Bay Medical Clinic to remain open through March

By Stefanie Donahue

Patients at Bay Medical Clinic in Blaine can rest easy – at least until March 31.

This week, Dr. Marta Kazymyra confirmed that Mountlake Terrace-based insurance company Premera Blue Cross has committed to conducting a statewide search to recruit new providers at the clinic, located at 377 C Street in Blaine. She said new patients are still being accepted on a limited basis and that the clinic would remain open until March 31.

The development comes after Kazymyra told Blaine City Council on September 10 that she and husband Dr. David Allan planned to retire on December 28. The closure, she said, could result in the loss of medical care for an estimated 3,000 patients and jobs for six full-time staff members.

Kazymyra and Allan, who opened the practice 38 years ago, spent the past year attempting to recruit new physicians, but to no avail. The cost to pay a professional recruiter was too costly, so financial support from a third party, whether it be the city or a private agency, was crucial.

“Our funds were limited and our contacts were somewhat limited,” Kazymyra said. “[Premera Blue Cross] has the ability to make things happen that we couldn’t. They have many connections throughout the state of Washington.”

If a provider has yet to commit to working at Bay Medical Clinic by March 31, Kazymyra said she and her husband will consider staying longer but emphasized that they cannot stay at the clinic forever.

“Many of those patients have been here with us from day one,” Kazymyra said. “It’s very difficult.”