I vividly remember a man who lived next door when I was a child who passed out at the sight of blood.  One day, his wife, if I remember correctly, called my dad for help.  Her husband had cut his hand trying to change the blade on his lawn mower.  I remember is was bleeding badly and he was about to faint at the sight of the blood.  It was wrapped tightly,  although the blood was oozing through the material and he needed medical attention quickly.

I don’t remember why, but my dad had me ride with him and the neighbor to the hospital. Maybe it was for company.  I can’t recall.  I don’t remember much about the ride there and back either, but I’m sure we went to either Auburn hospital or Valley General.  (Now called Valley Medical)  Thinking about that made me consider how far Covington has come with regard to medical help.

Back then, those two hospitals were the closest medical facilities in the area.  Since Covington was a rural area there was not a demand for medical clinics or hospitals.  But as the population grew, so did the need for medical help nearby.

I remember when the Covington Multicare Clinic and Surgery Center was built almost two decades ago.  That was exciting!  A medical facility close, very close to home.  It became and still is a very busy place seven days a week.  With surgeries performed there, clinics of varying specialities, an Urgent Care clinic for after hours use and more, it is a very necessary part of Covington.  But it doesn’t stop there. 

Just down the street is the Valley Medical clinic.  Then by city hall there are specialty offices.  Next to Walgreens are more doctors offices and dental offices.  In Maple Valley at Four Corners are medical facilities.  And it keeps growing.  Now, Valley Medical and Multicare have applied for and sent in plans to build more.  Valley Medical wants to build a 24 hour emergency center and Multicare a larger hospital with emergency services and other specialties.  As time goes on and Covington continues to grow, I’m sure more medical clinics and emergency services with arise.

It’s a long way from when we took our neighbor 15 to 30 minutes away to get medical help.  Now, should someone have an unfortunate accident or need, medical help is just minutes away, maybe even seconds depending where in Covington you live!

Click here for a little history of Multicare including in Covington.