$9M health center opening today is the latest medical facility improvement in the area

Memorial Urbana Medical Center held it’s grand opening Thursday, April 26, 2018 with tours of the new facility. The new medical center will officially open Monday, April 30, 2018 and will house an urgent care, imaging, a rehab center, primary care physicians and a specialty care area. Bill Lackey/Staff

Memorial Urbana Medical Center held it’s grand opening Thursday, April 26, 2018 with tours of the new facility. The new medical center will officially open Monday, April 30, 2018 and will house an urgent care, imaging, a rehab center, primary care physicians and a specialty care area. Bill Lackey/Staff

Memorial Health hosted a tour Thursday for a new $9 million outpatient medical center in Urbana that will begin serving patients at the end of this month.

Memorial’s new medical center will officially open for business on Monday, according to information from the company. The facility will be located at 1958 E. U.S. 36 and will house an urgent care, lab testing services, rotating physician specialists, expanded primary care and more. The roughly 30,000-square-foot facility is expected to create 12 permanent jobs and retain 21 jobs in Urbana.

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“Our continued investment in current and future patients of the region is connected to our goal to provide increased access to local, stable primary health care,” said Chip Hubbs, president and CEO of Memorial Health. “Pairing high technology and best practices with our expert clinical teams, it is exciting to be investing at even greater levels.”

Memorial has had a presence in Champaign County for about five years, but the organization’s leaders have said it has outgrown its current space.

Some residents who attended the event said it would provide more options for care in Champaign County.

“I thought it would be a great thing for Urbana,” said Ryan Dale, who attended the ceremony Thursday. “It’s something we’ve really needed for a long time, so I’m glad Memorial was able to step up and come to town.”

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Memorial will lease the facility from Hplex Solutions, the developer and building owner.

Memorial Health is an independent health system based in Marysville. The organization operates a main hospital campus in that city, along with several satellite outpatient locations.

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Champaign County has seen several investments in medical facilities in recent months. Last fall, officials at Mercy Health announced plans for $3 million in improvements at Mercy Health-Urbana Hospital. The improvements will include a new geriatric psychiatric unit, robotic surgery unit, renovations to the ER and a surgery unit, and more.

Mary Rutan Hospital, based in Bellefontaine, also moved its Urbana clinic to a larger building in July of last year in order to offer more services.

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