News & Events

Dedicated to transforming health care access in our state, Project Access Northwest 
helps to bridge the health care gap for low-income, underserved Washingtonians. Since 2006, this organization has served 50,000 patients, across King, Snohomish and Kitsap counties. Continue reading

Thanks for joining us on October 15 at Garage on Capitol Hill for a fun evening of bowling and socializing, all in support of Project Access Northwest and its mission to ensure that every person has access to appropriate health care. Continue reading

Executive Director Gary Renville discusses his recent experience at the Washington State of Reform Health Policy Conference and highlights recent accomplishments of Project Access Northwest programs. Continue reading

Board member Shirley Bishop introduces our new strategic framework and how it will guide our work in the coming years. Continue reading

In this guest column by CellNetix, we explore the decade-long partnership between our two organizations. Since 2009, CellNetix has provided pathology-related services to Project Access Northwest at no cost. Continue reading

Project Access Northwest welcomed new board members and new staff members in January 2019. Get to know a few of our new faces! Continue reading

We thank our 165 guests, sponsors and in-kind donors for collectively raising $93,600 to help strike down barriers to health care. Read on for highlights of the night, an inspirational video and a fun photo gallery. Continue reading

Pat Cashman—best known locally for his work on “Almost Live!”—will join us as our host for our upcoming event Strike! Down Barriers to Health Care on October 9. Continue reading

Project Access Northwest’s Health Home Program marked its one-year anniversary in April. In 2017, we partnered with Coordinated Care to provide services to its most vulnerable members. Our care coordinators meet these clients in their community and provide personalized care coordination, health promotion, support and resources. Continue reading

Executive Director Gary Renville reflects on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the 50th anniversary of his death. Continue reading

Recent promotions of leaders in our organization Continue reading

Since our founding in 2006, Project Access Northwest has relied on thousands of volunteers to bring life-changing care to patients in need. Typically we focus on our 1700+ volunteer providers who donate care for our patients. But we have volunteers of all sorts—from students to retired professionals, both in and out of the medical field—working behind the scenes and supporting our mission. Continue reading

We invite you to join us in our mission to make high quality medical and dental care more accessible and attainable for low-income individuals. Continue reading

Project Access Northwest is governed by a volunteer board of directors. Our members bring a variety of professional skills (legal, medical, fundraising, health planning and administration) and represent various segments of the community. The board meets six times a year, and board members serve three-year terms. Continue reading

Project Access Northwest teamed up with Kaiser Permanente to help coordinate follow-up care for vision clinic patients seen at the free Seattle/King County Clinic in October 2017. During four, 12-hour days, the vision clinic treated 1,385 patients. Project Access Northwest then coordinated follow-up care for 118 patients. Continue reading

New executive director Gary Renville brings to Project Access Northwest a wide range of leadership skills and experience with nonprofits, but perhaps what qualifies him most to take the helm is his personal experience with poverty and how hard it is to navigate a health care system without insurance. Continue reading

We are deeply grateful to CellNetix for kicking off our fall fundraiser with a generous $5,000 matching grant. Donate early and your gift goes twice as far! Continue reading

On June 30, 2017, Project Access Northwest ended its King County dental referral program and helped transition that service to be managed internally by Swedish Community Specialty Clinic. Project Access Northwest continues to work with Northwest Kidney Center clients and the Snohomish dental program. With a generous grant from Arcora Foundation, it will seek new, innovative and sustainable ways to help deliver dental care to low-income patients going forward. Continue reading

Project Access Northwest is delighted to welcome D. Chris Douglas, MBA, CMPE to its board of directors. For more than two decades, Chris has served as president and CEO of Douglas Healthcare Consulting LLC, a national firm serving physician practices, hospitals and integrated delivery systems. Continue reading

Board president Chrissy Yamada announced his selection on June 1, 2017. Gary is meeting with staff and working closely with Sallie this month to enable a smooth transition. Continue reading

As Sallie Neillie prepares to retire at the end of June, she reflects on her time with Project Access Northwest and what it has meant to her. This organization sometimes felt like “the little engine that could.” I think we can, I think we can, I think we can… Continue reading

Project Access Northwest has launched its newest care coordination effort, the Health Home Program, which provides intensive, home-based, care coordination services for individuals with one or more chronic conditions. Through in-person visits at patient homes or other convenient settings, Health Home care coordinators help develop patient-centered Health Action Plans to support each individual in achieving personal goals. Continue reading

Since 2009, Valley Medical Center has hosted the Acute Specialty Access Clinic in its Emergency Department. Retired orthopedic surgeon Robert Cancro, MD and second-year resident Will Kwan, MD volunteer and treat low-income and uninsured, nonemergent orthopedic patients in Renton. Continue reading

Project Access Northwest, Swedish Orthopedic Institute, Orthopedic Physician Associates and Physicians Anesthesia Service collaborated with the national nonprofit Operation Walk USA to provide joint replacement surgery and care for four local orthopedic patients. Continue reading

Project Access Northwest welcomed several new board members in January 2017. Get to know a few of our new faces! Continue reading

With the transition to the new year, we bid farewell and thank you to retiring board members Marcia Wharton, Kerry Radcliffe and Robin Larmer, who have served on the board since 2011. Continue reading

Throughout 2016, we received more than $73,000 in individual donations, and gained the support of 73 new donors. These donations will help us care for more than 225 patients in 2017. Continue reading

Ash Consulting has stepped forward with a matching grant of $15,000 to kick off our Fall Fundraising Challenge, September 5–20, 2016. Continue reading

Providence Regional Medical Center Everett has partnered with Project Access Northwest to help its low-income, uninsured and Medicaid patients find appropriate follow-up care with primary care providers upon discharge from the hospital Continue reading

Scott Combs, chief financial officer for Pacific Medical Centers (PacMed), joined the Project Access Northwest board as treasurer in early 2016. Continue reading

Project Access Northwest welcomed several staff members in 2016. Get to know a few of our new faces! Continue reading

Aymie Agena has joined our staff as the new Premium Assistance coordinator, and Nathan Rex is our new IT support technician. Continue reading

Project Access Northwest is gearing up for a year-long celebration of its 10th anniversary in 2016. Continue reading

Verdant Health Commission has generously awarded Project Access Northwest a second, three-year, $270,000 grant to expand medical and dental services in south Snohomish County. Continue reading

With our program’s continued growth, we’ve been busy creating new positions, promoting staff and welcoming new team members. A couple of our latest hires have added a lot of energy, creativity and good humor to the office this summer. Continue reading

Seattle Business magazine honored Washington state’s health care innovators at its seventh Leaders in Health Care Awards February 26, 2015. Project Access Northwest was nominated for Achievement in Community Outreach and came away with the silver award that night. Continue reading

Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was implemented 18 months ago, she’s noticed a significant difference in the acuity of the patients being referred. Patients are healthier and are starting to get the treatment and prescriptions they need. Continue reading

In March 2015, Project Access Northwest began partnering with Swedish Emergency Services to launch Primary Link, a program for patients who need a primary care home. Primary Link will connect Apple Health (Medicaid) and uninsured emergency department patients to a primary care provider (PCP). The program will also work with patients who were seen at the Country Doctor Community Health Centers (CDCHC) After-Hours Clinic and do not have a primary care provider. Continue reading