Urgent Care manager Gretchen Kellermann gives a tour of the laboratory in the new Grande Ronde Hospital Urgent Care Clinic during a walkthrough Tuesday, Sept. 1. The new clinic in Island City is set to open Sept. 14.

ISLAND CITY — The site of the old Rue21 clothing store in Island City is days away from opening as a place where residents can be clothed in health care.

Grande Ronde Hospital’s new Urgent Care Clinic on Walton Road is in the final stages of construction and on track to open Sept. 14, giving the health care organization another location to offer services in Union County.

The facility has six exam rooms — two of which are isolation rooms for infectious disease patients and a third that serves as a triage room.

There also is an x-ray room that will be ready for use closer to the beginning of December, a nurses station and a laboratory.

The 4,500-square-foot facility originally was to have five exam rooms, but some adjusting of the layout allowed for an additional room, which is an added benefit.

“It allows for better flow of patients through the process,” said Jeremy Davis, Grande Ronde Hospital president and CEO.

Where people previously entered the front doors to begin a clothing excursion, they’ll now enter with the main reception desk directly in front of them, a waiting room for patients seeking urgent care at the right, and x-ray or lab work in a separate room at the left.

The two isolation rooms are on the right with a separate entry way that allows patients into their rooms quickly, reducing the risk of spread.

”We don’t (want to) risk contaminating the clinic with someone with (an) infectious disease,” said Elaine LaRochelle, GRH facilities director.

Joel Donivan, project manager, said during a walkthrough of the clinic Tuesday, Sept. 1, the site is about 90% complete. He called the x-ray room, which requires further construction before equipment arrives Nov. 23 to be installed, a “Phase 2.”

Having x-ray and lab capabilities in the clinic will give patients a lower-cost and more convenient location for that care, communications director Mardi Ford said.

”Lab and x-ray on site will help urgent care patients from having to go to the hospital for these services if the provider determines the need,” she said.

Ford added the triage room will provide a place for procedures, such as sutures for lacerations, that don’t call for a trip to the emergency room. Splints are another procedure that the triage room will be able to offer.

“The goal is to keep people out of the ER if they don’t need to be there,” said Cosette Turnbow, primary care provider.

Tammy Winde, senior director of provider services, said staff at the Regional Medical Clinic on Fourth Street will transfer to Island City to fill the needed roles. Staffing on site will include two care providers, an RN and two CMAs.

“We’ve been building up the RMC clinic in preparation of this,” she said.

Davis said GRH has been discussing the prospects of adding another urgent care clinic for several years, and looked at a handful of spots before settling on the site of the former clothing store in Island City.

”It fit the bill,” he said, noting the building’s size, street presence and location creates an opportunity to provide more access to care. “A lot of things made it fall into place.”

And while the hospital was amply set for the COVID-19 surge that came through in June, having the clinic allows more options should another outbreak occur.

Donivan said the overall project, including construction and equipment, will be completed at a cost of about $1.2 million. Kirby Nagelhout Construction was the primary contractor, though Donivan said more than 100 people worked on the project.

The clinic will be open seven days a week: Mondays through Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.