By Molly Rosbach Yakima Herald-Republic
YAKIMA, Wash. — Twenty years ago, finding a local primary care doctor who could accept new patients was next to impossible.
“When we say ‘under served,’ we often think about poor or low income. … (Then), the under served was even people with good insurance who were using the emergency room,” said Dr. Vicki Black, medical director at Community Health of Central Washington, which first opened its doors in the fall of 1992.
“When we opened this building, a lady walked in and said, ‘Can I be a patient here? I promise I’m really healthy and won’t come often!'” Black remembers.
The center has come a long way since then. In the 20 years since Community Health started a Yakima residency program to train physicians, its Central Washington Family Medicine clinic has grown from 8,000 patients in the first five years to 28,000 now, and from fewer than 10 employees to 214 people on staff.
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http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2012/10/17/20-years-of-growth-for-community-health