City and county officials voted Monday, Sept. 20, to pursue an urgent care facility for the east side of Gainesville. The partnership would be with UF Health on the first building for a 13-acre development off Hawthorne Road.
Alachua County Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler is hoping that the project will begin construction by Jan. 1, 2022. It is expected that the facility will then open its doors 15 to 18 months later.
The choice in location for the new urgent care facility was based of data on population density and traffic. The building is expected to span 10,000 square feet and will be open seven days a week to walk-in patients of all ages. The first phase of the project aims to welcome 12,000 to 15,000 patients a year to use the medical service. Senior associate dean at the University of Florida College of Medicine, Dr. Marvin Dewar, expects the project will progress into a health hub where dental, mental health and additional services will eventually become available.
"We're going to turn a field into a needed source of healthcare for members and really a whole half of a county," Dewar said. "As we get it started and it becomes a destination for care, other types of care will grow up around it."