In 2023, our donors and volunteers made possible 4,481 in-person and virtual specialty care appointments — a 23% increase over 2022.
Our care coordinators continue to go above and beyond to provide support to our clients. To ensure successful appointments, care coordinators provided over 44,000 touch points: phone calls, emails, physical mailings, etc. to support 880 individuals who sought life-changing services. All this was achieved with a 97% patient success rate.
We launched our Pro Bono Counseling program, which provides access to behavioral health services to individuals struggling with anxiety, grief, and depression in Washington state. With generous multi-year funding awards from Washington state and MJ Murdock Trust, we hired Sherese D. Ezelle, LMHC, LPC, NCC as Clinical Director, Behavioral Health.
We established partnerships with Washington State Mental Health Counselors Association, City University, and Seattle University to enroll volunteer counselors and therapists into our program.
Our sixth annual Strike Down Barriers to Health Care event raised more than $120,000 to help ensure every person has appropriate access to health care.
In 2022, our donors and volunteers made possible 3,108 in-person specialty care appointments and 53 virtual appointments.
Our expert care coordinators made 13,371 phone calls to support 807 clients who sought life-changing services.
We also lowered our appointment no-show rate to an impressive 3 percent! Without the support of care coordinators — who provide timely reminders, maps and instructions for public transportation, and interpretive services — this vulnerable patient population typically has a no-show rate that’s about 40% higher.
Project Access Northwest joined the HealthierHere Network to collaborate more easily with social service providers in King County. This has allowed us to connect our clients with other support services, including employment, food assistance, and housing, and then track outcomes through our shared platform.
Our partner Kaiser Permanente announced a major, three-year grant to fund our specialty care coordination for hundreds of patients in Washington.
Our fifth annual Strike Down Barriers to Health Care event raised more than $130,000 to help ensure every person has appropriate access to health care.
At the 2021 virtual Leadership Circle event, board president Terri Rambosek introduced a modified mission statement, designed to support the organization's continued evolvement and response to a changing health care landscape. The new mission reads: "Project Access Northwest will improve community health by connecting those most vulnerable to vital health care services.”
We relocated our office to 200 Broadway, in the First Hill neighborhood, where our organization began. The new office is set up to accommodate a flexible work environment in a space that is smaller than our previous location but still able to accommodate a growing staff and volunteers.
Initiated efforts to add Behavioral Health to our roster of more than 50 specialties, including seeking state funding for a pilot program and beginning to develop a new network of volunteer providers.
Held our fourth annual Strike Down Barriers to Health Care! event online, raising $109,473 to help connect our most vulnerable community members to the health care they need.
Through the efforts of our Care Coordination team, we achieved our lowest-ever patient no-show rate of 3.62%.
Adapted to onset of COVID-19 and successfully served patients from home offices.
Launched our new patient management software TrackVia, giving staff complete control of the design and implementation of the system. This will allow for greater efficiency, flexibility and innovation as we move forward.
Produced a virtual fundraising event in October. With support from our sponsors, in-kind donors and individual supporters, we raised $94,100 to help strike down barriers to health care.
Developed strategic framework to guide board decisions throughout 2019 and 2020.
Achieved a major milestone of 50,000 patients served, across King, Snohomish and Kitsap counties
Raised $114,845 at our second annual Strike Down Barriers to Health Care, thanks to our donors and sponsors.
By the end of 2019, we had enrolled 721 people into the Health Home program and completed 3,243 appointments. Due to a lack of sustainable funding, we made the difficult but necessary decision to suspend the Health Home program.
Our patient income eligibility requirement increased to at or below 300% of federal poverty guideline.
Our first fundraising event was held in October. We thank our 165 guests, sponsors and in-kind donors for collectively raising $93,600 to help strike down barriers to health care.
New executive director Gary Renville is hired.
Founding executive director Sallie Neillie retires.
In a pilot with Coordinated Care, we launch our Health Home program, which provides intensive, home-based, care coordination services for individuals with one or more chronic conditions.
In partnership with Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, we launch our Primary Link Hospital Inpatient Discharge Program to help low-income, uninsured and Medicaid patients find appropriate follow-up care with primary care providers upon discharge from the hospital.
Project Access Northwest celebrates its 10th anniversary. We establish the Sallie Neillie Founder's Circle of donors, who pledge $500 or $1000 a year for three years.
We launched Primary Link, a program that connects Apple Health (Medicaid) and uninsured emergency department patients to a primary care provider close to home. The program also assists patients who were seen at the Country Doctor Community Health Centers (CDCHC) After-Hours Clinic and do not have a primary care provider.
While Care Coordination remains our core service, we launched two innovative programs in 2014:
Our Premium Assistance Program helps individuals who are eligible to purchase private health insurance on the Washington Health Benefits Exchange, but can’t afford the premiums.
Our Minor & James Partnership provides pacing and care coordination for Medicaid patients seeking specialty care with this provider group, enabling the physicians to continue to provide care despite a huge spike in demand
The Affordable Care Act is implemented, but the need for an organization like Project Access Northwest continues.
We expand services into Snohomish County and then Kitsap County. We also began coordinating access to specialty dental care in select areas.
Over the last seven years, more than 16,000 patients have been referred to Project Access Northwest for specialty medical and dental care.
Volunteer dental providers contributed more than $725,000 in services to 810 patients at Swedish Community Specialty Clinic.
At the request of Harrison Medical Center and the United Way of Kitsap County, planning began for Project Access Northwest to provide services for Kitsap County residents beginning in 2013.
An environmental scan including personal interviews with nearly 50 of Project Access Northwest’s health care stakeholders resulted in a strategic plan to prepare for and implement patient support for access to specialty medical and dental care as a result of health care reform and the Affordable Healthcare Act.
Project Access officially changed its name to Project Access Northwest to better reflect its expansion to Snohomish County.
A dental care center for Project Access Northwest referrals opened at the Swedish Community Specialty Clinic providing complex extractions.
Snohomish County requested that Project Access expand its service area. Engaging hospital systems and recruiting physicians resulted in initial patient enrollments in the 4th quarter in Snohomish County.
By the end of 2010, Project Access had recruited more than 850 licensed clinicians; 7,250 patients had been referred to Project Access since its inception in 2006.
Project Access is invited to coordinate specialty care services at the Swedish Community Specialty Clinic (SCSC) as Swedish relocates and combines the Mother Joseph Clinic and Glaser Clinic to its First Hill Campus.
The Snohomish County Medical Society approached Project Access to learn more about the potential model for development in Snohomish County.
In addition to the two pilot programs, physicians from Evergreen Medical Center and Group Health Cooperative committed to participate, and King County Project Access is officially “launched.”
Two pilot programs were successfully launched at Pacific Medical Centers and Swedish – Cherry Hill campus. The local partners recommended start-up of an independent non-profit endorsed by the King County Medical Society.
King County local partners began meeting twice monthly to determine if a Project Access-type program (distributed network of specialty charity care) would be viable in King County. Local partners included:
King County safety net providers convene to discuss potential solutions to the challenge of accessing specialty services for low-income uninsured and vulnerable patients. Discussions led to multiple attempts to engage local providers and agencies; various models were researched and explored.