Unity Care NW significantly expands north county medical services

When Unity Care NW opened its new north Whatcom County health center in Ferndale on July 1, it more than doubled the number of patients it’s able to serve in the north county area, responding to a growing need.

As well as patient numbers and needs outgrowing the old Ferndale facility, the location at 6060 Portal Way was chosen because it is a central location for people who need community health services in the north county, said Jennifer Moon, communications and public relations associate.

“We wanted something that would be accessible,” Moon said.

Located next to I-5 and served by a Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) stop, the 23,000-square-foot facility has capacity for 9,500 patients total. This will include the around 4,000 patients currently served by the current Ferndale facility, and an additional 5,500 new patients.

The city of Ferndale provided support for the project in hopes it would help serve as an economic anchor for the area, Moon said.

When Unity Care NW opened its Ferndale health center in 2008, it had five exam rooms and four dental facilities, according to the nonprofit’s annual report. The new center will feature 16 exam rooms, 12 dental facilities, a pharmacy and a laboratory.

Moon said the center’s increased clientele is largely due to the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. As a federally-qualified health center, Unity Care NW offers care regardless of patients’ insurance coverage or ability to pay. With an increased number of its patients receiving coverage through Medicaid, the nonprofit has had to subsidize less services, allowing it to serve more patients.

While people with any type of insurance can take advantage of Unity Care NW’s services, 64 percent of the over 21,400 patients it served in 2018 used Medicaid. This increase in demand is important to the expansion; the project was halted for a year while the future of the Affordable Care Act was uncertain.

The total construction costs were approximately $15 million. While Unity Care NW sought to offset $3 million of that amount with a capital campaign, it ended up raising $5 million instead from private foundations, individual donors, federal tax credits and state funding, allowing them to use less of their reserves, Moon said.

Among the expanded offerings of the new center will be adult dental care, which Moon said is often a challenge.

“We’re really excited about this opportunity,” she said.

The new center will also offer expanded behavioral health services, including counseling available on a sliding scale and as part of regular clinical visits. It will also be able to offer expanded wellness services that help manage pain without prescription medicine.

When the center is at full capacity, Unity Care NW is planning for the equivalent of 64 full-time positions: five full-time-equivalent medical providers, 8.5 full-time-equivalent dental providers, 6.8 full-time-equivalent behavioral health counselors and 1.2 full-time-equivalent pharmacists. A full-time-equivalent position means it is budgeted a 40-hour work week.

The first goal when the center opens will be to move north county patients who are traveling to Bellingham for services to the center. Then, in August, Unity Care NW plans on beginning a campaign to bring in new patients, Moon said.

However, the center is accepting all patients for care currently, and while the expansion has been largely driven by Medicaid coverage, Moon emphasized that Unity Care NW accepts all patients regardless of insurance type or lack thereof.