Unity Care Northwest
Unity Care Northwest is a federally qualified community health center based in Bellingham, WA, with 5 clinic locations in 2 cities. It served 23,917 patients in 2025. Fees are on a sliding scale by income and insurance, and every patient is seen regardless of ability to pay.
- 23,917patients in 2025
- 6%uninsured patients
- 40%at or below the poverty line
- 293full-time-equivalent staff
Care offered: primary care, dental care, mental health care, substance use treatment, children’s checkups, women’s health, and telehealth.
Who Unity Care Northwest serves
40% of patients live at or below the poverty line and 77% are at or below twice that level. 6% have no insurance, 60% have Medicaid or CHIP, 13% have Medicare and 21% have private insurance. 2,894 patients were experiencing homelessness. 590 were veterans.
| Measure | This center | WA median | U.S. median | vs WA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patients at or below the poverty line | 40% | 56% | 65% | −17 pts |
| Patients at or below 200% of the poverty line | 77% | 86% | 92% | −9 pts |
| Measure | This center | WA median | U.S. median | vs WA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uninsured patients | 6% | 13% | 14% | −6 pts |
| Medicaid or CHIP patients | 60% | 46% | 42% | +13 pts |
| Medicare patients | 13% | 11% | 11% | +2 pts |
| Privately insured patients | 21% | 25% | 24% | −5 pts |
Care and screenings
| Service | Patients | What it counts |
|---|---|---|
| Dental care | 13,502 | patients had dental exams |
| Mental health care | 7,435 | patients treated for depression or anxiety |
| Substance use treatment | 85 | patients in treatment |
| Well-child visits | 720 | children had checkups |
| Flu shots | 410 | patients vaccinated |
| Cervical cancer screening | 839 | patients tested |
| Breast cancer screening | 1,261 | patients screened |
| Family planning | 700 | patients served |
| Diabetes care | 1,520 | patients with diabetes |
| Blood pressure care | 3,389 | patients with hypertension |
| Asthma care | 1,034 | patients with asthma |
| HIV testing | 1,537 | patients tested |
| Hepatitis C testing | 1,306 | patients tested |
| Childhood lead tests | 38 | children tested |
Quality of care
Unity Care Northwest is at or above the Washington median on 3 of 7 preventive-care measures. Higher is better on every line.
| Measure | This center | WA median | U.S. median | vs WA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults with high blood pressure under control | 72% | 71% | 68% | +1 pts |
| Women 52–74 screened for breast cancer | 56% | 51% | 54% | +5 pts |
| Women 24–64 screened for cervical cancer | 50% | 55% | 54% | −5 pts |
| Adults 46–75 screened for colorectal cancer | 46% | 42% | 44% | +4 pts |
| Patients 12+ screened for depression | 55% | 70% | 77% | −14 pts |
| Adults assessed for tobacco use | 75% | 84% | 86% | −9 pts |
| High-risk adults on statin therapy | 77% | 79% | 79% | −2 pts |
Staffing
293 full-time-equivalent staff work at Unity Care Northwest, including 16 physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and midwives. That is 1,488 patients per clinical provider, against the Washington median of 994 and the U.S. median of 930.
Where Unity Care Northwest patients live
| ZIP code | Patients | Uninsured |
|---|---|---|
| 98225 | 5,188 | 6% |
| 98226 | 4,286 | 7% |
| 98248 | 4,121 | 7% |
| 98229 | 2,658 | 6% |
| 98230 | 2,206 | 5% |
| 98264 | 1,541 | 10% |
| 98247 | 722 | 11% |
| 98266 | 702 | 5% |
Unity Care Northwest locations
Other health centers in Washington
- Yakima Neighborhood Health Services
- Seattle Roots Community Health
- Community Health of Central Washington
- Cowlitz Family Health Center
- Tri-Cities Community Health
- Seattle-King County Public Health Dept
How fees work: the sliding-fee guide.