The MultiCare Urgent Care Center in Covington is switching to longer morning, evening and weekend hours.

Beginning tomorrow, the clinic will be open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and most holidays, except Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The clinic, which is at 17700 SE. 272nd St., opened in 1993. Its staff can handle minor injuries and illnesses.

According to MultiCare, patients who go to one of its urgent care centers instead of a hospital emergency room will experience shorter wait times and reduced costs, but still have immediate access to a physician, lab and x-ray services on site. Those services enable doctors to order tests as part of the diagnosis of medical problems, which is more efficient, MultiCare officials said.

MultiCare, a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Tacoma, operates four hospitals in Pierce County and several primary care and urgent care clinics there and in the south King County area.