Work is under way on a new health care facility that King’sDaughters Medical Center officials expect will provide moreconvenient and quicker services for patients in need.

Work on the as yet unnamed facility began about a month ago onthe Brookway Boulevard building in front of Wal-Mart. Over theyears, the building has seen several uses and is now beingdeveloped as a care clinic.

“There’s a shortage of primary docs in Brookhaven and LincolnCounty,” said KDMC Chief Executive Officer Alvin Hoover. “We justwant to improve access.”

Hoover said the hospital purchased the property several yearsago and it surfaced as an option for a new clinic.

“It made sense that when we started exploring primary careservices that we look that way where there is a lot of traffic,”Hoover said.

Hoover said the new facility will have more space for moredoctors.

“We’re recruiting more family practice docs,” Hoover said. “It’sa priority for us.”

Designed to alleviate emergency room traffic, Hoover said thehospital’s QuickCare clinic on Biglane Drive focused on primarycare services. However, more space is now needed to accommodate theneed for those services.

The new facility’s name will reflect that primary care trend byoffering more doctors to treat those kinds of illnesses. Hooversaid walk-ins will be welcome, but new clinic services will be morefocused on scheduled appointments.

“We want to meet that need of people being able to get in andsee a physician,” Hoover said.

The approximately $850,000 project started several weeks ago andHoover hopes to have it completed by early January. The plan is tomove the clinic by late January and open in early February.

At around 6,000 square feet, the new facility will be abouttwice as large as the current clinic. It will have four physicianpods, offices and a shared procedure room.

One amenity Hoover mentioned was that the new facility will haveits own X-ray machine. That should save patients time from havingto come to the hospital to receive those services.

“It’s going to be a lot more convenient for patients,” Hooversaid.