Skagit Regional Health breaks ground on Station Square clinic
Pictured (L to R): Jola Barnett, Paul Ishizuka, Mary Ann Hink, Nina Plata, Jill Boudreau, Julie Blazek, Gary Shand, Dale Ragan, Bruce Lisser, Frei Burton, Brian Ivie, Danny Vera, Josh Griggs, Peter Browning.
Members of the Public Hospital District No. 1 Board of Commissioners, the Executive Leadership Team and Mount Vernon Mayor Jill Boudreau, gathered on Friday, August 20, 2021 for the ceremonial ground breaking of a Primary Care and Urgent Care clinic slated to open in late 2022. The clinic will be called Skagit Regional Health – Station Square, named after the development where the clinic will be located, just west of I-5 near the Kincaid Street exit in Mount Vernon.
“Station Square is a visible location that will provide patients with easy access and ample parking. The proximity to I-5 is excellent for Urgent Care, which will be open seven days a week,” said Chief Executive Officer Brian Ivie. “We are also looking forward to being part of the vibrant downtown of Mount Vernon.”
Urgent Care, a lab and X-ray will occupy the first floor of the 30,000 square foot, three-story facility. Urgent Care services will relocate from the Skagit Valley Hospital campus to Station Square when the clinic opens. The new facility will help address the need for medical office space, which is in short supply, as well as the need for primary care services in the community. The second and third floors will be dedicated Primary Care, including behavioral health, and midwifery.
“Skagit Regional Health is continuing to work hard to recruit Primary Care providers to address the ongoing need in the communities we serve,” Ivie said. “Skagit Regional Health has been highly successful in recruiting providers and the system simply needs more clinic space to align with our growth as a system. This clinic will offer much-needed, state-of-the-art space with a focus on Primary Care.”
Ivie also noted that Skagit Regional Health’s Graduate Medical Education program is engaged in training Internal Medicine and Family Medicine providers with hopes of recruiting these new physicians to stay in our community.
The clinic also will be the start of a new care model. “This will be Skagit Regional Health’s first deployment of a patient-centered medical home concept in Primary Care with a behavioral health provider embedded within the clinic,” Ivie said. “We are looking forward to using this model for the benefit of the patients we serve.”
The convenient location just off the freeway provides easy access to care with ample parking and two electric vehicle charging stations on the 1.6 acre lot.
Construction is due to begin in September 2021 with the target for opening in fourth quarter 2022. Skagit Regional Health will initially lease the building with plans to likely purchase the $26.4 million facility in 2024 using a combination of cash reserves and long-term debt.
For information about all locations and services at Skagit Regional Health, please visit www.skagitregionalhealth.org.
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About Skagit Regional Health: Skagit Regional Health includes Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon, Cascade Valley Hospital in Arlington and 28 clinic locations in Skagit, Island and north Snohomish counties.