Unity Health Care, Inc. (Unity) was founded in 1985 as the Health Care for the Homeless Project providing primary health care services to homeless individuals and families that resided in local emergency shelters or on the streets of the District of Columbia.  In 1996, the organization expanded when it became the federal government’s emergency grantee for the Community Health Center programs, which expanded our patient base to include the underserved, uninsured and working poor residents of the city.  Unity’s mission is to promote healthier communities through compassion and comprehensive health and human services, regardless of ability to pay. 

Unity is currently the largest primary health care agency in the area with a team of more than 980 compassionate, multicultural professionals that include medical providers, nurses, medical and dental assistants, pharmacists, counselors, and social workers.  Every year, our dedicated staff provides quality care to more than 100,000 patients, through more than 600,000 return visits.

Unity’s staff members become a vital part of each patient’s life, recognizing that this is the best way to provide the care our patients need.  Providers do what it takes to track patients’ progress, encourage them to continue with their treatment plans, and help them rebuild or improve their lives.  Unity has a network of 29 health centers and a mobile medical outreach vehicle, which are strategically located within all eight wards of our city. In addition, we offer a full-range of primary health care services that reach every facet of our community to including, but not limited to, the homeless, working poor, under/uninsured, infants, school-age children, the elderly, persons living with HIV/AIDS and/or hepatitis, as well as those who are incarcerated and recently released from jail and prisons. 

Our scope of primary health care services includes: internal medicine, pediatrics, family practice, and obstetric/gynecological medicine.  We also offer dental care, social services, mental health services, family planning, treatment adherence, substance abuse counseling and numerous specialized services  (i.e., podiatry, cardiology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, psychiatry, ENT, ophthalmology, etc.). 

Our work is critical for both patients and the health care system here in the nation’s capital.  For patients, having access to health care encourages them to address health issues early rather than waiting until they become more serious.  Because health issues often arise during times of crisis, Unity provides ongoing support as patients confront life-changing events and make difficult decisions.  Without Unity’s ongoing primary care through which more serious problems are often detected, specialty treatments would likely be provided in an emergency room, which is the most costly way to provide medical care.  At Unity, we help those who are facing overwhelming challenges. We care, we help… we heal.