Kimberly Valencia, who closed her practice at Vashon Women’s Health Center in June, will begin working at the Franciscan Medical Clinic – Vashon this fall.

“I am thrilled, I really am,” Valencia said in a recent interview, adding she cares about this community and is happy that she can continue to serve it.

Valencia, who ran the women’s clinic in downtown Vashon for six years, is licensed to see patients ages 13 and older. In her new position, she said she will see teens, men and women, for any primary care concern.

Three years ago, when the Franciscan Health System began running the longtime Vashon clinic, many raised concerns that the Catholic affiliation would curtail how providers there practice, including limiting access to birth control.

Valencia, however, said when she assumes her new role, she will continue to work as she always has and will have full prescriptive authority.

“I will practice the way I practice. My role is to evaluate and diagnose and lay out all of the treatment options and help the patient decide,” she said.

The same will be true in matters regarding women’s health, she added. She will present all the options, and with the patient, decide the best course.

Valencia was not considering working at the clinic when she left her own practice, she said, but a Franciscan official called her and asked if she might be interested. During the conversations that followed, she said she became impressed with the Franciscan vision for the clinic — that it be a successful and good place for people to go.

“I want to be part of that,” she said.

Valencia will work full time and will begin seeing patients at the clinic on Nov. 19. Patients may call her old office number if they would like their records switched, she said, adding it will be easy to transfer them once she starts as well.

The clinic has been without a female provider for several months, according to Franciscan spokesman Scott Thompson, and Valencia’s addition is welcome.

“We are excited to have Kimberly join the clinic on the island,” he said. “She has been serving patients for a long time. We are excited to have her provide the same compassion and care at the clinic.”