Premera starts work on second Spokane clinic

Mountlake Terrace, Washington-based Premera Blue Cross plans to open a new health care clinic later this year at 1601 N. Division, in a space near Gonzaga University that Einstein's Bagels once occupied.

The new clinic will operate under the name Vivacity Care Center.

The health insurance provider has teamed up with Seattle-based Vera Whole Health, a health care provider that develops and operates care centers, to open its second primary care center in Spokane. The first center opened earlier this month at 9001 N. Country Homes Blvd., says Premera spokeswoman Dani Chung.

No official opening date has been determined for the Division clinic.

Premera has leased and is currently remodeling just over 5,300 square feet of leased space in the Logan Square retail center, at the northwest corner of Division Street and Mission Avenue.

The Spokane office of Swinerton Builders is the contractor on the $1 million remodel, which was designed by Portland, Oregon-based Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects Inc.

Chung says, "This is us as a health insurer getting into the provider space a little bit," with the hopes of increasing access to primary care for Premera and LifeWise members. LifeWise is a subsidiary of Premera Blue Cross.

The two centers will be similar, Chung says. According to a press release from Premera, the Country Homes clinic will provide 30- to 60-minute appointments for whole health exams. Up to 40% of scheduling time will be reserved for same-day or next-day appointments. The clinic will provide prescriptions, lab work, radiology, and in-house X-rays. Behavioral and lifestyle coaching also will be provided at the clinic.

The Country Homes care center will employ up to 40 people, the release says. Chung declines to estimate the number of employees envisioned for the Division clinic.

Guy Byrd, of SVN Cornerstone, and Michael Sharapata, of JLL Spokane, handled Premera's Logan Square lease.

Other tenants at Logan Square include H&R Block and Cricket Wireless.

Vera Whole Health has care centers in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Alaska, and Missouri. It currently is hiring family practice doctors, nurse practitioners, and whole health coaches for the Spokane centers.