New Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic Expansion Strengthens Access to Medical and Trauma-Informed Care for Central District Families

On Feb. 9, Seattle Children’s announced the completion of the overall expansion of its 12,800-square-foot Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic (OBCC) in Seattle’s Central District with the launch of new and expanded medical and trauma-informed wraparound services for babies, children and teens in the community, regardless of a family’s ability to pay.

Patient services offered at OBCC Central District, located at 1711 S Jackson St., opened in two phases to reflect the care that local families and community partners said they needed most, and are delivered in languages commonly spoken by patient families, including English (80%), Spanish (9%), Somali (2%), Cantonese (2%), Oromo (2%), and Vietnamese (1%).

Phase 1 of the Central District clinic opened in July 2025 with the introduction of youth mental and behavioral health services, and to date has provided over 1,400 total visits to OBCC patient families — 70% to 80% of whom rely on Medicaid.

“With expanded primary care and behavioral health services, families are already experiencing shorter wait times and greater access to the holistic, high-quality care they need,” shared Dr. Shaquita Bell, associate vice president and chief medical director at Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic.

Phase 2 launched in February 2026 with the opening of an additional building space at OBCC Central District, creating more capacity for primary care and immunizations, dermatology, and laboratory services.

It also marks the opening of OBCC’s new Community Advocacy Restorative Education (CARE) Clinic, a multidisciplinary care center for youth affected by severe trauma, including abuse, domestic violence, firearm injury and trafficking. This service fills a critical gap between traditional primary care and more intensive trauma services, helping ensure youth and families receive the right level of support in a safe, trusted setting.

The location of the new Central District clinic was thoughtfully selected in September 2023 after OBCC and Seattle Children’s engaged in a year-long visioning process with patient families, community partners, regional providers and the OBCC Governance Council, and was followed by a local homecoming celebration with the descendants of Odessa Brown in attendance.

Seattle Children’s Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic was founded in 1970, delivering on community organizer Odessa Brown’s vision of providing quality care with dignity to children in the Central District regardless of a family’s ability to pay. Services are offered at 2 locations including OBCC Othello and OBCC Central District, and within 3 neighborhood schools to make medical and behavioral health visits convenient and accessible for children and families who may have barriers to accessing standard clinical care.

In 2025, OBCC provided more than 26,000 medical visits, over 7,700 behavioral health visits and nearly 12,000 dental visits across King County and aims to create the healthiest generation of kids by focusing on growing wellness rather than simply treating generational cycles of illness.

Learn more about Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic mission, services, community events and more by visiting the main OBCC page or by following the OBCC Facebook page.