May 17, 2022
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, physician shortages were being felt by patients across the country. In 2019, the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration estimated that an additional 13,758 primary care physicians and 6,100 psychiatrists would
have been needed to remove Health Professional Shortage Area designations for areas with primary care and mental health shortages.
Increasing capacity for rural family medicine residencies remains important in the efforts to improve healthcare for the more than one million people living in Washington's rural areas. As a health plan, Premera is making strategic, long-term investments
to improve the pipeline for future rural health-care practitioners.
Key investments
Since 2018, Premera has committed more than $58 million to improve access to care in rural areas. The company is focusing its investments on the following areas: physician, nurse and health aide recruitment and training; clinical integration of behavioral
health; programs to increase the capacity of mental health crisis centers in rural areas; and small equipment grants to rural providers.
Key investments include (this list is not exhaustive):
- $5.5 million to the Elson S Floyd College of Medicine for new graduate medical residency programs in Eastern Washington
- $5 million in grants to be administered by Empire Health Foundation that will help breakdown healthcare silos and address the challenges of availability and equity
- $5.5 million to Pacific Northwest University - Health Sciences to develop a rural family medicine educational pathway and training program, including a new rural family medicine residency in Omak, Washington
- $4.7 million to the University of Washington School of Nursing for Rural Nursing Health Initiative
- $10 million for the University of Washington Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences AIMS Center to support integrating mental health services in primary care clinics in rural areas
- $340,000 to the Washington Center for Nursing for their LPN to BSN Pathway workshops to Licensed Practical Nurses advance their careers and increase the number of nurses interested in nursing faculty careers
Opening 13 new clinics across Washington
Premera recognizes the difficulties all our members have in securing access to primary care, whether they are in Seattle, Yakima, or Spokane. In fact, according to a 2021 nursing education study, four counties in Washington are among the top 15 counties
in the nation with the highest primary care worker shortages. Mason, South Thurston, Kitsap, and Spokane Counties all find themselves on the list, with each county in need of 13 or more full-time practitioners.
Three years ago, Premera joined forces with Vera Whole Health to begin the process of opening four Vivacity Care Centers in Spokane County that offer members more access to primary care,
an improved approach to their health care, and a better customer experience.
Starting December 2021, Premera began expanding this concept in collaboration with Kinwell
Medical Group to bring 13 new clinics to Western and Eastern Washington with a goal to have them all open by the end of 2022. These primary care clinics are exclusive for Premera members and provide access to a variety of services.
Kinwell Medical Group primary care clinic locations that are open now:
- Lynnwood - 19723 Hwy 99, Suite G, Lynnwood, WA 98036
- Renton - 710 N 10th Street, Unit 304, Renton, WA 98057
- Yakima - 2706 W Nob Hill Blvd, Suite 100, Yakima, WA 98902
- Wenatchee - 201 Valley Mall Parkway, Suite 3, East Wenatchee, WA 98802
- Pasco - 7505 Sandifur Parkway, Pasco, WA 99301
More Kinwell Medical Group primary care clinic locations opening in 2022:*
- Summer 2022 - Seattle, WA (South Lake Union/Denny Way)
- Summer 2022 - Poulsbo, WA
- Summer 2022 - Mill Creek, WA
- Summer 2022 - Bellingham, WA (Sehome)
- Summer 2022 - Seattle, WA (Westlake)
- Fall 2022 - Federal Way, WA
- Fall 2022 - Olympia, WA
- Fall 2022 - Seattle, WA (Ballard)
*Dates subject to change. Additional locations to be announced.