The Magnolia area will soon welcome its first free-standing ER and urgent care facility, which will allow residents to take advantage of medical services without setting foot inside a hospital.
The project is the work of America's ER, a company based in Houston dedicated to increasing public access to quality medical care at the convenience of the patient. The company's goal is to provide the highest quality care when patients actually need it, representatives said. Patients can come in anytime without an appointment.
"We focus in communities where there is need," said Mark Feanny, founder of America's ER. "Our goal is to be located where our services are appropriate to the community so that they can get improved access to patient care."
The company will offer diagnostic imaging, a free-standing emergency room and urgent care facility all in one location, open 24 hours. Representatives said the plan also involves including an isolation room, trauma room and seven exam rooms managed by physicians.
The Magnolia site, located at 32784 Research Forest Drive, is one of multiple facilities in development around the state, Feanny said. The goal of having these types of facilities is to create a network of facilities where patients can be seen without the hassle of requesting medical records.
"We have been working on an electronic database that has medical records, tests, x-rays and much more available at the touch of a button," Feanny said. "This is so that patients can go to an America's ER in The Woodlands first and then to another in Ohio and have their records readily accessible."
Tammy Crichlow, with Warwick Construction, Inc., the company building the facility, said the project features several distinct elements.
"Offering these services in one place is something that is not typically done without being part of a hospital," Crichlow said. "America's ER is setting the trend for this type of business to be looked at [by other medical developers]."
Crichlow said groundbreaking for the facility is set to take place the week of June 24, with plans to open in around four months.