2026 Conference | Providing Care to Minors in Washington State | Brendan Smith, ND

Abstract:  This presentation will provide an overview of Washington State laws relevant to providing care for minors, including access, confidentiality, and unhoused youth. The presentation will include an overview of key clinical documents, confidentiality safeguards, and other considerations when providing care to minors.

Presenter Bio: Dr. Brendan Smith is an accomplished healthcare professional with over 8 years of experience working in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) serving rural areas and low-income families. Throughout his career, he has focused on evidence-based clinical practice, patient-centered care, and shared decision-making. Harnessing experience in education and clinical practice across multiple FQHCs, he brings pragmatism to quality and compliance by facilitating change management, staff/leadership education, and systems design. Dr. Smith directly oversees Community Health Workers/Health Educators to provide extra support to patients and care teams in order to achieve high quality healthcare and outcomes. He also regularly pursues training opportunities in the areas of quality and risk and participates on a community level as a board member for both the county housing authority and a non-profit for at-risk youth in Okanogan County.​