SEATTLE – Seattle Children’s has announced an upcoming project redeveloping a second Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic (OBCC), which will provide medical, dental, mental health and nutrition services to all families – including those of lower-income.

Due to increased rent and housing costs, the new location will be situated closer to 75 percent of OBCC patient families, who have moved from the Central District to south Seattle and south King County for more affordable housing.

The approximately 35,000-square-foot clinic aims to meet the needs of the rising pediatric population in both south Seattle and south King County.

The original OBCC, located in the Central District, will be renovated to upgrade its clinical facilities. The clinic will continue to provide for families in the Central District and adjoining neighborhoods as well as the northern and western communities.

“We heard the community when they told us it was too hard for them to get to our Yesler clinic. We’ve listened, and now we’re responding by meeting our families where they are,” said Dr. Benjamin Danielson, senior medical director of OBCC. “It’s not enough to patch a problem – treat a cold, give a vaccine, write a prescription. At OBCC, we believe in addressing the challenges that keep families awake at night – challenges that would bring most of us to our knees. One such problem is gentrification, which pushes lower-income families out of Seattle’s Central District, and away from the services that they need.”

Additionally, the clinic is a part of an urban community concept called “Othello Square,” a 3.2-acre site that will provide families with access to services, such as a charter high school, an economic opportunity center, a computer lab, an early learning center, affordable retail and commercial spaces for rent, community meeting spaces, and mixed-income housing for rent and ownership.

Services at the Othello location would include pediatric medical care, mental health, dental services, nutrition, sports medicine, physical therapy, and occupational therapy, hopefully with the Practice management software solution. Clinics (especially dental clinics) with management software, tend to have a better and streamlined workflow and have better accessibility of the business aspect of things.

“We’re dedicated to ensuring every child lives the healthiest and most fulfilling life possible,” said Dr. Jeff Sperring, Seattle Children’s chief executive officer. “The new clinic will allow us to provide a medical home for families in their community, where they can also access many other necessary services that will help address some of the greatest health challenges facing families today.”

The clinic is scheduled to break ground in 2019 while Seattle Children’s will work in conjunction with Spectrum Development Solutions, their architects Weber Thompson, and OBCC’s architect NBBJ to develop and build the second site.

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