We’re excited to share the remarkable progress made during year two of our multi-year HRSA Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program (HTPCP) grant, which funds our continued efforts to expand access to genetic healthcare across the Pacific Northwest.
Expanded Patient Care and Community Impact
This past year marked significant growth in our ability to serve those throughout Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
Growth in patient services:
- We completed over 400 patient visits, representing a 23% increase over year one.
- We maintained our commitment to accessible care with 37% of visits provided at no cost.
- We expanded our reach with 29% of patients referred by community-based clinics.
Diverse care across the lifespan:
- We saw a 200% increase in preconception/family planning consultations, helping families make informed decisions before pregnancy.
- We provided comprehensive genetic counseling spanning pediatrics, prenatal care, adult specialties including cardiology and neurology, and cancer genetics.
- We increased our support of families, with 26% of patients seeking care related to a family member’s genetic testing results.
Strengthened Community Partnerships
Strengthened collaboration across the region:
- Over 27 unique community-based clinic networks now refer patients to our services, up from 19 in the previous year.
- We formed active partnerships with patient and family groups such as Idaho Parents Unlimited.
- We expanded relationships with state and regional medical and provider associations and specialty clinics.
- We joined a working group with Oregon’s newborn screening program to develop provider resources on hemoglobinopathy traits.
Educational Resources and Outreach
Commitment to education and advocacy:
- We created 12 new resources and updated existing materials to support patients and providers.
- We reached thousands through presentations, conferences, community events, and social media outreach.
Future Building
Looking ahead, we will continue to focus on sustainability and expanding our impact by growing our organization and partnerships. We will also continue to actively advocate for improved genetic counseling access through support of federal legislation and state-level insurance reimbursement initiatives.
Our progress since year one of the HTPCP grant demonstrates the power of community partnership and our shared commitment to ensuring that geography, income, and insurance status never stand in the way of accessing life-changing genetic services. We are grateful for the continued support from the HTPCP as we work toward a future where every family in the Pacific Northwest has access to genetic healthcare.