Community Perspectives | Free Health Clinic, Columbia City Affordable Housing, and Cheryl Chow Park Joy

Free Medical, Dental, and Vision Clinic at Seattle Center Offers Care With Few Barriers

Around dusk on a recent evening, Olivia Sarriugarte strode to the Rainier Vista playground near Neighborhood House. Nearby, a handful of youth swished by on scooters or kicked a ball. A couple of women chatted in Somali as they walked around the park.

Sarriugarte grew up here and is a project manager for the annual Seattle/King County Clinic, which takes place April 24–27 at Seattle Center. The clinic provides more than 3,000 people with $2.5 million worth of free medical, dental, and vision services on a first-come, first-served basis. Patients don't need ID or documentation to receive services, and they don't have to be residents of Seattle or King County.

Attendees can receive dental treatment for cavities, swollen gums, or broken teeth, as well as get a complete eye exam or pick out eyeglasses. They can also get a mammogram, X-ray, or ultrasound; undergo lab tests; and access mental health services and dermatology checkups, along with other services in a space run by 800-plus volunteer health care staff each day. All services are free. It's a community-driven movement bringing together more than 100 partners from the health care field, which is funded by grants and donations.

Sarriugarte said growing up in Rainier Vista influenced her perspective. Rainier Vista hosts 385 housing units and is operated by the public housing management entity Seattle Housing Authority. "[Rainier Vista] is my entire framework that I operate through," said Sarriugarte. She arrived there at 10 years old, after having moved around. Sarriugarte recounted that as she wandered into neighborhood spaces "people would have art projects or gardening or cooking classes that I could be a part of, and I don't remember ever having to sign up for them." She said that's the spirit of the Seattle/King County Clinic.

Sarriugarte commented that a big barrier of well-intentioned programs is they ask if you're disadvantaged and tell you to prove it. "[At the Seattle King County Clinic] you just show up being who you are and wanting what you need, and we give you health care," she said.

According to the clinic, 95% of the people who seek services are housed, and 51% are uninsured. Many are employed and working multiple jobs or are retired.

Among the hundreds of vetted volunteer medical, dental, and vision clinicians, Dr. Rick Arnold, co-medical director of the clinic and an internal medicine physician with 50 years of experience, noted that much of a health care worker's time at mainstream clinics is spent "filling out forms or fighting with insurance companies. Sometimes you lose yourself because this is the soup we're swimming in." Arnold added that "the [Seattle/King County] clinic is unencumbered and is a relief."

Arnold recounted hearing from a clinic colleague about a patient who picked up a new pair of glasses and was able to read and see their grandchild's smile after years of not being able to. Arnold said, "It's the gratitude that people have — and we feel so grateful and honored to be able to help our neighbors. It's a wonderful symbiotic relationship. It's heartwarming."

Seattle Center opens a building at midnight before each clinic day, to offer a warm place for people to wait for the event to open in the morning. At 5:30 a.m., clinic staffers begin handing out 700-plus tickets for the day. Interpreters are available, and parking is free at Mercer Street Garage.

El Centro de la Raza Celebrates Four Amigos - Beloved Community, Site of New Affordable Housing in Columbia City

Cumbia and merengue beats spilled out onto the sidewalks of Columbia City as El Centro de la Raza celebrated the opening of its new 87-unit Four Amigos - Beloved Community affordable housing project earlier this month. The building's name honors Roberto Maestas, Larry Gossett, Bernie Whitebear, and Bob Santos, four local activist leaders from varying demographic backgrounds who collectively organized for underrepresented communities.

Vanessa Michel, who works for the airline industry, moved into Four Amigos - Beloved Community from Burien. "It still surprises me that I have a new [apartment] unit," she said. "I'm just happy that I live in Seattle, and I'm able to afford it. I recently had my grandma and aunts visit and I was so excited to show them around. I love the neighborhood."

Apartments include one- to three-bedroom layouts ranging from about $800 to just under $2,300. The building on South Angeline Street, a block off of Rainier Avenue South, is home to four on-site early learning classrooms and office spaces for community organizations. The exterior walls and fences are adorned with brightly colored artwork, including animals, flowers, and images of Latine (s)heroes like singer and social justice advocate Celia Cruz and Berta Cáceres, a Honduran environmental activist who was assassinated in 2016, months after she visited El Centro de la Raza.

Church of Hope, a partner in the development, is also prominently located on the southeast corner of the site. The church has been on the site since 2010, and in 2016, the church and Compass Housing made efforts to build a development for unhoused people on the property, but the project never materialized.

Miguel Maestas, El Centro de la Raza's associate director, said their first affordable housing project, Plaza Roberto Maestas on Beacon Hill, served as a model for this space. "Affordable housing is the cornerstone. … El Centro de la Raza uses the built environment to encourage creation of community and support for families," Miguel said. "There's beautiful artwork, a child development center to support working families [and] economic development opportunities through commercial retail space."

El Centro also offers support services for families that live on-site, like education and employment opportunities for adults and after-school programs for children. Maestas said this came from the collective way in which [Roberto, his uncle and aunt, Estela Ortega] got input from community."

El Centro de la Raza is on a roll with affordable housing developments. In addition to Four Amigos - Beloved Community, which was brought to life with Church of Hope, Beacon Development, and Impact Capital, the organization is partnering with Edge Development to build 70 units of affordable housing west of Plaza Roberto Maestas, behind Cloud Cafe on Beacon Hill. The organization also partnered with Mercy Housing and University of Washington to develop a mixed-use project at the Mt. Baker light rail station with more than 400 units of affordable housing as well as commercial and child care education space.

Cheryl Chow Park Brings the Neighborhood Out

It's been hopping at the newly opened Cheryl Chow Park. On a recent evening, parents and older siblings chatted near the playground, keeping their eyes on the little ones climbing on play structures. Others rested and snacked as they sat on benches, while they watched family members and friends shoot hoops or kick a ball on the grassy meadow. Cheryl Chow Park is located at South Charlestown Street and 35th Avenue South, across from Safeway and near Rainier Court.

Deborah Colon-Taylor, who's lived in the South End for 10 years, was having a snack at the park. "I had a little spare time today and wanted to go some place peaceful and outdoors. I'll bring my granddaughter," she said.

At the other end of the park, Briana Webb held a baby in her arms while watching her family at the basketball half-court. "It's very community-based," Webb said. "[I like] seeing the kids run around [and] just have fun … [with] the smiles on their faces."

Cheryl Chow Park is open from 4 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Don't Forget the Helmets

A free after-school program teaching bike safety, riding skills, and bike maintenance for youth from sixth to 12th grade runs May 12–June 13 at Auburn's REC Teen Center. For more information, you can visit the City of Auburn site.