ASHLAND — Ashland’s newest medical facility introduced itself to the community on Wednesday.
The $3.6 million University Hospitals Medical Associates has been accepting new patients since Aug. 5, but officials from UH and Ashland gathered Wednesday to make it official.
Sylvia Radziszewski, UH Samaritan Medical Center’s chief operating officer, said the West Main Street facility — 11,000 square-feet of renovated space once occupied by UH financial offices — will operate as a primary care center.
The space features 24 exam rooms, laboratory services and a private area for blood draws. UH hopes to add kiosks for self-registration and additional equipment to monitor patient vitals.
Radziszewski said the facility will provide healthcare for all patients “from newborns to seniors.”
“We have a melting pot of physicians,” she said, including doctors who can provide care to pregnant women, newborns and geriatrics. “It’s really primary care at its best.”
The opening of UH Medical Associates means the closure of the facility on Claremont Avenue.
The Samaritan Hospital Foundation (SHF), the health network’s fundraising and charitable arm, plans to donate the property to another local charity, Radziszewski said.
SHF has owned the Claremont property since August 2010, when the organization bought it for $1.4 million, according to county real estate records.
UH Medical Associates is located on the east side of the health network’s urgent care facility on East Main Street. The building is around 40,000 square-feet, Radziszewski said.
But the primary care center includes 11,000 square-feet of space, and it involved paving a new parking lot. Demolition for the project began in January.
Notably, the primary care center is next door to SHF, which provided all the funds for the renovation.
Richard Beal, president of SHF’s board, said the foundation donates around $2 million to projects like this one every year.
“We’re so glad to fund this project for you,” he said, addressing the physicians and community members gathered.
Dr. Christopher Boyd, a family medicine doctor, called the new space a “huge upgrade” and said it would ultimately serve patients better.