Access to primary health care just became a bit easier for members of three unions.

Anchorage, Alaska-based Pacific Health Coalition has partnered with Marathon Health, a national provider of advanced primary care services for employers, unions, and their employees, to open a new clinic at 201 W. North River Drive, Suite 520, in Spokane’s North Bank neighborhood.

The new clinic opened Aug. 13.

Coalition Health Center will primarily serve members of the Sheet Metal Workers SMART Local 55, which has a Spokane office, and their families. Additional unions — including the United Association of Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 598 and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 112 — will also have access to this location, as well as a new clinic that opened June 4 in Kennewick, Washington.

The 2,400-square-foot Spokane clinic underwent a $1 million renovation and features updated exam rooms, labs, a waiting area, and a pharmacy, according to Pacific Health Coalition executive board member Dave Challey.

Challey says the clinics help address growing delays in accessing care.

“You shouldn’t have to wait four to six weeks just to get a doctor’s appointment,” he says. “If you can’t get an appointment within three days at the new clinic, we’ll add more staff. It’s as simple as that.”

The clinic currently employs four staff members, including one physician.

Kolby Hanson, vice president of the Northwest Regional Council of SMART Local 55, says construction workers — who often work for multiple employers throughout the year — face unique challenges when it comes to consistent health care.

“Construction workers can work for two or three employers during the year, and when one job ends, they move on to the next,” Hanson explains. “They need a plan that follows them.”

He adds that the Pacific Health Coalition plan covers the states of Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and parts of Wyoming.

“The big advantage of these clinics is being seen the same day or the next day,” Hanson says. “And patients get legitimate time with their doctor, instead of being hustled in and out in five or ten minutes.”