A new primary health care clinic in the Tri-Cities is increasing access and lowering prices for members of three local unions, driven by their efforts to seek quality care for their members.

Alaska-based Pacific Health Coalition opened its first Washington clinic in Kennewick on June 4, offering primary care services exclusively to union members – and their families – who are a part of the coalition.

Currently, the United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 598, Sheet Metal Workers SMART Local 55, and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 112 all have access to the new clinic at 6816 W. Rio Grande Ave., Suite A. 

Members of these unions don’t have to use the new primary care clinic – they’re welcome to keep their current primary care doctor. But those who visit the Coalition Health Center can enjoy access to a one-stop shop, with primary care, blood work and prescriptions all in one place. 

Patients can get an appointment within two days, and the center will keep hiring as needed to keep the wait times down for its members. 

Trey Bland

“Any time it appears we’re going to get to the point that we can’t maintain getting somebody in within two days, then we hire more,” said Trey Bland, a health and welfare trustee for UA Local 598 representing Apollo Mechanical, as well as secretary of PHC. “That is a commitment we’ve made to all of our members.”

Kolby Hanson, regional manager for the Northwest Regional Council of SMART Local 55, said there is a great need for quality primary care that is accessible to members in the Tri-City and Spokane area. “The new clinics emphasize same-day or next-day appointments where a comprehensive exam can be performed. Having an on-site pharmacy will also be a nice convenience for our members,” Hanson said in a statement emailed to the Journal. SMART stands for the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers.

Health care access

The clinic comes at a time when the Tri-Cities and other areas face a shortage of primary care providers, causing wait times of between three and six months at some of the major clinics in the region.

Many members of UA Local 589 have already used the Kennewick center, said Nickolas Bumpaous, business manager for UA Local 598. Several have been incredulous when an appointment slot on the same day or the next day was offered. 

“It’s just been fantastic,” he said. 

UA Local 598 has been a part of the Pacific Health Coalition since 2009, before there were any of its physical health care clinics in Washington. 

The union administers a self-funded health insurance plan for its members, and “as part of that process we have become members of the Pacific Health Coalition,” Bumpaous said.

Since PHC is made up of 44 unions across Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada, it brings a lot more bargaining power to the table, like a “co-op for health products,” Bland said. 

That means the coalition has helped in negotiating the best medical care prices for its members, Bumpaous said. 

PHC represents about 50,000 employees and a total of 250,000 people, a much larger force than UA Local 598’s 600 members and the 1,500 people total the union provides insurance to.  

New clinic

Now, the union essentially owns its own primary care clinic, cutting down costs for its members. 

The center is located in a building that was previously used for medical offices, so it didn’t need too many improvements to get up and running. A building permit for an interior alteration of the 2,293-square-foot space, valued at $58,000, was issued in March. 

No additional funds from UA Local 598 were needed to get the center up and running, and for union members, access to the primary care clinic is an automatic benefit of membership.

Operated by Marathon Health, the clinic currently has one doctor and one medical assistant, but there’s plenty of room for expansion as it’s needed. The center has four exam rooms, a lab, office space, a waiting area and a behavioral health area. 

There’s also a pharmacy area so that patients can get their prescriptions all in one place. 

And for procedures that fall outside of the scope of primary care, members can get referrals to providers the coalition has contracts with for that care.

This model of care is unique, Bumpaous said, “and we are taking it into our own hands to say we expect a high level of medical care for our members. Our members expect a high level of care for the money they pay in, and that’s what we’re trying to provide.”

A second Coalition Health Center was expected to open this summer in Spokane.