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Tour participants report Dejwali mobile wellness unit serving opioid‑use treatment; county partners discuss expansion and funding
Summary
Dan Hammel, a Bellingham city councilor, reported to the Whatcom County JPop committee that a tour of the Dejwali wellness campus showed an on‑site mobile medical unit providing opioid use disorder treatment (Suboxone and methadone), wraparound medical and dental care, childcare and transportation; the unit’s census at the time was about 30, with a per‑unit capacity around 200.
Dan Hammel, a Bellingham City Council member (Ward 3), reported to the JPop committee on June 26 about an April 29 site tour of the Dejwali wellness center and mobile medical unit that provides opioid use disorder treatment and related wraparound services.
Hammel said Dejwali operates a mobile unit at 2030 Division Street that dispenses medication‑assisted treatment including buprenorphine (Suboxone) and methadone, and provides medical, dental, counseling, childcare and food services. "They don't turn anyone away," Hammel said, describing the center's intake practice and broad approach to addiction care. He said the mobile unit’s census was "just over 30" people at the time of the report; the site has capacity for about 200 patients per medical unit.
The nut graf: Committee members said the Dejwali model demonstrates an integrated, low‑barrier approach that could inform the county’s behavioral‑care planning, but they also raised transportation and utilization questions and discussed local funding commitments.
Hammel said the Dejwali service area spans from Upper Skagit through Anacortes and into the San Juan Islands and that roughly 70 percent of clients are nontribal. Dejwali offers shuttle transport for clients and is seeking a second, more centrally located Bellingham site; Hammel noted the current Division Street location is not in the central business district and that transportation may limit access. He also said the city council recently approved $375,000 for the alternate response team (ART) over an 18‑month period, and later confirmed those funds are drawn from the county’s 1% justice sales tax revenue.
Speakers who visited the site emphasized the clinic’s trauma‑informed, culturally responsive design, its on‑site dental and medical capacity, and staff practices that prioritize low‑barrier access and client engagement. Amber, a tour participant, said the facility’s features "felt culturally responsive" and that staff described operating with a principle of saying "yes" to clients while offering a range of services. Another attendee said Dejwali coordinates with Whatcom Detox and can connect detox clients to ongoing services.
Hammel and others noted the mobile unit is underutilized relative to stated capacity and that outreach and central location could increase uptake. Funding is primarily Medicaid reimbursement, Hammel said; he also cautioned that proposed Medicaid cuts and other funding risks could threaten sustainability.
Ending: Committee members encouraged additional tours and said they want to examine how the Dejwali model could align with local diversion and behavioral‑care strategies, noting opportunities to bring Jail and Behavioral Care Center planners to the site to better understand low‑barrier, integrated services.
