ICHS’ In House Geriatric Care to Be Highlighted by the Washington Association of Community Health
One of ICHS' patients smiles after he completes his appointment at ICHS' International District Medical & Dental Clinic.
This month, International Community Health Services (ICHS) will be highlighted for its work in geriatric care in the annual Innovation Report published by the Washington Association for Community Health (WACH).
The report highlights the establishment of in-house geriatric-focused primary care at ICHS’ International District Medical & Dental Clinic. There, elderly patients can receive a comprehensive assessment from a multidisciplinary care team, including a primary care provider, chronic care manager, medical assistants, and others who make recommendations for improving quality of life and long-term care.
Growing ICHS’ Geriatric Services
At the end of last year, Public Health - Seattle & King County released the Communities Count, The Health of Older Adults in King County report which found that in 2024 there were an estimated 344,000 King County residents aged 65 and older. About 14% of King County’s total population.
That same year, 22% of ICHS’ patients were 65 years of age or older. ICHS has long provided family medicine for the whole family, treating patients of every age. As a federally qualified community health center, ICHS provides care to all patients, regardless of insurance status or income. As ICHS’ patient population ages, the community health center now expands its geriatric focused primary care program to meet its aging patients’ needs right within ICHS’ care teams.
This geriatric primary care program has been championed by Dr. Eunice Furies, ICHS Medical Provider at ICHS’ International District Medical & Dental Clinic.
Dr. Eunice Furies is a geriatric medicine physician serving ICHS patients at the International District Medical & Dental clinic since 2021.
She was inspired to adapt clinical practices at Swedish Health Services, HealthPoint, and Seattle Roots to ICHS’ unique position serving many patients who are low-income and speak English as a second language. With a comprehensive medical team, specialists can consider the connections between issues from early onset dementia, to improper medication, to mobility and full-time care.
ICHS’ International Clinic is currently the center of their geriatric programs due to its large elderly patient population, but geriatric evaluations have begun to be offered at the ICHS Bellevue Medical & Dental Clinic as well.
ICHS’ geriatric evaluations include discussions with family and caretakers, who are encouraged to attend. Geriatric care is multidisciplinary, which is why access to specialists and family involvement can be crucial. The approach has already seen success at ICHS–for example, one patient experiencing generalized weakness, which could have been misattributed to age alone, was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia and referred to a neurologist to receive the care they needed.
Its these kinds of innovations that catch the attention of the Washington Association of Community Health.
The WACH Innovation Reports commend programs at community health centers across the state that demonstrate exemplary, innovative work that may also inspire other community health centers. While Dr. Furies has drawn inspiration from other geriatric programs, ICHS’s geriatric care is unique in that they service a patient population that is largely Chinese or Vietnamese and are not fluent in English.
In an international study, the British Medical Journal published in a 2022 report that “older immigrants experience several barriers to accessing dementia care, including delay in seeking diagnosis and care.”
Some of this is because of language barriers with their providers, said Dr. Furies. One patient of hers faced a year-long waitlist for a dementia evaluation at their geriatric specialist due to language incongruence. Dementia can progress rapidly in some cases, making the year-long delay potentially life altering.
This is what makes the in-house team of geriatric specialists at ICHS special; for many of their patients, it might be the only place they can access such a service in-language, and within their medicare and medicaid plans.
Still, Hannah Gordon, Site Medical Director at ICHS’ International District Medical & Dental Clinic, emphasizes that the success of the geriatric care program is due to inspiration from and collaboration with other geriatric care programs.
Gordon hopes that the WACH Innovation Report is able to do similar work of inspiring other community health centers to adopt these geriatric care tactics. In turn, she says that ICHS is ready to support these community health centers on their journeys to service their geriatric patients.
The WACH Innovation Report will be published on Washington Association of Community Health’s website and will be accessible for all to read.