Unity Care Northwest unveiled plans to open a new
health care center in 2018 to meet the growing
demand for health care services in our area. The
facility will service residents in north Whatcom
County who are currently without access to convenient
health care. “We know that there are between 8,000 and
9,000 north Whatcom residents that don’t have access to a
community health center,” said Chris Kobdish, director of
planning and development at Unity Care Northwest.
Unity Care NW has three facilities: Bellingham, Ferndale,
and Point Roberts. After opening in 2007, the Ferndale center
served 2,700 patients annually. Today, the demand for
affordable healthcare has grown immensely. The Ferndale
facility now serves 3,100 patients, putting it at capacity,
Kobdish said.
Located off of I-5 on Portal Way, the new center will be
readily accessible for residents of Ferndale, Lynden, Birch Bay,
Blaine, and north Whatcom County. “It [the facility] will offer
our integrated approach to care, which is having primary,
dental, behavioral health, and pharmacy services on one site
so there is coordination of care,” Kobdish said.
Additionally, the new facility will include an in-house
pharmacy for patients. Since Unity Care NW is a federally
qualified health center patients will have access to lowerpriced
pharmaceuticals.
Beyond improving access to health care, the facility will
make a significant mark on the community. “We will
hopefully lead the way in revitalizing Portal Way,” Kobdish
said. Once doors open, it will employ 64 full-time staffers.
