Munson consolidates Traverse City urgent care, closes US-31 location

Traverse City residents who relied on Munson Urgent Care West on US-31 had to change where they go for walk-in treatment after Munson Healthcare consolidated all in-person urgent care to the Foster Family Community Health Center on April 17. The move closed the west-side site at 3074 N US 31 S and shifted urgent care traffic to 550 Munson Ave., a change that could mean different driving patterns, different wait times and more confusion for patients used to the older location.

Munson said the consolidation was driven by lower patient volume at Urgent Care West and staffing challenges that made it harder to support multiple urgent care sites in the same market. Employees at the US-31 clinic are being offered other roles within the health system, signaling that Munson is trying to preserve jobs even as it reduces one access point in Grand Traverse County.

For patients, the practical difference is immediate. The Foster Family Community Health Center urgent care is open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the north entrance of the building on Munson Avenue. The site also has on-site lab and x-ray services, with both available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., which may spare some patients a second stop for testing after an urgent care visit.

Munson’s virtual urgent care also remains open. The online option is available Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for patients ages 2 and up anywhere in Michigan, giving families another option when they do not need an in-person exam. Munson said its broader urgent care network still includes locations in Cadillac, Gaylord, Petoskey and Prudenville, underscoring that the Traverse City change is part of a larger regional system.

The consolidation fits Munson’s Regional Care Transformation effort, launched in 2023, which has emphasized expanding primary care, improving access and building more virtual care. Munson said it has added more than 2,000 new hires across the system since January 2023, part of an attempt to stabilize staffing while reshaping outpatient care. Michael Frye, MD, who became president of Munson Physician Network on June 11, 2025, now oversees clinical and operational performance across outpatient clinics as the system keeps urgent care centered at Foster Family and online.