WARRENTON — Providence Health & Services plans to expand services in Warrenton with the opening of a new clinic next to Natural Grocers in the North Coast Shops.

Providence operates a smaller primary care clinic next to Starbucks, as well as a heart clinic in Astoria. With the expansion, the heart clinic in Astoria will close, with services moving over to the new clinic at the North Coast Shops. The existing Warrenton clinic will be converted to a preventive care facility for cardiac rehabilitation and wellness services.

Rebecca Coplin, the chief executive of the Providence North Coast Service Area, explained that the Warrenton expansion has been in the works for many years.

“We have known for many years that we’ve outgrown our space in Warrenton,” Coplin said. “Primary care is underserved in that area, and we needed to grow to help serve the community.”

The existing Warrenton clinic serves about 3,000 patients for primary care, a number Providence leadership expects to double with the expansion as primary care moves to the new facility. Staffing will also increase, with the addition of two new primary care providers and two walk-in clinic providers, as well as additional support staff.

The existing clinic will become entirely focused on preventive and wellness services, such as Basecamp, which provides education and classes designed to improve heart health.

The new clinic, in addition to primary care, will include cardiology and walk-in services. Coplin noted the addition of walk-in services as a particular point of growth, as Providence does not offer walk-in services north of Seaside.

The project carries a price tag upward of $12 million, $1.5 million of which has been raised by the Providence Seaside Hospital Foundation.

“We’re grateful for the fact that we’ve had generous donors from our foundation that have helped make this happen,” Coplin said. “And our team here is very excited to be able to grow in the Warrenton area and serve the community.”

Construction and remodeling will begin in early 2024. The new clinic is expected to open in August of next year.