Residency at Sea Mar
Who we are
The Sea Mar Community Health Center, located 7 miles south of the Swedish Cherry Hill campus, is a large and successful community health center dedicated to the care of the medically under served 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 2008, Sea Mar provided about 422,568 individual services to more than 100,359 people in nine 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, Everson and Puyallup. Sea Mar serves 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 Cherry Hill 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. Julio Jimenez, graduate of the Sea Mar residency in 2000; Dr. Eva Galvez a graduate of the Sea Mar Residency 2007; Miguel Jimenez, graduate of Loyola University Medical Center in 2004 and Valory Wangler, graduate of the Sea Mar residency in 2004. In addition, the medical staff consists of a pediatrician Dr. Cor Van Niel, graduate of the University of Washington residency and Dr. Homayoun Nacify, an experienced OB-GYN and professor emeritus at the University of Washington. Faculty from the Sea Mar Burien Clinic also rotates through as preceptors. They include Dr. Ocean Williams, graduate of the Swedish First Hill Family Medicine OB fellowship 2007; Dr. Lane Ertugay, graduate of the Swedish First Hill Family Medicine OB fellowship 2007; and Dr. Julian Perez graduate of the Swedish Cherry Hill Family Medicine Residency.
Currently, Dr. Julio Jimenez is now teaching obstetrics ultrasound skills to Sea Mar residents. Sea Mar also runs a vibrant procedure clinic on Thursday mornings. 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 more than 100 providers working out of 17 medical locations. This includes a range of Family Practitioners, OB/GYN, Pediatricians, Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants.
Sea Mar services and locations
At the Seattle clinic, patient centered and comprehensive family medical services are provided including prenatal and OB care, well child care, adolescent health care, family planning and geriatric, and nursing home care. Specialty services delivered on-site include OB/GYN, pediatrics, and psychiatric care.
Sea Mar Clinics provide each patient with their own physician and same day access Monday thru Saturday, with same day appointments available for acute and chronic conditions. Our electronic medical record system is integrated with MA monitored phone messages to provide timely access, prescription refills, and response questions. We have active chronic disease management and disease prevention teams which provide training services (diabetes education, nutrition education, asthma education, periodic screening education) and notification of needed services. As well as support in obtaining these services, our clinic utilizes a team model where Family medicine physicians and nurse practitioners work together to meet the medical needs of an assigned panel of patients. As JACHO accredited institution we have an ongoing quality improvement process in which the residents are included. A referral coordinator helps to make timely referrals a reality. Our inpatient service is managed by our attending staff through admissions to the Swedish Cherry Hill Family medicine service.
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 Community Care Center offers the innovative combination of the Child Development Center and the Skilled Nursing Facility for the elderly. As 2nd and 3rd year residents you will provide your nursing home continuity care under supervision of Dr. Miguel Jimenez and Dr. Julio Jimenez.
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 four medical clinics – Swedish Cherry Hill Family Medical Center, Sea Mar Community Health Center, Carolyn Downs Medical Clinic, and Seattle Indian Health Board. Training expectations are identical for all sites. An applicant may apply to one or all four sites, as they have separate NRMP Match numbers.
Residents selected for the Sea Mar unit are chosen for academic excellence, as required by the Swedish Cherry Hill Family Medicine program. They should demonstrate leadership and interest in the care of the Hispanic population, 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.
For more information please contact the Resident Coordinator at 206-764-0522.