State’s largest free health clinic returns to Seattle Center

SEATTLE — The largest free health clinic in Washington state has returned to Seattle Center.

The Seattle/King County Clinic provides medical, vision and dental care to anyone in the region who struggles to get access to healthcare or afford it.

The clinic is open from Thursday to Sunday this week.

It’s staffed by hundreds of volunteers, including doctors and nurses from more than 100 healthcare organizations.

No identification or proof of immigration status is required. Each patient receives a free admission ticket for a maximum of two service areas each day -- medical care and dental or vision.

Between 2014 and 2018, the clinic served 20,000 patients and provided $17 million in services, according to reports.

A wide range of care is available, from mammograms to general examinations to tooth fillings. The goal is to give care to 3,000 patients over the four-day period.

What to know:

Because tickets are first-come, first-served, people usually start lining up around midnight. The patient waiting area in Fisher Pavilion opens at 12:30 a.m. each day.

Admission tickets are given out starting at 5 a.m., and patients begin registering around 6:30 a.m.

Clinic services are in Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, the Exhibition Hall and Cornish Playhouse.

For more information, visit the clinic’s web page.

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