Whatcom Alliance for Healthcare Access

How the program works

Participating physicians commit to see a set number of patients per year; Project Access distributes cases fairly on a rotating basis.
Patients are screened for income eligibility and must be eligible for Basic Health and St. Joseph Hospital Bridge Assistance.
Patients are enrolled for 3 months. Patients who get insured on Basic Health can stay enrolled for the 9-month pre-existing period if they need continued specialty care and still meet the program's eligibility criteria.
Patients are asked to get a primary care provider. WAHA can help patients find a doctor who will work on a discount and / or get insurance to help with primary care costs.
WPA coordinates donated ancillary services, such as labs, imaging, transportation and interpretation when possible. We also have a limited pharmacy fund and can help patients look at options for lowering their prescription costs.
No extra paperwork is required; physician offices use standard billing forms.
Project Access staff will collect and report billing and demographic data to document donated care.

Referral guidelines

Patients must be referred by a physician or medical provider. WAHA will assist patients with establishing a medical home and getting a referral if necessary.
To refer a patient, please fax either your office’s referral form or the WPA referral form (pdf) to 788-6587. WAHA will contact the patient to screen them for Project Access. We will let you know if they qualify as soon as possible.
WPA cannot accept urgent referrals - Because the screening and enrollment process may take several weeks, we cannot assist with patients who need care within a designated time frame. Patients with urgent needs should be referred directly to the specialist. In some cases, WPA may be able to assist with arranging donated care after a patient has already been referred.
WPA does not do routine, screening procedures. We would be happy to assist patients with looking at insurance options that may cover future screening procedures.
For more information, or if your office would like to pledge services, please contact Project Access Coordinator at
788-6534.

Additional Resources