Whidbey Island Public Hospital District announced that the Primary Care Freeland office will reopen on Dec. 1. The office will open initially with one primary care provider with two additional providers to join the practice in January 2023.

Nurse Practitioner Alison Katus will care for patients from the Freeland primary care clinic, which is located at 5486 S. Harbor Avenue in Freeland. Joining her in January will be Dr. Teresa Murphy and Nurse Practitioner Kristina Katarina Johnstone.

The Freeland primary care office was transitioned to the Clinton Walk-in Clinic in April, when the offices were combined into WhidbeyHealth Primary and Walk-In Clinic Care in Clinton. The move was made in response to a post-pandemic environment in which it was difficult to recruit new primary care providers, according to a hospital spokesperson. The move was meant to increase the community’s access to a one-stop for primary health care.

But later in the year, provider recruitment normalized and the public hospital district was able to re-open the Primary Care Freeland office, while maintaining primary and walk-in clinic care in Clinton.

“We are very excited to be able to return primary care services to our community in Freeland,” Dr. Garth Miller said. “The re-opening will allow greater flexibility for our patients and provide an additional primary care clinic for those on the South End of our island.”

WhidbeyHealth is comprised of the Medical Center in Coupeville and nine outpatient clinics across Whidbey Island.