Residency at Sea Mar
Who we are
The Sea Mar Community Health Center, located 7 miles south of the Providence Unit, is a large and successful community health center dedicated to the care of the medically underserved Latino population of Seattle.
Sea Mar is part of a multi-service agency that provides comprehensive ambulatory medical care, radiology services, laboratory services, health education, social work, nutrition counseling, mental health counseling, gynecology, prenatal and obstetric services, pediatrics, adult medicine, home health nurses and dental services.
In 2004, Sea Mar provided about 307,000 individual services to more than 83,000 people in eight counties in Washington State. About 46% of Sea Mar's clients are Latinos and about 44% are Euro-Americans. The largest subgroup of these clients are Russian or Ukrainian immigrants. More than half of Sea Mar's clients have incomes at or below 100% of the federal poverty level and 90% of them have either public insurance (e.g., Medicaid, Basic Health, SCHIP) or are uninsured.
Sea Mar operates additional migrant health centers in the Puget Sound area - in Mt. Vernon, Marysville, Bellingham, Olympia, Tacoma, Vancouver, Puyallup, Everson and Puyallup, which serve a large migrant and seasonal farm worker population as well as one additional urban community health center in Tacoma. Residents who are interested also have the opportunity to do some work in those clinics.
The origin of Sea Mar
With funding (approximately $300,000) from the federal government, the Seattle Clinic was purchased in 1978 from a retiring private practice physician. Medical services including X-ray, Laboratory and WIC/Nutrition were instituted. Sea Mar continued to serve the retiring doctor’s clients, many of whom were elderly. The need for long-term care was evident.
The origin of the Residency Program
To begin a satellite family practice residency site at Sea Mar Community Health Center, funds were obtained in 1987 in collaboration with the pre-existing Providence Family Practice Residency Program. The goals of this linkage are to demonstrate that collaborative efforts between community health centers and established residency programs can provide excellent training to residents of family medicine to successfully address and remedy the shortage of family physicians in community health centers and similar settings. This satellite, with its particular focus, is ideal for residents with proficiency in Spanish language as well as bilingual/bicultural individuals. The expansion of the residency is an innovative program of the Family Practice Department at the University of Washington. The satellite expands the inner city opportunities to give the Network more balance.
Some background on the Residency Program
All in-hospital rotations for Sea Mar residents are the same as for residents at the Swedish/Providence unit, while their ambulatory clinic practice takes place at Sea Mar Community Health Center.
Faculty and staff
Dr. Patrick Gemperline is the faculty director in charge of the Sea Mar residency unit. Other Family Medicine faculty at Sea Mar include Dr. Ricardo Jimenez graduate of the Cook County Residency in 1989 also Chief Resident, Dr. Lon Brehmer graduate of the Conemaugh residency in 1993, Dr. Julio Jimenez, graduate of the Sea Mar residency in 2000, Dr. Philip Reilly, graduate of the Sea Mar residency in 2000 and currently Clinical Director of Seattle site, Dr. Franco Monteza, graduate of the Cook County residency in 1998 and Dr. Gabrielle O’Sullivan, graduate of the Santa Rosa residency in 2003, Miguel Jimenez, graduate of Loyola University Medical Center in 2004 and Hilda Mena, graduate of the Sea Mar residency this year 2004. In addition, the medical staff consists of a pediatrician Dr. Cor Van Niel, graduate of the University of Washington residency and obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Diana Villanueva graduate of the University of Washington residency. Faculty from the main unit rotates through as preceptors. Currently, Dr. Julio Jimenez is now teaching obstetric ultrasound skills to Sea Mar residents.
Sea Mar is also an affiliate of the University Of Washington School Of Medicine under the Family Medicine Clerkship program. Through this program, a third year Medical Student comes to perform a six week rotation at the Sea Mar Seattle Clinic.
Sea Mar Community Health Clinics currently has a total of 51 providers. This includes a range of Family Practitioners, OB/GYN, Pediatricians, Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants.
Sea Mar services and locations
At the Seattle clinic, comprehensive family medical services are provided including prenatal and OB care, well child care, adolescent health care, family planning and geriatric and even nursing home care. Specialty services delivered on-site include OB/GYN, pediatrics, and internal medicine and immigration physicals.
Ancillary services are also available including x-ray and laboratory services, a retail pharmacy, health education, a nutrition and WIC program, mental health counseling, emergency, diagnostic and restorative dental services and social services such as social work, chore services, senior information and assistance and referrals to local food banks, etc.
Sea Mar provides skilled nursing and rehabilitation services to the home bound through its Medicare Certified Home Health Agency. The new Community Care Center offers the innovative combination of the Child Development Center and the Skilled Nursing Facility for the elderly.
While Sea Mar provides many services on-site, direct referral linkages are in place for emergency treatment, specialty care, alcohol and substance abuse treatment and inpatient services.
Residency Program locations
This is one residency with three medical centers – Providence/Swedish Family Medical Center, Sea Mar Community Health Center and Seattle Indian Health Board. All training is identical for all three. An applicant may apply to one, two or all three sites as they have separate NRMP Match numbers.
Residents selected for the Sea Mar unit are chosen for academic excellence as required by the Providence/Swedish program and they should demonstrate interest in the care of low income and minority populations and have experience in or an interest in community migrant health center systems. The NRMP Match number 1755120C4 must be used when ranking the Sea Mar program.