FQHC Partners

YVFWC’s mission: Together we are dedicated to lead, with the courage to care, the determination to promote personal growth, and the compassion to champion the cause of those who have no voice.

YVFWC opened in 1978 in a small house made of plywood in the rural town of Toppenish, WA. It began as a health care resource for migrant and seasonal farmworkers, which was almost non-existent. They provide medical, dental, and social services without regard to an individual’s ability to pay.

Today, YVFWC employs over 1,500 people and has served over 180,000 patients. They have grown into one of the largest community health centers in the Northwest, with over 40 clinics in 18 communities across Washington and Oregon.

PNWU-SDM partnered with YVFWC to create a community-based dental clinic in Kennewick, WA. Kennewick is located about 80 miles southeast of Yakima. It’s the most populous of the three cities along the southwest bank of the Columbia River, collectively referred to as the Tri-Cities. Three rivers converge in the area: the Columbia, the Snake, and the Yakima. Kennewick is a beautiful, bustling city in the middle of Washington’s wine country.

Sea Mar’s mission: Sea Mar Community Health Centers is a community-based organization committed to providing quality, comprehensive health, human, housing, educational and cultural services to diverse communities, specializing in service to Latinos.

Sea Mar began in 1978 with one small clinic in the South Park neighborhood of Seattle and the dream of developing a comprehensive health center for the Latino community in Seattle. Their vision has always included serving low-income, underserved, and uninsured communities in western Washington.

Today, Sea Mar is one of western Washington’s largest providers of community-based health and human services with services and programs in 13 Washington counties. These services and programs include community and migrant primary medical and dental care, obstetrics and gynecology, minor outpatient surgery, laboratory and radiology services, behavioral health and substance abuse treatment, maternity support, and many others.

The SDM’s partnership with Sea Mar will create a community-based dental clinic in Tacoma, WA. Located just south of Seattle, Tacoma enjoys easy access to the beautiful Puget Sound waterfront and spectacular views of Mt. Rainier. As it experiences unprecedented growth, Tacoma stays true to its roots as a vibrant, creative community of writers, artists and musicians, photographers, filmmakers, and more. Tacoma is known for its “big-town opportunity with a small-town feel.”

YNHS’s mission: We strive to provide integrated and holistic health care in an environment where age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity are valued, where safe and stable housing is available to all, and where staff feel rewarded for their efforts and achieve personal and professional growth in their work.

YNHS was established in 1975 inside a tiny house on 8^th Street in Yakima. Today, YNHS serves more than 23,000 patients with more than 90,000 visits annually. In addition to full-scope primary care at ten sites in urban and rural communities, YNHS provides targeted services for people experiencing homelessness – including 150 units of supportive housing, supportive employment, medical respite care, and a variety of Basic Needs Assistance in partnership with many service providers in Yakima County.

There is a great need for dental services for underserved populations in the Yakima Valley and other rural areas in the Pacific Northwest, and that is why the SDM is proud to partner with YNHS to form a community-based dental clinic in Yakima. The YNHS dental clinic will be located about 0.5 miles from PNWU’s main campus.