February 8th, 2006, Tribune (Everett)
By Jenny Zuvela

A health center that serves about 31,000 low-income patients in Snohomish County plans to build a new clinic in south Everett to accommodate the county’s growing population.

Construction will begin in July on the 24,800 square-foot, $9 million clinic near Silver Lake, which is scheduled to open the summer of 2007.

“We are full to the rafters,” said Lori Castro, spokeswoman for the Community Health Center of Snohomish County.

In the past six months, employees have seen 1,500 new patients, bringing the total number of patients to 30,924. Last year patients visited the health center’s clinics for 87,700 appointments.

“Snohomish County is growing so dramatically – we’re really just trying to respond to the population growth here,” Castro said.

The center provides health care to a primarily low-income population, targeting patients who are near or below the federal poverty line.

In 2005, 68 percent of the center’s patients were below the poverty level and about 86 percent were uninsured or participated in Medicaid. Five percent were homeless.

The center, affiliated with a state nonprofit health insurance company, operates three medical clinics, two dental clinics and two pharmacies in Everett and Lynnwood.

When the new clinic is up and running, the health center expects 30,000 medical and 11,000 dental appointments per year to be made at the new location. IT will replace an existing clinic two miles away and be twice the size. Administration will most likely move into the existing building after a remodel or expansion, Castro said.

The clinic will hold 24 medical exam rooms, two medical procedure rooms, 10 dental chairs and a pharmacy, and it will accommodate 10 doctors and 4 dentists. It will be located on a bus line for easy access for patients.

The Seattle-based architect, Miller-Hayashi Architects, has designed several health centers in the Puget Sound region.