All in a Day’s Work: A Look Inside Seattle Children’s Urgent Care
1.26.2023 | Ashley Speller and Johanna Sanchez-Vargas
Dr. David Wang provides care for 15-month-old Serigne at Seattle Children’s.Throughout this season’s viral surge, Seattle Children’s Urgent Care team has been hard at work caring for a high volume of patients throughout its four locations in Bellevue, Everett, Federal Way and Seattle.
The sites are open 7 days a week, including holidays, and recently expanded their reach by offering virtual urgent care services to all children across the state of Washington.
“We’re excited to be launching another way to access Seattle Children’s urgent care team, especially at this time where there’s so much demand and a need for our services,” shared Dr. Jay Santos, medical director for Urgent Care at Seattle Children’s, in an interview with KAPP News.
The Urgent Care team at the main Seattle location has also been busy with a move to a larger space within the hospital and has expanded its hours of service.
Karen Jacobs, an Urgent Care nurse, prepares with proper PPE ahead of visiting patient with a potential viral infection.Within the first week, the team heard from families who expressed their appreciation for the extended hours, and the opportunity to be seen in a timely manner after experiencing long wait times at their primary care clinics for several months.
The transformations at the Urgent Care Clinic in Seattle have also been welcomed by the clinical team itself, including urgent care provider Dr. David Wang.
Dr. Wang visits with a variety of patients and families every day in the fast-paced environment. Having a larger location in Mountain 8 with 23 available beds is a vast improvement from the past eight nighttime-only beds.
“Dr. Wang is the spirit of our team,” said Dr. Rafia Baloch, assistant medical director and lead of the Urgent Care Clinic in Seattle. “His positive attitude, kindness and willingness to pick up any shift helped the team push through the viral surge.”
Urgent Care sees some of the most diverse patient populations of families at Seattle Children’s.In Urgent Care, board-certified doctors, advanced practice providers, registered nurses and staff who all have special pediatric training, will often see a variety of illnesses and injuries.
Parents and caregivers can learn more about when to seek care in an urgent care setting versus an Emergency Department by reviewing the helpful guide provided here.