| 2026-seattle-king-county-free-clinic-is-apr-23-26 | 2026 Seattle-King County Free Clinic is Apr. 23-26 | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/2026/April 10/2026-seattle-king-county-free-clinic-is-apr-23-26 | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="2026 Seattle-King County Free Clinic infographic" src="/images/Newsletters/MembershipMemo/2026/april/English-2026-Patient-Graphic.png" class="pull-right" /></div>
<h5>Apr. 10, 2026</h5>
<h2>2026 Seattle-King County Free Clinic is Apr. 23-26</h2>
<p>
<em>For our King County members: Help us spread the word!</em>
</p>
<p>
The WSMA is proud again <a href="https://seattlecenter.org/skcclinic/partners/">to join the partners</a> of the Seattle/King County Clinic, the yearly health care event offering free dental, vision, and medical services to those in need. All are welcome to the three-day free clinic, which takes place in the Fisher Pavilion of the Seattle Center starting at 5:30 a.m. on April 23. All services are free, no ID is required, and interpreters are available.
</p>
<p>
Volunteers still needed! Visit <a href="http://www.seattlecenter.org/volunteers">seattlecenter.org/volunteers</a> to see the list of clinical needs that exist or simply go to the volunteer registration page and see what openings are available. Thursday and Sunday are always good places to start.
</p>
<p>
<strong>About the free clinic</strong>
<br />
Of the patients who seek services, approximately 95% are housed, 49% are insured, and only 36% are unemployed. As a recent <a href="https://seattlecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Big-Seattle-free-clinic-shows-the-gaps-in-our-health-care-system-_-Seattle-Times.pdf">Seattle Times op-ed</a> that featured the clinic shared, there are many reasons people may struggle to access or afford health care.
</p>
<p>
Help spread the word about the free clinic! Printable flyers, social media graphics, and suggested text are available at <a href="http://www.seattlecenter.org/patients">seattlecenter.org/patients</a>. The clinic's <a href="https://seattlecenter.org/skcclinic/faq/">FAQs</a> may also be a helpful resource. Stay connected to clinic updates by following them on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SKCClinic/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/seattlekingcountyclinic/">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://linkedin.com/company/skcclinic">LinkedIn</a>.
</p>
</div> | 4/9/2026 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |
| lgbtqiaplus-physicians-and-physician-assistants-lets-connect | LGBTQIA+ Physicians and Physician Assistants: Let's Connect! | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/2026/April 10/lgbtqiaplus-physicians-and-physician-assistants-lets-connect | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="image of multicolored dialogue between silhouette figures" src="/images/Newsletters/MembershipMemo/2026/april/Multicolor-word-bubbles-645x425px.png" class="pull-right" /></div>
<h5>Apr. 10, 2026</h5>
<h2>LGBTQIA+ Physicians and Physician Assistants: Let's Connect!</h2>
<p>
<em>WSMA's latest online community for greater connection and community</em>
</p>
<p>
The WSMA is excited to announce that we have launched an online LGBTQIA+ member community! As a WSMA member, you can join this community and have access to peers and colleagues who, like you, identify as either lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, or elsewhere on the spectrum of gender identity or sexual orientation. By joining, you'll have access to a private, secure platform where you can support each other professionally, recruit other LGBTQIA+ physicians and physician assistants, and develop and inform advocacy strategies within the WSMA. WSMA members and committees who are currently using our new community platform are raving about its ease of use and customizable features.
</p>
<p>
The new LGBTQIA+ community is a member-led, member-driven space, so feel free to make it your own! All respectful engagement is encouraged and appreciated, including, but not limited to:
</p>
<ul>
<li>Chatting with colleagues.
</li>
<li>Collaborating on resolutions.
</li>
<li>Sharing articles for discussion.
</li>
<li>Planning and promoting events.
</li>
<li>Posting career opportunities and highlights.
</li>
</ul>
<p>
It's easy to join the community: Simply click <a href="https://community.wsma.org/registrations/groups/156010">here</a> to begin. Once you've registered your interest in signing up, you'll receive an email inviting you to set up your profile and from there you can join the conversation.
