The Polyclinic is a group of health care facilities in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

. It has over 14 locations and 200

primary care Primary care is the day-to-day healthcare given by a health care provider. Typically this provider acts as the first contact and principal point of continuing care for patients within a healthcare system, and coordinates other specialist care ...

and specialty physicians in most areas of medicine. On-site services are available at several locations, including laboratory, radiology, mammography,

ultrasound Ultrasound is sound waves with frequencies higher than the upper audible limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is not different from "normal" (audible) sound in its physical properties, except that humans cannot hear it. This limit varies ...

, echoca7rdiography, MRI and CT scans.

History

The Polyclinic was established in 1917 by six physicians: Dr. H.J. Davidson, Surgeon; Dr. C.F. Davidson, General Practitioner; Dr. Earl Ristine, Urologist; Dr. Kenneth Holt General Practitioner; Dr. C.L. Templeton,

OB/Gyn Obstetrics and Gynaecology (also spelled as Obstetrics and Gynecology; abbreviated as Obs and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and t ...

. When its doors opened at the American Bank Building, located on 2nd Avenue in downtown Seattle, The Polyclinic offered primary and specialty care, supported by its own lab,

x-ray An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

, and surgery space. After some expanding and an increase in offered care, The Polyclinic and its 11 physicians moved in October 1965 to one of its current locations on

First Hill, Seattle First Hill is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is named for the hill on which it is located, which in turn is so named for being the first hill encountered while traveling east from downtown Seattle toward Lake Washington ...

at Broadway. In 1965 The Polyclinic opened the Downtown location, featuring Family Medicine,

Dermatology Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medica ...

, Allergy / Asthma /

Clinical Immunology Immunology is a branch of medicineImmunology for Medical Students, Roderick Nairn, Matthew Helbert, Mosby, 2007 and biology that covers the medical study of immune systems in humans, animals, plants and sapient species. In such we can see there ...

, and

Rheumatology Rheumatology (Greek ''ῥεῦμα'', ''rheûma'', flowing current) is a branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and management of disorders whose common feature is inflammation in the bones, muscles, joints, and internal organs. Rheumatolog ...

. Seattle Primary Physicians joined The Polyclinic in 2007, a change that incorporated six new locations into The Polyclinic. At this time, 21 new family practice doctors joined the organization. Around the same time The Polyclinic North gate location opened, featuring Cardiology, Dermatology, Family Medicine, Gastroenterology, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, ephrology, (Ear, Nose, and Throat),

Plastic Surgery Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes cranio ...

Pulmonary Disease Respiratory diseases, or lung diseases, are pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange difficult in air-breathing animals. They include conditions of the respiratory tract including the trachea, bronchi, bron ...

, Urology, and Cosmetic Surgery. In 2009, The Polyclinic partnered with

Swedish Medical Center Swedish Health Services, formerly Swedish Medical Center, is the largest nonprofit health provider in the Seattle metropolitan area. It operates five hospital campuses (in the Seattle neighborhoods of First Hill, Cherry Hill and Ballard, and th ...

to implement electronic health records. In 2012, The Polyclinic Madison Center opened. This location became the main hub for primary and specialty care at The Polyclinic, visible from

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Californi ...

. At this time, the Broadway building became a satellite location to the Madison Center.

National and state recognition

•100 percent of physicians at The Polyclinic are board-certified
•30 Physicians at The Polyclinic recognized in the 2014 Top Doctors listing from Seattle Magazine
•Diabetes Self Management Education recognition awarded to The Polyclinic Diabetes Self-Management Education Program from the

American Association of Diabetes Educators The Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (formerly American Association of Diabetes Educators, or AADE) is a multidisciplinary membership organization for healthcare professionals who specialize in teaching patients about diabetes a ...

Leadership

The Polyclinic is led by CEO and executive director Lloyd David who has been with the organization since 1994. Since his arrival, The Polyclinic has grown from 70 physicians to more than 200. David is also one of the founders and former board members of the Washington Health Alliance. Rex F. Ochi, MD, is president of the Board of Directors and is a graduate of the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

Foundation

The Polyclinic Community Health Foundation is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

established in 2004. The program provides approximately 1,800 prescriptions to low-income patients and serves an average of 125 patients every year.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Polyclinic, The Health care companies based in Washington (state) Clinics in the United States Companies based in Seattle History of Seattle