A clinic out of practice

By Sharon Salyer

Herald Writer

Susie Borovina remembers her first day of work at Everett Family Practice Center with the same vivid clarity of major life events such as high school graduation or the birth of a child.

It was July 18, 1977.

"It was a beautiful summer day," she said. "I was so glad to be there."

Glad enough to accept a $4.05 hourly wage as one of the clinic’s registered nurses. Glad enough to work another part-time job waitressing on weekends at Taylor’s Landing in Mukilteo to help make ends meet.

"It was wonderful," she said of joining the team of employees at the clinic, which had opened its doors just three months before. "We were all young and full of hope, really wanting to make a difference in the community, and we did."

Twenty-four years later, on another July day, Borovina walked out of the clinic for the last time. Although another four months would pass before the clinic formally closed its doors on Friday, leaving about 10,000 patients to find other clinics or doctors, "the process of demise had already started to occur," she said.

"There was a lot of uncertainty, with many (employees) starting to leave."

Borovina, whose husband is a commercial fisherman, seems resigned to the fishing industry’s uncertainty and apparent eclipse. She struggles, though, with the thought of independent medical clinics like the one she used to work at sharing the same fate.

"I don’t think things will ever be quite the same for (independent) family practice clinics," she said. "I think it’s becoming bigger business now."

The formal announcement that the clinic, which in its heyday had 30,000 patients, was closing came last month. It was blamed on a steady loss of clinic physicians to other practices, the uncertain economic climate and tight insurance reimbursements.

Dr. Julie Komarow, who has served as clinic president for the last five years, had a simpler explanation: "The (corporate) tests came, and we flunked."

Diagnosed with stage four breast cancer three years ago and now in remission, Komarow calls presiding over the clinic’s last year and its ultimate collapse tougher even than the year she spent in chemotherapy.

"We have been on the brink of disaster for a year," she said. "We tried every possible avenue — extra hours, trying to recruit new physicians, trying to negotiate better reimbursement … merge or be bought out by different groups.

"Because of our failures, we had a continual loss of physicians. The continual loss of physicians is what finally killed us."

Both patients and employees say they remember the clinic as a place where people were treated as if they were family.

Komarow delivered Abbi Little’s son Owen nine months ago. "I feel (Komarow) was a friend as well as a doctor," she said.

"We had a receptionist who had been there for years," said Borovina, who now works at Medalia Women’s Care in Everett. "She knew the patients. We would get very familiar with the families. You just don’t get that any more."

Carol Jensen, an administrative assistant who first began work at the clinic in February 1981, slowly paged through two photo albums Friday that included pictures of the clinic’s groundbreaking, summer staff picnics and Christmas parties.

"You can see by the pictures we were a very close group," she said.

Cathy Dunican, a patient at the clinic for 20 years, recalled that when she was in labor with her second child, hospital staff left a message on the home phone of her doctor, who was on vacation.

"He got home, heard the message, turned around and came to the hospital to deliver me, even though they had called another doctor," she said.

Maryann Trengove, a nurse who worked at the clinic for three years, now works at The Everett Clinic.

The Everett Clinic has survived and thrived because of good business decisions, she said. "There’s a comfort level in working for an organization that is run really well. But it is a big change to go from a clinic where we all sat in the lunchroom together to a huge organization where you don’t know everybody."

Personal conflicts, low reimbursements, poor business decisions and even the Sept. 11 terrorists attacks led to the Everett Family Practice’s demise, she said. People stopped their normal routines and stopped even coming to doctor’s appointments.

The fallout: The daily schedule went from 25 people on a doctor’s appointment list to 13.

Even as the business faltered, it remained true to its character, she said, "taking care of their employees in the end." Her last paycheck not only included her wages, but vacation and personal leave pay as well.

"When there was nothing else to do besides pass out the life jackets, they did it," she said.

Even with her front-row seat on what was happening at the clinic, Trengove sounds stunned at its collapse.

"For a while we were growing, growing, growing," she said. "It was crazy. You couldn’t walk through the hallways" because of all the patients.

"Then, it was gone."

You can call Herald Writer Sharon Salyer at 425-339-3486

or send e-mail to salyer@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Firefighters respond to a 911 call on July 16, 2024, in Mill Creek. Firefighters from South County Fire, Tulalip Bay Fire Department and Camano Island Fire and Rescue left Wednesday to help fight the LA fires. (Photo provided by South County Fire)
Help is on the way: Snohomish County firefighters en route to LA fires

The Los Angeles wildfires have caused at least 180,000 evacuations. The crews expect to arrive Friday.

x
Edmonds police shooting investigation includes possibility of gang violence

The 18-year-old victim remains in critical condition as of Friday morning.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River. Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council approves water, sewer rate increases

The 43% rise in combined water and sewer rates will pay for large infrastructure projects.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Devani Padron, left, Daisy Ramos perform during dance class at Mari's Place Monday afternoon in Everett on July 13, 2016. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Mari’s Place helps children build confidence and design a better future

The Everett-based nonprofit offers free and low-cost classes in art, music, theater and dance for children ages 5 to 14.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

Modern DNA tech comes through again for Everett police in 1989 murder case

Recent advances in forensic genealogy led to the suspect’s arrest in Clark County, Nevada.

Ari Smith, 14, cheers in agreement with one of the speakers during Snohomish County Indivisible’s senator office rally at the Snohomish County Campus on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
More than 100 people gather in Everett to protest recent Trump actions

Protesters hoped to pressure lawmakers into delaying and disrupting action in the Senate.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.