May 9, 2024

MultiCare plans new neighborhood emergency department in Yakima Valley

YAKIMA, Wash. — MultiCare Health System has purchased approximately two acres of property at Adelyn Way and Valley Mall Boulevard in Union Gap to construct a new 10,000-square-foot neighborhood emergency department to serve patients in Yakima Valley.

MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital has one of the busiest emergency departments in the state. Last year, the hospital treated nearly 87,000 emergency room patients. The need for more convenient access to health care in the region is clear.

“There’s a critical need for more emergency medical services in the Yakima Valley,” said Tammy Buyok, president of MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital. “We believe this new neighborhood emergency department provides a sustainable way for us to meet the current and growing health care needs of the region.”

The new ED will feature 10 patient rooms; on-site radiology services, including X-ray, ultrasound and CT scans; and laboratory services. Patients can expect short wait times and treatment from board-certified emergency physicians for common injuries like falls and more serious medical care for a heart attack or stroke. The facility will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Union Gap facility will operate under Yakima Memorial’s license. MultiCare expects to break ground on the project later this year, and anticipates opening late 2025.

This will be MultiCare’s sixth neighborhood emergency department in Washington state through a partnership with Texas-based Emerus Holding Inc. Emerus is a leader in developing and operating small-format hospitals and acute-care facilities.

MultiCare opened neighborhood emergency departments in Parkland and Bonney Lake in 2019, South Hill in 2020, Federal Way in 2021 and Lacey in 2023.