Bleeding money, MultiCare is closing its Gig Harbor Urgent Care clinic

Financially troubled MultiCare will close its Gig Harbor urgent care clinic at the end of this month, the Tacoma-based hospital system has announced.

The clinic at 4545 Point Fosdick Dr. will close its doors May 29, the company said.

In an unsigned email to clients, MultiCare said, “We wanted to inform you that we made the difficult decision to close our Gig Harbor Urgent Care .... We are grateful for all of our patients over the years and for our team that served this great community.”

The email added that MultiCare will open a new Indigo Urgent Care Clinic in Gig Harbor “later this year or early next year.”

Indigo clinics are smaller, “doc-in-a-box” storefront clinics meant for non-critical care for walk-in patients with minor injuries or illness.

Multicare operates Tacoma General Hospital, Allenmore Medical Center and Mary Bridge Children’s Health Center in Tacoma, as well as hospitals in Spokane, Auburn and Covington.

Like other hospital groups, Multicare has suffered revenue losses during the coronavirus pandemic, as elective surgeries and other routine operations have been cancelled.

Earlier, the company said 6,000 mainly nonclinical employees will be expected to take 17-shift furloughs between May 10 and Jan. 2 “to support the organization’s viability and financial health in the near and long term.”

Nonclinical work would include positions in areas such as human resources, marketing, finance, administration, administrative support and the call center.

Multicare did not say how many employees would be affected by the Gig Harbor clinic closure, or whether any would be re-assigned, furloughed or laid off. Calls and emails to the cCmpany’s public-relations office were not returned.

In a May 6 statement announced the earlier furloughs, MultiCare said it “has taken steps over the past few weeks to help protect the organization’s long-term health and capacity to fulfill its mission amid $160 million financial losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the steps already announced include implementing executive compensation reduction, deferring hiring for some roles, introducing a voluntary furlough program for employees and re-evaluating open positions.”

It said it hoped the furloughs would help MultiCare “avoid widespread layoffs throughout the system.”

Until the coronavirus crisis hit, Multicare had been doing well, reported Becker’s Healthcare, a trade publication, in February.

MultiCare recorded operating revenue of $3.2 billion in 2019, up 10.6 percent from the year prior, according to unaudited financial documents released Feb. 12. Higher patient volumes were one of the factors that contributed to the revenue growth, the health system said.

Inpatient admissions were up 5.3 percent in 2019, and emergency room visits increased 9.5 percent year over year. But higher operating expenses offset MultiCare’s revenue growth last year. The health system’s expenses increased 11.1 percent year over year to $3.1 billion. MultiCare reported increases in salaries and wages as well as higher supplies costs in 2019.

Client of the Gig Harbor clinic were redirected to Multicare’s Indigo clinics at James Center and Point Ruston in Tacoma.

The closure leaves Gig Harbor with only one urgent-care clinic: CHI Franciscan Prompt Care at 6401 Kimball Dr. Kaiser Permanente has a suite of medical offices at 5216 Point Fosdick Drive, but they have been closed during the crisis.

The area is also served by the emergency department at St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor.

This story was originally published May 15, 2020 at 5:34 PM.