Carolyn Downs
Carolyn Downs Family Medical Center (CDFMC) was founded in 1968 by the Seattle Black Panther Party and has been an important cornerstone in the Central District, Seattle’s historically Black neighborhood. The clinic was named after one of its founders, Carolyn Downs, who died from cervical cancer.
Carolyn Downs Family Medical Center is one of the two Country Doctor Community Health Center clinics, and it is located in the heart of the Central District, just a half mile from Swedish Cherry Hill. It is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) whose mission is to improve the health of our community by providing caring, high quality, and culturally appropriate primary healthcare which addresses the needs of people regardless of their ability to pay.
We serve a population which is approximately 30% African American, 30% Latinx, and also includes a wide variety of immigrants. Spanish is a very common language heard around the clinic. Residents will care for active and diverse OB, pediatric, and geriatric populations and do a wide range of procedures. Country Doctor Community Clinic, the sister clinic of CDFMC, is located a couple of miles away and has a special focus in HIV medicine.
Residents can participate in the many services provided at both Carolyn Downs and Country Doctor, including:
Adolescent care
Chronic disease management
Geriatric assessments
Hep-C care
HIV care & case management
Transgender care
Re-entry program for formerly incarcerated community members
School-based clinics at Nova High School and Meany Middle School
Carolyn Downs Youth Mentorship Program - a training program for local high schoolers interested in healthcare that was founded and is led by residents
Carolyn Downs residents from the 2019-2020 academic year
Carolyn Downs faculty and staff
Carolyn Downs’ community faculty is made up of family physicians (including Cherry Hill residency graduates), and our provider team is rounded out by several mid-level providers. We have a multi-disciplinary team focus on care which incorporates triage nurses, an OB nurse, behavioral health consultants, a diabetic educator, a clinical social worker and a nutritionist. The Carolyn Downs training site accepts two residents in each year of training.
Carolyn Downs’ NRMP Match number is 1755120C7.
Patients at a Glance
The following data is specific to Carolyn Downs alone.
Racial and Ethnic Identity, 2019
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 1% |
| Asian | 5% |
| Black/African American | 34% |
| Hawaiian Native/Other Pacific Islander | 1% |
| Hispanic | 32% |
| Multiracial | 5% |
| White | 16% |
| Unreported | 16% |
Languages
32% of CDFMC patients require translation. Primary languages requiring interpretation in clinic include Spanish, Tigrinya, Amharic, and Oromo.
More Statistics
Age - 20% under 18 y/o, 14% over 60 y/o
Homelessness - 12%
Virtual Tour
The Carolyn Downs Family Medical Center is full of history and family! Check out our teaser trailer and complete virtual tour below to get a taste of life at the clinic.