New Mobile Medical Van brings primary care to underserved South King County residents
On Wednesday, May 29 ICHS and Wellpoint celebrated a ribbon cutting ceremony in front of our partner organization, Auburn Valley YMCA. ICHS was honored to have WA Sen. Claire Wilson, 30th District, Representative Debra Entenman and Max Okimoto representing Rep. Adam Smith for attending.
With the launch of a new Mobile Medical Van, International Community Health Services (ICHS) started a new chapter of health care expansion to reach patients in rural King County and other underserved parts of the region.
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 29, community leaders, partners and elected officials gathered at the Auburn Valley YMCA to celebrate the launch.
“We are pleased and excited to launch this new mobile van in South King County, the first step in our plan to expand our services across this region of the county to meet the healthcare needs of the diverse and growing population here,” ICHS CEO Kelli Nomura addressed attendees. “Communities here in South King County have seen rapid population growth resulting in a significant need for additional services, particularly among the most vulnerable of our neighbors, elderly patients with chronic conditions, and those facing transportation, insurance, and financial barriers.”
Designed as a mobile doctor’s office, the ICHS van will bring a primary care team to residents, reducing transportation, scheduling and other barriers. This builds on the success of ICHS’s Mobile Dental Clinic providing dental care at local schools, as well as efforts bringing behavioral health consults, navigator teams, and COVID-19 testing and vaccination services directly to patients' doorsteps.
“We are so grateful to Wellpoint for generously donating this van and therefore making it possible for more people to receive critical health-care services across King County, and contributing greatly to our work to reduce and eliminate health disparities,” Nomura continued.
Wellpoint Washington, formerly Amerigroup, is a Medicaid managed care coordinator that partners with communities to close the health disparity gap in rural and underserved communities across Washington state.
In 2023, 78% of ICHS patients were people of color, 60% were on Medicaid or dually eligible for Medicare/Medicaid, 79% lived below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, and 58% had an English language barrier.
“Our organization is but one piece of the community health center and social services ecosystem responding to the needs of King County’s most vulnerable people,” said Nomura, “Our partners, many of whom are represented here today are crucial to meeting the often complex, multiple healthcare needs of our patients and families, especially immigrants and refugees. Refugees and migrants remain among the most vulnerable members of society who face discrimination, poor housing, and poor working conditions. They do not have adequate access to health services, despite frequently occurring physical and mental health problems.”
ICHS will continue to work closely with trusted community partners to increase health-care access to ICHS's multiligual staff and providers.
"It's through trusted partnerships that ICHS will reach patients in South King County communities," said Nomura."And we look forward to working closely with community partners like YMCA here in Kent and Auburn, and Viet Wah in Renton, to expand access to health care through the Mobile Medical Van."