured patients; the program can be reached at 971-673-0581. For local follow-up, PeaceHealth offers mammography and breast imaging at 3299 Hilyard St. in Eugene and cancer care in Eugene and Springfield.