Desmond Skubi, Executive Director, to Retire from Unity Care NW
May 15, 2019
Unity Care NW (UCNW) announced on 5/15/19 that Desmond Skubi, the agency’s Executive Director, will retire effective January 2020. With the completion of the North Whatcom Health Center, Unity Care has accomplished a primary goal identified in its last strategic plan. The agency is now launching a new strategic plan that will guide our work through 2025. Reflecting on his decision, Des states, “I am completing my 11th wonderful year at Unity Care, and I will turn 68 in February 2020. It is time to let a new, thoughtful, and energetic generation of leadership move this great organization into the future.” UCNW will begin a succession process at the direction of its Board of Directors. A professional search firm will conduct a national search to find the best possible candidate.
Skubi has over 40 years of health care experience and has served in his current role of Executive Director since February 11, 2009. During Skubi’s tenure as Executive Director, he played a critical role in helping the agency adapt to the significant changes in the health care system while growing services, sites, and the number of people served by UCNW. In the process, Skubi served as a champion for improving public health. He was awarded a Legacy Award by the Northwest Regional Primary Care Association in honor of his dedication to solving the problems of health, poverty, and human rights and contributing to the mission and recognition of community and migrant health centers in the Northwest region.
Des Skubi has dedicated his career to community health and eliminating disparities through his work as a clinician, a consultant, and an executive. In 1982, he started his career in community health working as a nurse-midwife on South Dakota’s Rosebud Sioux Reservation. Des has been actively involved at the local, state, and national levels at the forefront of exciting and forward-thinking initiatives to transform health care. Always a strong advocate for the underserved, for communities, and for community health centers, he has devoted his professional life to increasing the years of healthy life for the people and communities served by Unity Care NW.
During his tenure as Executive Director, Unity Care NW has grown significantly. The number of people served increased from 11,300 in 2007 to 21,500 in 2018. The health center has undertaken three capital campaigns to expand its main Bellingham facility, build new adult dental and expanded behavioral health capacity in Bellingham, and expand services in Ferndale. With the opening of the new North Whatcom Health Center in Ferndale this summer, this $15 million project will provide medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, and lab services to 9,500 patients in north Whatcom County.
ABOUT UNITY CARE NW
Unity Care NW is a federally-qualified health center with sites in Bellingham and Ferndale. Established in 1982, the non-profit organization provides medical, dental, behavioral health, and pharmacy services to nearly 22,000 Whatcom County residents who consider Unity Care NW their medical home.
