By International Community Health Services
NAP Contributor
The International Community Health Services (ICHS) secured more than $5 million in funding from the State of Washington for the Ron Chew Healthy Aging & Wellness Center in Seattle. The Washington State Legislature voted to include $3,050,000 in its 2026 annual budget to help fund the health care center for low-income seniors who use the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). It enables nursing home-eligible seniors to stay in their homes while receiving culturally responsive care. The Washington State Department of Commerce Building Communities Fund approved a one-time, $2 million grant for the construction of the center.
The center opens December 2025 at Beacon Pacific Village on Beacon Hill and quadruples ICHS’ capacity to serve low-income elders. “King County’s senior population is growing. Older adults need to be met where they are with comprehensive health care. It empowers them to stay in their homes, and live independently or with their families,” says ICHS CEO Kelli Nomura. “The Ron Chew Health Aging and Wellness Center allows ICHS to expand from serving 100 elders to 400 elders who can access the PACE program, in a state-of-the-art senior care center designed to support their health and well-being.”
At the center, older adults dependent on Medicare and Medicaid receive wrap-around healthcare. Services are provided in the participants’ native language with understanding of cultural traditions. It includes medical, dental, behavioral healthcare, physical and occupational therapies, nutrition services and meals on site, accessible transportation, and healthy living programs designed to encourage social connection and physical activity.
The cost to develop the center is $25 million. To date, ICHS has raised $19.5 million through private and public funding. Project funders include the federal government, King County, City of Seattle, Inatai Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation, Ark and Winifred Chin Foundation, Arcora Foundation, Satterberg Foundation, and many generous individuals.