</p>
<p>
<strong>Other available WSMA communities</strong><br />
<a href="https://www.wsma.org/wsma/membership/wsma-communities/wsma/membership/wsma-communities.aspx?_zs=A3aFd1&amp;_zl=8vmIA">WSMA's member communities</a> are bringing members together in private and secure online forums where participants can share concerns, speak openly, seek guidance, and enjoy solidarity with fellow physicians and physician assistants. A modern version of the "doctors' lounge," so to speak.
</p>
<p>
To date, the WSMA offers the following communities. Don't see yours? Create your own and invite your peers.
</p>
<p>
</p>
<ul>
<li>AI in Health Care</li>
<li>Center for Leadership Development Alumni</li>
<li>County Society Leadership</li>
<li>Early Career Community</li>
<li>Latinx Community</li>
<li>LGBTQIA+</li>
<li>Medical Officers Collaborative</li>
<li>Virtual Reference Committees and Policy</li>
</ul>
<p>
These forums, whether based on shared interests, geography, or identities, provide a space where you can connect on a personal level.
</p>
<p>
Connections matter. Your community is accessible via email or mobile app, making it easy to connect, post, and share anytime, anywhere. If you don't see a community that speaks to you, consider pulling some friends together and propose a new WSMA community.
</p>
<p>
Ready to connect? <a href="https://wsma.org/wsma/membership/wsma-communities/wsma/membership/wsma-communities.aspx?hkey=d63f5896-20c4-4bc3-98e5-9ea442cc9adf">Get started</a>.
</p>
</div> | 4/9/2026 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |
| one-residency-program-expanded-another-started-in-spokane | One Residency Program Expanded, Another Started, in Spokane | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/2026/April 10/one-residency-program-expanded-another-started-in-spokane | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="doctor and patient reviewing information on a tablet" src="/images/Newsletters/MembershipMemo/2026/april/getty-images-c2PPCDPMB-A-unsplash-for-web.jpg" class="pull-right" /></div>
<h5>Apr. 10, 2026</h5>
<h2>One Residency Program Expanded, Another Started, in Spokane</h2>
<p>
<em>Spokane welcomes new psychiatric and internal medicine residency slots</em>
</p>
<p>
In 2023, the WSMA's workforce work group published a report with recommendations to policymakers and health industry leaders on <a href="https://www.wsma.org/wsma/advocacy/advocacy-topics/health-care-workforce/wsma/advocacy/advocacy-topics/health-care-workforce.aspx?hkey=4241c0b4-8fe5-413c-87cb-67c3d0a4c09b">short-term and long-term solutions to Washington state's health care workforce shortages</a>. Among those recommendations were support for psychiatry and primary care residency programs. In a positive development, and with celebrations from March's Match Day still fresh on our minds, we're pleased to report two residency-related developments in Spokane to help bolster our state's workforce:
</p>
<ul>
<li>Per a report from <a href="https://www.spokanepublicradio.org/regional-news/2026-03-29/spokane-has-robust-medical-education-its-residency-programs-are-working-to-catch-up">Spokane Public Radio</a>, the Providence/Sacred Heart psychiatry residency program in Spokane dedicated to underserved communities has expanded. With funding from the federal government and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the program added several residency spots, now training six residents per year throughout the program. Providence Chief Medical Officer Rebecca Mallo, MD, says the students matched to the program this spring are all connected to Washington state
</li>
<li>From the same report comes news that MultiCare has opened a new clinic at Deaconess Hospital for internal medicine residents. Funding was made possible partly through a state grant facilitated by Sen. Marcus Riccelli as well as health system dollars. MultiCare Chief Academic Officer Jennifer Knowles, MD, says the clinic began seeing patients earlier this month and will welcome its first class of medical residents in June 2027. The residency program director is WSMA President-Elect Matt Hollon, MD, who helps lead recruitment efforts that aim to cultivate local physicians-in-training who are more likely to remain in the area.
</li>
</ul>
<p>
Congratulations to these forward-thinking professionals and institutions for helping to strengthen our state's workforce and the health of Washingtonians.
</p>
</div> | 4/9/2026 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |