Celebrating 40 Years of Caring

When Seattle’s first community health clinics were founded in the late 1960s, their dedicated volunteers had one goal: righting the inequities that denied access to health care for the poor and disadvantaged in society. This year, as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of our founding, Puget Sound Neighborhood Health Centers pays tribute to our history, and sets the stage for the next 40 years of successfully meeting the healthcare needs of our most vulnerable neighbors.

Established in 1968, Joe Whiting Dental Clinic and the University District’s Open Door Clinic were among Seattle’s first community health centers. Over the next ten years, community activists founded a series of other neighborhood clinics. They were volunteer-based and lived on shoestring budgets. Operating in converted apartment units, old houses, fire stations and even converted taverns, the staff in the early days was incredibly innovative in figuring out ways to deliver health care to their patients. The theme of social justice was their fuel, and what they accomplished was amazing.