Mercy to start work on new main care clinic in Fort Smith

Officers with Mercy Fort Smith and Fort Smith Mayor George McGill gathered on a chilly Wednesday (Nov. 16) to interrupt floor on a $3.6 million main care clinic at 4600 Towson Ave., that’s anticipated to open in late 2023.

The clinic is a long-awaited substitute for a Mercy clinic on the previous Phoenix Village Mall property broken by a Might 2019 twister. The brand new clinic can also be on the previous mall property, with Mercy leasing the location from Beaty Capital Group, the corporate that renovated and now manages the previous mall property.

With preliminary staffing of eight, together with one doctor, the clinic will likely be about 6,200 sq. ft and supply main care providers together with wellness exams, flu pictures and different vaccines, and X-ray and lab providers. Mercy plans so as to add three extra physicians to the clinic employees. Development is anticipated to start quickly, and new sufferers will likely be accepted when the clinic opens.

“This can be a implausible alternative for Mercy to offer a main care location that will likely be handy for our sufferers. We’re very keen to ascertain this clinic as a substitute for the ability we misplaced in 2019,” Dr. David Hunton, president of Mercy Clinic Fort Smith, mentioned in an announcement. “Our purpose is to offer quick access to state-of-the-art providers for our sufferers, and we consider this new clinic will just do that. That is an thrilling day for all of us.”

Dr. Fareed Kannout, inside drugs specialist with Mercy, will transfer his follow to the clinic. He mentioned he and others had been on the clinic when the twister hit and water started coming via the roof, however nobody was harm.

“That is going to be a brand new house for me and my group, and we’re wanting ahead to it very a lot,” Dr. Kannout famous in a press launch.

Mayor McGill, who was joined on the groundbreaking by three members of the Singapore army, mentioned the brand new clinic is a part of a rising variety of medical amenities in Fort Smith wanted to help ongoing and future progress.

“The River Valley is reworking proper earlier than your eyes,” Fort Smith Mayor George McGill mentioned throughout the groundbreaking. “As we’re reworking and making super strides, it’s being acknowledged world wide. And having medical amenities is vital to the expansion we’re going to expertise. In a short while, Towson Avenue goes to be fully rebuilt.”

Ebbing Air Base in Fort Smith, house to the 188th, was chosen June 8, 2021, by performing Secretary of the Air Pressure John Roth to be the long-term pilot coaching heart supporting F-16 and F-35 fighter planes bought by Singapore, Switzerland and different nations collaborating within the International Navy Gross sales (FMS) program. A everlasting “report of resolution” has not but been made by the Air Pressure.

Mercy started in February work on an estimated $162 million enlargement of the primary Fort Smith hospital. Mercy Fort Smith will increase its emergency division from 29 to 50 rooms and increase beds within the intensive care unit from 38 to 64. The work additionally consists of 140 extra parking areas, with parking nearer to the brand new ER entrance.