Closer medical care might be just what the doctor ordered. Mid Coast Hospital will be extending its services and moving part of its operation to a new office building in Maine Street Station.
The construction and move-in is set to be completed in May 2011, Mid Coast Hospital Executive Vice President Lois Skillings said.
Mid Coast will be transferring its primary care offices to the new downtown location and adding a walk-in service. Skillings said the lease, made in agreement with JHR Development, will last 10 years.
According to Skillings, the new offices will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, and will be open for four hours on Saturdays and Sundays, though the times have yet to be solidified.
Skillings said Mid Coast is "working with Bowdoin College" in hopes of opening at different times than the Bowdoin Health Center on weekends.
In an e-mail to the Orient, Director of Health Services Sandra Hayes discussed the possibility of increased access for non-emergencies during hours the Health Center is closed.
"If this comes to fruition then students would be able to be seen after hours at [the] walk-in clinic instead of an emergency room," Hayes wrote.
The building, which is yet to be constructed, will be situated next to the one that currently holds Scarlet Begonia's.
Skillings said the hospital will be leasing half of the 20,000 square feet the new building has to offer.
J. Hilary Rockett, Jr. '86, the developer for Maine Street Station, was thrilled about the announcement, which came on September 30.
"It really is an exciting milestone," Rockett wrote in an e-mail to the Orient.
"We are very pleased that Mid Coast has chosen Maine Street Station as the location for [its] expanded service. Bringing [its] brand of quality care right downtown is good for the entire community," said Rockett.
While no deal is in place for the rest of the building, Rockett said he is in discussion with other possible tenants in the medical field.
Skillings said she was particularly pleased with the addition of providing a walk-in service for Brunswick.
"This trend toward having walk-in service is becoming more and more prevalent," she said. "It really helps access to health care. It will improve access for those who don't have a primary care physician."
Skillings added that Mid Coast will be expanding its staff to accommodate the new walk-in clinic.