Walk-in care comes to Tumwater

Clinic offerslater hours than others in area

By Rolf Boone | The Olympian • Published July 20, 2008

• Comments (0)

TUMWATER – A South Sound doctor has opened Urgent Care South, the first walk-in clinic in Tumwater to provide after-hours medical care.

"Tumwater is growing by leaps and bounds," said Dr. Kirk Harris, noting the city's recent annexation of more land and a projection that the area will grow by several hundred homes. "It is a high-growth, high-need area."

Urgent Care South has been open less than two weeks and operates out of the same offices that Harris uses during the day for his Tumwater family medical practice.

Harris, a doctor for 20 years, started his medical career in Aberdeen before moving to Tumwater in 2004. Since then, he has run Littlerock Family Medicine at 6981 Littlerock Road.

But every day from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m., his family practice becomes Urgent Care South.

Similar to other South Sound walk-in clinics, Urgent Care South does not require an appointment. Unlike them, his clinic is open later than others in Thurston County.

"This is for the type of person who may not be able to get out of their work obligation," Harris said.

He said his clinic will complement other walk-in clinics, rather than compete against them.

"I hope they'll view this as helping out," Harris said.

Pacific Walk-In Clinic of Lacey owner Dr. Patricia Sylwester said she welcomes the clinic.

Sylwester said the need exists for urgent care clinics because they serve patients who either don't have a doctor, can't schedule a timely appointment with a doctor, or are for people visiting the county.

"We've gotten increasingly busy over the last seven years," she said.

Sylwester said she'll now be able to refer patients to Urgent Care South after the Pacific Walk-In clinic closes at 7 p.m. weekdays and 5 p.m. on weekends.

Despite the name, Urgent Care South and other walk-in clinics do not serve patients with medical emergencies, such as heart attacks, strokes, head trauma or other immediate care or life-threatening injuries, Harris said. Walk-in clinics are for patients with the flu, sprained ankles, ear infections or migraines, for example, he said.

Rick Moloney of Tumwater said his son, Ryan, recently had an ear infection treated at Urgent Care South. Moloney, who lives about a half-mile from the clinic, said it saved him from making a longer trip to an emergency room or another clinic in South Sound.

Moloney said he paid about $90 in cash for his son's treatment because the clinic wasn't set up to take insurance. Since then, the clinic has received approval from about four insurance providers and is waiting approval from about 10 more, Harris said.

Harris said a typical visit to Urgent Care South is going to cost up to $120. Patients can pay cash, but he isn't offering a cash-paying discount, although he is considering it, Harris said.

Rolf Boone is a reporter for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5403 or rboone@theolympian.com.