HealthPoint Auburn threw open its just completed expansion project at 126 Auburn Ave. last Friday, welcoming in a horde of visitors and patients.
HealthPoint Auburn expects to see more than 1,600 new patients this year — up to 3,800 visits — with the expansion, for a total of 11,000 patients per year, said Marketing Manager Diana Olsen.
“We are incredibly happy to officially open the expanded Auburn clinic,” said Chief Executive Officer Thomas Trompeter. “We have seen continued growth in demand for affordable and accessible health services in the Auburn community, and we are grateful for this funding that enables us to provide a health care home to more people in Auburn.
“This new facility will have an immediate positive impact on the under served people in the area, and is a symbol of our commitment to the community,” Trompeter added.
Courtesy of a federal grant award through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Health Point added 10 newly renovated exam rooms and a new elevator. The building expansion also offers the following to help deliver affordable health care to the Auburn community:
• An upgrade to the first-floor pharmacy, creating a more efficient workflow. The pharmacy is now filling 200 new prescriptions per day, a 30-percent increase.
• Offices for Public Health – Seattle & King County’s Women & Infant Children (WIC) services.
This ARRA project created many construction related jobs during the course of the renovation, and with its completion, seven new jobs now exist at HealthPoint Auburn. The center has 10 family medicine providers, some of whom also practice obstetrics. Acupuncture, behavioral health and certified nutrition providers are on staff, too. The medical clinic is co-located with HealthPoint’s Dental clinic and pharmacy.
HealthPoint offers reduced fees to eligible, uninsured patients. Last year, 27 percent of the Auburn clinic’s patients were without insurance, and more than half fell below the federal poverty level.
ARRA funds financed $2,065,065, or 98 percent, of the Auburn project, and the Boeing Employees Community Fund kicked in $40,000.
HealthPoint is on a mission to strengthen communities and improve people’s health by delivering quality health care services, breaking down barriers and providing access to all. It provides medical and dental care, as well as complementary and alternative services, at 12 King County locations, offering a wide range of health care services that people want and need, at prices appropriate to all income levels.
Since 1971, it has delivered culturally appropriate care from compassionate providers. HealthPoint also works with other community organizations to make health care more accessible and improve the quality of life in King County.
