The new Edmonds walk-in clinic is now open!
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 30, Community Health Center of Snohomish County leadership and staff celebrated the grand opening of the new medical building, next door to the existing Edmonds Clinic. Chief Executive Officer Joe Vessey, Chief Medical Officer Tom Tocher and Edmonds Medical Clinic Practice Manager Cesar Hernandez spoke about what this clinic will mean for the community at large. Joe Vessey also read a letter of support from Governor Jay Inslee’s office, and Senator Patty Murray participated via recorded video message.
“The new walk-in clinic, substance use counseling and treatment clinic, and physical therapy center bring extra services to meet growing demand in the area. Being steps away from the primary care clinic, dental clinic and pharmacy is also great for patients and staff. It’s that much easier to consult with other specialists, share resources, and shift providers and support staff back and forth” Dr. Tocher says.
More space, more services
The new building boasts high ceilings and large windows for extra airflow, space and natural light, and gives staff and physicians extra tools to help patients. Plans for the new facility were already in the works before COVID-19, but the new facility is a welcome boost to local resources.
“Our Lynnwood Walk-In Clinic had outgrown itself, so moving walk-in services to the new Edmonds facility allows us to serve the community better,” Dr. Tocher says.
“The Lynnwood Clinic now has more space for primary care, dental and pharmacy, and walk-in services can meet the growing demand from the new location at the Edmonds Clinic.”
Find the Edmonds Clinic at 23320 Hwy 99, a main street with great car and public transit access. It’s open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to treat CHC patients experiencing symptoms ranging from minor cuts and muscle aches to pink eye and asthma.
No wrong door
In addition to the walk-in clinic, the new facility enables the Community Health Center of Snohomish County team to better address Washington’s other health crisis, the opioid epidemic. The Edmonds Clinic is excited to partner with Evergreen Recovery to provide on-site chemical dependency counselling. All CHC providers seeing adult patients are Medication-Assisted Treatment waivered, which gives a low-barrier, no-wrong-door approach to treatment for those with opioid use disorders.
“Opioids are the leading cause of death in America in people under 50,” Dr. Tocher says. “I’ve been using MAT since 2003, and it’s been very successful. Our partnership with Evergreen Recovery will allow us to help even more.”
Visit chcsno.org to learn more, and find the clinic nearest you.
