ICHS Breaks Ground on Shoreline Medical and Dental Clinic

Demolished, a building which has housed many different restaurants
most recently and briefly the Hong Kong Buffet and Grill,
will make way for a medical dental clinic
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Seattle-based International Community Health Services (ICHS) launched the start of its Shoreline health clinic on Monday, August 6 with construction crews knocking down a vacant restaurant to make way for a 20,000-square-foot medical and dental building.

The Shoreline clinic marks a regional expansion for ICHS, which started in Seattle in 1973. The estimated $12 million project, scheduled to open in 2014, will be the first community health center in that city. The $12 million estimate includes purchase of the site.

The full-service clinic will open on one acre at 16549 Aurora Ave N., a central location in Shoreline. It will offer medical, dental, behavioral health, language interpretation, financial screening and insurance enrollment help to residents in Shoreline and the Puget Sound region.

“We have been planning this project for five years but the economy slowed things down. The timing is now right,” Teresita Batayola, ICHS chief executive officer said. “As a health center open to everyone, ICHS is committed to providing quality, affordable and multilingual health services where people need them.”

ICHS Chief Executive Teresita Batayola (left, holding sign) and ICHS Foundation Executive Director Ron Chew (right, holding sign) stand with Shoreline city officials, Dan Eernissee (back, behind Teresita), Julie Underwood (center), Mayor Keith McGlashan (back with dark glasses), and ICHS board and staff members at the site of the new Shoreline clinic.

Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Based on studies, ICHS has identified North King County as an area with a high need for affordable health care and timely access to services.

Mayor Keith McGlashan shakes hands with ICHS Chief Executive Teresita Batayola
while Shoreline City Manager Julie Underwood,
and ICHS Foundation Executive Director Ron Chew look on.
Photo by Steven H. Robinson 

ICHS has been briefing Shoreline city officials about the new clinic. On Monday, Shoreline Mayor Keith McGlashan, City Manager Julie Underwood and other senior city officials visited the site to observe the demolition.

“We’re excited that ICHS is coming to Shoreline,” McGlashan said, adding that some Shoreline residents have had to leave the city for medical help. “We’re excited they will be able to stay in Shoreline to get those services.”

The Shoreline clinic will have 16 medical exam rooms, two procedure rooms, a laboratory, waiting areas and support space. The clinic’s dental area will start with 10 dental chairs to treat patients, as well as waiting areas and work space.

In addition to in-clinic services provided by health care teams, ICHS uses a unique approach as a community health center. It has bilingual outreach and education staff members who attend community events to answer health questions and raise awareness. Also, each year, ICHS provides health care in more than 50 languages and dialects.

ICHS leaders are working with Miller Hayashi Architects, LLC to design the Shoreline building. ICHS already operates four clinics in Seattle.

With the Shoreline clinic, ICHS is positioning itself to meet the needs of newly-insured patients who will receive coverage in 2014 because of the Affordable Care Act. ICHS also is working on opening a clinic in Bellevue.

In 2010, the city of Shoreline had 53,007 residents. Of that population, 15.5 percent are Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Many of the city’s Asian Pacific Islander population live off Aurora Avenue North, which is also known as Highway 99.

The Shoreline clinic project also started in a timely way – during National Health Center Week, which ran through Saturday, August 11.

About ICHS

Started in 1973 as a free community clinic, Seattle-based ICHS provides medical, dental and health education services to more than 18,500 patients yearly. It remains the main health care safety net for Asian Pacific Islanders in Washington state and assists everyone, especially those in need, immigrants, refugees, low income residents and limited English speakers. It has four clinics, located in the International District and Holly Park neighborhoods of Seattle, at Asian Counseling and Referral Service and at the Seattle World School. ICHS provides care in over 50 languages and dialects annually. ICHS is committed to improving the health of medically-underserved communities by providing quality, affordable and in-language health care. 

Learn more:ICHS website, ICHS Foundation website, Facebook, and Twitter.