Photo courtesy: Yelm Community Blog

Read more from the Providence Press Release of March 17, 2011.

REPRINTED FROM THE YELM COMMUNITY BLOG, JANUARY 3, 2011 ENTRY:

Everyone has been watching the construction of the new Yelm Medical Plaza along Yelm Avenue West at Killion Ave., however by many comments to this Blog, most do not know what services are to be offered upon opening.

So, this writer contacted some of the owners of the Yelm Medical Plaza to ask questions about this landmark facility for Yelm and the Nisqually Valley. I was referred to several Public Relations documents from which the following information was garnered.
Here are the questions I had:

Blog:
What was the vision for the Yelm Medical Plaza?

Answer:
“Dr. Kirk Dawson, speaking for Yelm Family Medicine, said
‘Yelm Family Medicine was originally established in 1979 by Dr. William Elledge [opened as Nisqually Clinic],
and moved to its current location in 1985.’
Having an array of services in one location will be a major benefit for patients and physicians, with less time spent traveling out of town for diagnostics and specialty services.

Yelm Family Medicine, Providence Health and Services (parent company of Providence St. Peter Hospital), and RDS, LLC of Olympia (Scott Ritter, managing partner) came together to expand medical options for this region, based on the population demographics that doubled here in the last ten years. Other medical providers had also been looking at a Yelm location, so this was a natural for these local providers to be aggressive about expanding here.

Blog:
What exactly will be offered via the Yelm Medical Plaza?

Answer:
Yelm Family Medicine and Providence St. Peter Hospital plan to coordinate the addition of
“afterhours, urgent-care” in the building.
The Yelm Medical Plaza will offer only “urgent care” as Yelm Family Medicine does now.
“Emergency care” is provided at hospitals.
If a patient requires “emergency care”, they will be directed or transported via ambulance to a hospital, the same way Yelm Family Medicine has always operated.

Offices for physician specialists & other services including clinical lab, advanced diagnostic imaging, pharmacy and physical therapy will also be available on site.

Blog:
When does the Yelm Medical Plaza plan to open & what will be the hours?

Answer:
The Yelm Medical Plaza building is expected to be completed by February 2011, with plans to open to the public in March, 2011 as follows-
– 7 days a week
– evenings & weekends
– Monday-Friday 9AM – 9PM
– Saturday & Sundays 9AM – 5PM

Blog:
What new, local services will the Yelm Medical Plaza offer?

Answer:
The Yelm Family Medicine practice will expand and provide after-hours care. Providence will bring specialty services to the growing community including diagnostic imaging and clinical space for sub-specialty physicians. Additionally, the building will allow space for PACLAB, Apple Physical Therapy, Foot & Ankle Surgical Associates and more.

Blog:
What are the details about the building & Yelm Medical Plaza campus?

Answer:
The new $9.3 million building employs a 36,000 square foot medical office building and surrounding medical park in Yelm. The site for this new medical campus, Eagle Plaza also has three pads for future growth.

Blog:
What is the mission of Yelm Family Medicine?

Answer:
“…to provide the highest quality medical care possible to our community. We are committed to our patient’s welfare, to quality medicine, to health and wellness, and to remaining a financially viable independent medical facility.”

Blog:
When can the public (non-patients) visit the site?

Answer:
The Yelm Medical Plaza Open House will be held April 9th, 2011, 2:30pm-4pm. Ribbon cutting 2:30pm
Beginning April 18, the clinic will offer extended daily and weekend hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
The Yelm Medical Plaza is located at Yelm Ave. West at Tahoma Boulevard.

Information provided by the following resources:
– CLICK HERE for the Yelm Family Medicine News Release.
– CLICK HERE for the Providence Health & Services website.
– CLICK HERE for the Yelm Family Medicine website.