Published April 2002

Everett-based women’s health-care clinic closes

By Sharon Salyer
Herald Writer

Everett’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Consultants, a women’s health-care practice that for much of its 19-year history had an all-female staff of doctors, closed March 28.

It is the second Everett medical clinic to close in five months. In November, the Everett Family Practice Center went out of business, leaving about 10,000 patients to find other clinics or doctors.

The clinic closure is part of a continuing consolidation of the medical clinic market in Snohomish County, with independent medical clinics becoming increasingly rare.

“These are difficult financial times for clinics regardless of size,” said Richard Cooper, chief executive of The Everett Clinic. Its 200,000 patients rank it as the largest non-HMO medical organization in the county.

“It’s evidence of how challenging and difficult it is for a small group practice to survive in this environment in this part of the country,” he said.

Cooper predicted that more consolidation is likely both locally and across Western Washington.

The Everett obstetrics and gynecology clinic was founded as a solo practice by Dr. Jenny Smith in 1983, ultimately growing to its current staff of six part-time physicians, who worked out of an office at 1430 Broadway in north Everett.

The clinic had between 12,000 and 15,000 active patients and a staff of 15, Office Manager Vicki Sutton said. Patients were sent a letter announcing the clinic’s demise.

Four of the clinic’s doctors were offered contracts at The Everett Clinic, said Dr. Erica Peavy, an associate medical director who oversees physician recruiting and retention.

Dr. Smith, Dr. Leif Vold and Dr. Sylvia Lank signed contracts to join The Everett Clinic, according to a news release issued by the clinic.

Dr. Kyle Durham-Vold also has been offered a contract, Peavy said. Durham-Vold will be on maternity leave until August.

Two other clinic doctors are moving out of the area. Dr. Danielle Bridge is moving to Green Bay, Wis., where she and her husband are joining medical practices. Dr. Barbara Nicol will be moving to San Francisco to be closer to her extended family, according to the clinic letter sent to patients.

Ellyn Thoreen, a nurse practitioner who has worked at the clinic for eight years, will be working for the Smokey Point Family Medicine Clinic. The other nurse practitioner, Lisa Tucker, will be continuing her work at Whidbey Women’s Health in Coupeville, where she now works part time, Smith said.

The practice took on the name Obstetrics and Gynecology Consultants in the mid-1990s. It was only last year that the first male doctor, Dr. Leif Vold, joined the clinic’s staff. His wife, Dr. Kyle Durham-Vold, also was hired.

Asked how the practice continued so long with an all-female physician staff, Smith replied: “It just turned out that way. We wanted to work part time. Our limited office space functioned best that way. We were all young moms with young children.”

But in recent years, more physicians wanted to go full time, and in the clinic’s limited office space, that wasn’t possible, Smith said.

Several factors caused the practice to close. These included economic pressures; the closure of Everett Family Practice, since the husband of one of the practice’s doctors worked there and they could not both find jobs in the Everett area; and finally, the new birthing unit at the Pavilion for Women and Children at Providence Everett Medical Center, which will open in May.

Bridge’s impending departure meant only two partners would be left to shoulder the financial risk of any move into new pavilion offices on Pacific Avenue, Smith said.

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