By CARA LORELLO
Staff Reporter
The signs in front read “Summer 2008,” but due to a slight delay in spacing arrangements, Rockwood Clinic Medical Lake Family Practice won't be opening its new building until December 2008.
Rockwood practice manager, Colleen Kirk confirmed on Sept. 17 that in an effort to secure additional space for a new facility, located in the lower level of the Mosby Property-owned professional building at 725 N. Stanley Street, the original summer deadline clinic officials had planned for got pushed back to December.
But the hold up, Kirk added, is actually benefiting the clinic because it added extra space to the original floor plan, making it a better overall fit for Rockwood's plans to expand and update its existing facilities. It's been a project long in the works for Medical Lake's branch, Kirk said.
“We've been aware of the need for change here for several years,” Kirk said.
“But the number one reason we're moving is to create a better healthcare facility for this community… and we find ourselves in an environment where we need to be more aware of the ergonomics [of the work environment],” she added.
As the Inland Northwest's and Spokane's largest multi-specialty health care provider, Rockwood Clinic is in the process of re-branding its image to become the region's top choice in healthcare and healthcare employment for the Spokane region.
“What we're doing at Medical Lake is part of Rockwood Clinic's strategic plan,” Kirk said, explaining how plans to construct new clinics in Medical Lake and on Spokane's South Hill were done using a new “patient care” model. The model allows for enhanced patient services, including expanded on-site care and lab services, everyday urgent care, and electronic referral and scheduling systems.
At the time Rockwood Clinic secured it's lease from Mosby Property, another Medical Lake business was already leasing a portion of the lower level. Kirk said that business has since moved, allowing for full occupancy. It took some extra time to secure, so construction couldn't make the summer deadline.
Medical Lake Rockwood clients need not worry; Kirk said she expects an opening sometime this December at the latest.
“With that extra space, we had to make some minor adjustments in the original floor plan to make it better suit the design of our clinic,” she added.
That floor plan takes up about 6,000 square feet, of 12 patient exam rooms, five provider offices and a separate laboratory/draw station. The environment, look and feel of the new clinic will replicate features found at Rockwood's newest clinic, the South Hill's Quail Run branch at 2214 E. 29th Ave., which opened this past summer.
Care services currently offered at Medical Lake Family Practice will not change, but the new layout Kirk said will be much more conducive to the patient-focused, integrated care model area clinics are upgrading to.
“Our [current] building was built in the 80s, and it's got a very 80s feel to it,” Kirk said of the 3,600 square-foot building that's been the practice's home since it opened in 1984, originally through Family Medicine Spokane before Rockwood Clinic took over in 1989.
Recently, a few clinic staff members got the chance to work a day at Quail Run to get familiar with the environment they'll soon be working in, Kirk said.
Dr. Doug Gwinn, one of Medical Lake's three full-time providers, said patients can expect the same care they're getting now, only better.
“It's an amazing building [Quail Run], which basically will allow us to enhance all of what we do here now,” Gwinn said, adding that the ergonomic features are a bonus.
The clinic has increased its number of full-time healthcare providers from three to four this year to include more same day urgent care. There's also a chance the clinic, once opened, may extend its regular hours.
Questions regarding Medical Lake Family Practice's relocation may be forwarded to Kirk at (509) 994-4777. Notices will be sent to inform area patients once an opening date is set.
Cara Lorello can be reached at [email protected]
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