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Expanded Partnership Provides Health Care Services At One Auburn Site For Low-income Patients
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By teaming up, ICHS and SOUND bring integrated health services—primary care, dental, and behavioral health—to one Auburn clinic location. (Photo provided by ICHS)
Access to integrated health care is expanding in Auburn for 1,400 low-income residents with the addition of International Community Health Services (ICHS) at SOUND Behavioral Health's Auburn clinic. Patients can receive primary care and behavioral health services, get referrals for specialty care, and access health resources at the single care site located at 4238 Auburn Way N. Opening June 16, ICHS at SOUND Auburn is unique because it centralizes health care services at a single site, lowering barriers to care and allowing patients to schedule multiple care services in one visit.
Combining primary care and behavioral health care in one clinic is crucial for delivering comprehensive, patient-centered care. This integrated approach supports whole-person health, improves outcomes through better care coordination, reduces stigma around seeking mental health support, and makes services more accessible and efficient.
"ICHS at SOUND Auburn provides much needed health resources to low income people," said Kelli Nomura, CEO of ICHS. "By partnering with SOUND Behavioral Health, we are not only expanding access to medical care, we are also building a bridge to behavioral health services, right here in Auburn. Together, we are ensuring more families can find trusted, culturally responsive care close to home."
As South King County's population has grown, some ICHS and SOUND Behavioral Health patients have faced long commutes to clinics in Seattle to access affordable, culturally appropriate care in the languages they speak. ICHS is collaborating with SOUND Behavioral Health to meet the needs of the people our organizations serve, in the place where they live.
"This partnership reflects our shared commitment to making care more accessible for the people who need it most," said Katrina Egner, President and CEO of SOUND Behavioral Health. "Too many individuals and families in King County still face barriers when trying to access behavioral health and medical care. By working together with ICHS, we're helping fulfill our goal of ensuring that more people can find compassionate, lasting care in a convenient way."
South King County's growing behavioral health needs—including the impacts of the fentanyl epidemic, rising rates of depression and anxiety, and the challenges of accessing integrated care—make this collaboration especially timely. Additionally, it is common for individuals to experience both mental health conditions and chronic diseases, making it important to access behavioral health and medical care at one location.
ICHS and SOUND Behavioral Health are expanding in Auburn to help address unmet health needs which are prevalent throughout King County. Traditionally marginalized, ethnic, and low-income community members in South King County report higher levels of fair or poor health in comparison to their higher income counterparts elsewhere in King County, according to the 2022 ICHS Community Needs Assessment. Life expectancy is lowest in South King County at 79.1 years, according to the 2024 King County Community Health Needs Assessment.
The focus of ICHS at SOUND Auburn is on in-person, primary and behavioral health care. Services such as immunizations, mental health counseling, well-child services, and voluntary family planning are provided. The ICHS Mobile Dental Clinic will be located at ICHS at Sound Auburn once per month for visits and will expand its schedule for access based on need. Barriers to care access are eased because patients can access free transportation directly to and from the clinic.
About ICHSFor more than 50 years, ICHS has provided accessible, culturally competent primary health and wellness services to nearly 33,000 patients annually from throughout Puget Sound. With four full-service medical and dental clinics in Seattle, Bellevue, and Shoreline and six satellite sites across King County, ICHS offers a full suite of enabling services to help our patients access health care, including language access, health education, and assistance finding and enrolling in health insurance. ICHS provides free interpretation services in more than 70 languages and dialects. ICHS is a top-performing Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) offering comprehensive health services on a sliding scale basis, regardless of ability to pay.
ICHS Lead Medical Assistant Anh Nguyen fits a blood pressure cuff on a patient, April 18, 2025. (Photo provided by ICHS)
About SOUND Behavioral HealthFor nearly 60 years, SOUND Behavioral Health has been committed to ensuring everyone in our community has the support they need to live their best lives. As a leading nonprofit behavioral health services provider, SOUND Behavioral Health supports Seattle and King County's most vulnerable populations with community mental health and substance use disorder treatment services. SOUND's mission is to improve lives by providing equitable, recovery-focused behavioral health services for all in our community. From its 16 locations across King County, as well as in homes, on the streets, at shelters, hospitals and schools, SOUND is on track to assist more than 15,000 children, youth and adults in 2025 navigating poverty, disabilities, abuse, addiction, mental illness and homelessness.
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Medical Experts Clarify Care Options In Central Texas
A sore throat on a Saturday night might leave you wondering: 'Should I wait for my doctor, visit urgent care or head to the ER?'Knowing where to go
"It can be extremely confusing and sometimes it's hard to know where to go for treatment, especially when there's so many options for care, including emergency centers, urgent care centers [and] primary care," said Laura Hochwalt, VP of Emergency Services at St. David's HealthCare. "Knowing where to turn during a medical emergency is extremely important for the community, because it [leads] to the best possible outcome and also ensures that they receive the best value for the care provided."
Patients often ask whether physicians are available on site, Hochwalt said, adding that doctors are present not only at primary care offices, but also at urgent care centers and in emergency departments.
When to see your primary care provider
A primary care provider is typically the doctor you see regularly for non-urgent health concerns and routine medical care that isn't life-threatening.
Individuals should utilize urgent care when they need help over the weekend or after hours when your doctor's office isn't open for non-life threatening illnesses and injuries, or need a walk-in appointment for an immediate medical concern.
The ER should only be used in life-threatening situations. Visiting the ER when you could count on another care option will cost you money and time.
No matter where an individual goes for care, they might be seen by either a medical doctor (MD) or a nurse practitioner (NP)—so what's the difference?
"Basically that means we have a physician that's checking in on us and has agreed to be our collaborating physician for the purposes of our board. [They] do a certain amount of chart reviews and are available to answer questions," she said. "... It's really nice to be able to have that collaboration so that ultimately we get the patients what they need, whether it's through me or seeing one of my physician colleagues."
In most primary care clinics, patients won't notice much difference between seeing a nurse practitioner and a physician, Papermaster said.
Nurse practitioners can diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, prescribe medications and manage a wide range of conditions—from preventive care and vaccinations to chronic issues like diabetes, hypertension, and mental health concerns. While they practice independently in many areas, there are some limitations, especially in states like Texas, where physician oversight may be required for prescribing certain high-risk medications or performing specific procedures.
"Where nurses are typically a little bit more or just generally trained, physicians tend to be more specialized in general... [NPs] tend to see kind of a whole patient, and try to treat a more broad variety of conditions."
She also said that it is sometimes quicker to get seen by an NP.
"I think that the nurse practitioner can sometimes be a really great starting point in those instances. Even if you really will need to see a physician or have surgery or have [specialized] care, an NP can really be helpful in getting things going—talking with you, helping you get seen, expedite your care. ... So I would say it's not a prohibiting factor, and we can help move things along."
In general, nurse practitioners start as registered nurses, typically completing a four-year program and earning a bachelor's degree. Most nurse practitioner programs require at least two years of critical care experience in high-acuity settings such as the emergency room or intensive care unit.
Food for thought
"A lot of people that come into the ER really struggle with their primary care home. Some of these things that we're seeing them for, perhaps if we did more preventative care and proactive health maintenance in the primary care setting, we could prevent them from having the tertiary need to come into the ER," Papermaster said.
By Haley McLeodGovernment Reporter
Haley joined Community Impact in September 2023 after graduating with a degree in journalism from Texas State University. As a student, she worked as a data journalism intern for Texas Community Health News covering statewide health topics. Haley reports on Travis County and Austin-area transportation news. Reach out with questions, tips or feedback at [email protected].
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