The University of Washington opened their new UW Neighborhood Clinic location on February 2 at Leary Way in Ballard (1455 N.W. Leary Way, Suite 250). In addition, The Sports Medicine Clinic and its physical therapy division, Advanced Manual Therapy, opened new clinics in the building.

As a whole, the facility offers primary care, sports medicine and physical therapy from pediatrics to geriatrics. UW plans to offer urgent care later this June on the building’s first floor.

“We are thrilled to bring UW Medicine to Ballard,” said Paul G. Ramsey, CEO, UW Medicine. “Northwest Hospital’s The Sports Medicine Clinic has already moved in, and next week we’ll be offering primary care in the new 30,000 square foot facility. We look forward to serving our Ballard patients closer to home and meeting new patients who entrust us with their care.”

Saturday, Feb. 7, the facility doors were opened to the public for an open house and the Ballard News-Tribune stopped in to check out what the health group has to offer. Ballard’s, Harold the accordion player, trilled polka tunes during the opening, and Harry the Husky greeted folks as they toured the facility.

Located on the second floor of the UW Medicine building, the 10,000 square foot Neighborhood Clinic is bright and modern. According Marc Bloom of Bloom Projects – construction team for the project -- the project architects designed the space to facilitate teamwork and more privacy for patients. The building use to house the research facility for PATH Research Institute and the clinic build-out is just two weeks old.

Ballard artist, Robin Siegl, who has had a studio in Ballard since 2007, is featured at the clinic with paintings that were inspired by Seattle’s industrial waterfront.

The Sports Medicine Clinic and Advanced Manual Therapy, will provide physical therapy in the UW facility. Both have served the North Seattle community for more than 50 years, providing health services for high schools and professional sports teams. Dr. Rothmier and Dr. Storey of Sports Medicine Clinic are team physicians for the Seattle Mariners.

Dr. Christian Peterson is an orthopedic surgeon for The Sports Medicine Clinic. Peterson is a second-generation doctor, and his grandfather was a ship builder in Ballard. His parents, Dr. Keith and Marilyn Peterson, founded the clinic and the clinic celebrated their 50th anniversary last year.

“We are excited to be here in Ballard and to stay in Ballard. We have been here for over 50 years,” said Dr. Peterson.

The Sports Medicine Clinic is littered with sports memorabilia they have collected over the years from working with sports teams. The pitchers mound and home plate from Sick's Stadium are embedded in the floor on the main hallway. Patients test their vision at the pitchers mound by looking at the letter chart located twenty feet away at home plate.

Dr. Peterson said that they are pleased to have such a new facility so they can offer the most up-to-date treatment and amenities to patients. He said the old building they were operating out of was built in 1978 and that it was cramping their ability to grow.

“We were in there for a long time and there was no IT – obviously, this was 1978 – and so we were able to get caught up with that and modernize everything which will help us in taking care of our patients -- as well as the advancements that come along, we can stay ahead of it. That’s the biggest key. We weren’t able to do that at the old facility because we were operating in the confines of an older building,” said Dr. Peterson.

One new treatment Advanced Manual Therapy will be offering to patients is the Core Balance Machine. The machine tests patients’ balance and provides a baseline measurement so physical therapists can measure healing progress after concussions. The treatment is ideal for active individuals and athletes in high impact sports. The Rat City Rollergirls are patients at Advanced Manual Therapy, and the Core Balance Machine is ideal for treating injuries that might occur as a result of their sport.

For more information, visit uwmedicine.org/ballard and http://www.thesportsmedicineclinic.com