Ribbon Cutting For New City Employee Healthcare Clinic Tomorrow

Yakima will enter a new era this Wednesday when it officially opens its new in-house employee healthcare clinic. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 20th at 11:30 a.m. outside the entrance to the new clinic located at 103 S. 3rd Street. The clinic will be operated by miCare, a subsidiary company of Montana-based Employee Benefits Management Services, Inc., which runs in-house clinics for both private and public sector organizations.

City officials, miCare representatives, and others who have had a hand in opening the clinic are scheduled to speak during Wednesday’s ceremony.

Yakima is believed to be the first local government entity in Washington to open its own in-house clinic. The idea had been discussed for several years, but in the face of continuing steep increases in healthcare costs, the City’s Employee Welfare Benefit Board decided last fall that it was time to move more aggressively toward opening the clinic. The City’s miCare clinic will be staffed by two doctors, a mid-level practitioner, and a medical assistant and will initially operate 26 hours each week providing general medical services, lab work, and prescriptions for eligible City employees, their families, and retirees. The hours of operation of the clinic will likely be expanded as usage of the clinic increases.