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Celebrating 10 Years Serving Washington's Children & Youth as the State's Trusted Foster Care Partner

Date: 05/19/26

As the state's only managed care partner serving children, youth & young adults in foster care, Coordinated Care releases report highlighting a decade of improved health outcomes, advocacy, and innovation.

TACOMA, Wash. (May 19, 2026) — Today, Coordinated Care, Washington's trusted healthcare partner and wholly owned subsidiary of the Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), celebrated its 10th anniversary as the only statewide health plan serving Washington's children, youth, and young adults in foster care with their Apple Health Core Connections (AHCC) program. To commemorate this milestone, Coordinated Care released a new report reflecting on the organization's decade caring for the state's child welfare population through whole-person, trauma informed healthcare. The report celebrates measurable improvements in health outcomes, landmark legislative wins, and unwavering commitment advocating on behalf of one of the state's most vulnerable populations.

"Ten years ago, we made a promise to Washington's children and youth in foster care to not just provide their healthcare, but to create a more coordinated, connected, community-based support system to ensure their needs are met," said Beth Johnson, President and CEO of Coordinated Care. "As the state's only managed care partner serving Washington’s child welfare system, we have a unique responsibility to support these children, families, and caregivers during a truly challenging time in their lives. This report is a testament to what is possible with deep community partnerships and a continued commitment to never stop innovating and improving on behalf of our members. We are honored to do this important work and look forward to continue serving this population."

Selected by the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) in 2016, Coordinated Care's AHCC program has since provided reliable, consistent healthcare services to more than 62,400 children and youth in foster care, adoptive and guardianship families, youth in extended foster care, young adults who aged out of care up to age 26, children reunified with their parents, and Unaccompanied Refugee Minors. Of those served, over 41,900 have received dedicated care coordination or care management.

“We know that when vulnerable populations have access to reliable health care, it leads to better outcomes," said Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) Secretary Tana Senn. "Coordinated Care has played a vital role in making it easier for children and youth in foster care to access the health care services they need, especially when exiting care. We are grateful for this partnership, as we have witnessed the positive impact it has had on the families we serve."

Among the program's most significant milestones is the development and statewide expansion of Coordinated Care's Foster Care Centers of Excellence (FCCOE) program. FCCOE designation is awarded to medical providers that meet more than 50 rigorous criteria for providing a high standard of care. What began as a pilot in 2020 now serves the child welfare population in all six DCYF regions, ensuring members have access to holistic, trauma-informed care across the state. With an incentive-based agreement to further sustain this high-quality model of care, Coordinated Care's FCCOEs have an average of 25% higher rate of well-child visits, a 14% higher immunization rate, and fewer interactions with the crisis system compared to other healthcare facilities. 

In addition to the FCCOE program, the report highlights a decade of improved care outcomes and successful advocacy to break down barriers to whole-person health, including:

  • Decreasing avoidable emergency room visits by 9%, increasing well-child visits by 7.9%, and exceeding the national childhood immunization average by 14% in 2024
  • Reducing the number of children receiving out-of-state services by 80% through a joint effort with DCYF and HCA to ensure youth receive the appropriate level of care closer to home
  • Partnering with legislators and community organizations to pass new legislation to remove barriers to care and strengthen the child welfare system — including House Bills 2530 and 1188 
  • Providing over 1,900 clinical trainings to 31,000+ caregivers, clinicians, providers, case workers, child advocates and the judiciary; training 200+ behavioral health providers in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Health; and facilitating over 90 caregiver support groups
  • Donating over $380,000 to organizations such as Treehouse, Sibling Strong, The Mockingbird Society and others that support youth in foster care

“Our partnership with Coordinated Care has transformed the care we're able to provide to some of our region's most vulnerable children," said Kari Gillenwater, MP MPH, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Pediatric Clinic at Harborview. “We love having a team that we can rely on to help us access care for our families and to problem solve both at the individual and systems level. From day one, they brought expertise, passion, and genuine commitment to help us build a clinic where foster youth receive the best possible care. This has been and continues to be an incredibly rewarding and synergistic partnership."

To learn more about this important work, visit Coordinated Care's Putting the Health of Washington First webpage and read the full 10-year reflection report here.