Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
MultiCare Indigo is nearing the finish line for opening its latest urgent care facility in Yelm.
The medical provider will celebrate the milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 22, at the new location, 937 W. Yelm Ave.
An urgent care facility has been a need in the local community for years, and Yelm Mayor Joe DePinto views the ribbon-cutting ceremony and future opening of MultiCare Indigo’s urgent care facility as a big win for the community.
“It’s amazing. We started planning in 2022 or ‘23, but either way, I reached out to them asking if they wanted to meet. I serve on the Thurston Economic Development Council with one of their representatives, and we just started chatting about different needs in Yelm,” DePinto told the Nisqually Valley News on Thursday, May 8. “With growth, we need more services. Yelm was at the point where an urgent care center was definitely a need that I’ve heard from the community.”
According to the mayor, there were several meetings with MultiCare over the span of the last several years where the two parties discussed potential locations for the urgent care center, Yelm’s current population and growth projections for the next few years.
DePinto noted he spoke with MultiCare Indigo about the potential for an emergency center facility like the new location in Lacey, which opened in 2024, he said.
“It kind of expanded in the conversation with Southeast Thurston Fire Authority,” DePinto said. They heard about this after I made some announcements and talked about it. They’re wanting to help out and make sure we have all the resources that we can give to MultiCare. All of the stats, statistics they use regarding drop off times for emergency care at their Lacey center, as well as St. Pete’s. There’s definitely a need, and it’s going to be helpful for both the community and our emergency services as well.”
The mayor said he’s used MultiCare Indigo before. He believes the organization is a good service that will fill a big gap and need for community members within Yelm and surrounding areas. He believes the ribbon-cutting ceremony will mark a big day for the city, its residents and members of surrounding towns.
“I’m just excited for the ribbon-cutting, and for them to finally be open. It’s crazy how quickly this came about, and I’m overall pleased with it,” DePinto said. “It’s wonderful to be at this point. I’m just happy that the community finally gets the services they deserve. I’m excited for this. It’s definitely going to fill a huge void for our community, and I believe it’s going to lead to more healthcare services coming to Yelm in the future.”
It’s unclear whether the ribbon-cutting ceremony will mark the official opening of the MultiCare Indigo facility in Yelm, but DePinto expects more information regarding an opening of the business to follow soon.
“Get ready for more medical services and health care services coming to Yelm,” he said.
