From the start, Unity Health Care has been committed to serving the health needs of our communities. In a small room in a local shelter, Unity was originally founded in 1985 as Health Care for the Homeless Project (HCHP). HCHP provided 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 1985, local physicians with a passion to help the most vulnerable, Drs. Jesse Barber and Janelle Goetcheus co-founded Health Care for the Homeless Project (HCHP).
In 1987, HCHP became one of 13 public-private partnership grantees awarded funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation allowing Healthcare for the Homeless Project (now Unity Health Care) to become a Federally Qualified Health Center.
In 1997, HCHP officially changed its name to Unity Health Care as services were expanded from not only serving people experiencing homelessness, but to providing primary and specialty care to all District residents. Over the past three decades we have grown into a network of over 20 traditional and non-traditional health centers and a walking medical outreach program.
In 2006, Unity implemented a community-based correctional health care model at the DC Jail.
In 2017, Unity won the HIMSS Davies Award for our work in utilizing health information technology to improve patient outcomes.
2018 Unity launched a new Logo and Website.
2019 Unity East of the River Location opened with a partnership with So Others Might Eat and Howard University Hospital co-located specialized care in high-risk maternal and fetal medicine, oncology, behavioral health, and substance abuse treatment and counseling.
2020 We are currently celebrating our 35th anniversary and continues to celebrate achievements in providing accessible and quality care to DC residents, regardless of ability to pay.
