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GODFREY - The BJC Medical Group celebrated the opening of their new Godfrey Outpatient Center, which will provide convenient, primary and specialty care in the Riverbend region.
“Where other folks have been kind of pulling back in the healthcare industry, we’re investing in the communities around us, and that includes right here in the Alton and Godfrey areas,” said Douglas Pogue, president of BJC Medical Group. “We’re trying to establish as much as we possibly can here in this center so the people have something nice that’s close to home.”
The Godfrey Outpatient Center’s new location at 5213 Godfrey Road is a bigger and more accessible space than its previous building a few blocks down the street. Pogue explained that walk-in convenient care will be available 12 hours a day, seven days a week, and they plan to introduce primary care physicians in the next 30 to 60 days.
BJC will relocate a few specialists to the Godfrey center, including doctors who specialize in sports medicine and chronic disease management. David Braasch, the president of Alton Memorial Hospital, noted that the center also has lab and radiology services. All of these offerings make the center a great resource for the hospital and its patients.
“We’ll just really look at this facility as our station, so to speak, and our footprint in Godfrey, to really build and continue and increase access of care to the greater Godfrey community and those folks that are even further north and east from here,” he said, adding that he is pleased to see the Godfrey center open after years of planning.
Many of the healthcare workers were employed at the previous Godfrey location, and they are excited to start fresh in this new space. Nurse practitioner Kristine Costello pointed out the center is now more accessible, so they can better serve the elderly and disabled communities. She also predicts that it will be easier to collaborate since more health providers will be in one location.
“We’ll be able to collaborate with [a patient’s] primary care physicians,” she said. “If there is somebody in the specialty office, if we have questions, we can get the care that we need in a quick amount of time as opposed to having to wait for emails or wait for referrals.”
The Godfrey BJC Outpatient Center will alert patients when primary care physicians and specialists officially move to the new location, but in the meantime, they offer convenient care services from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. They encourage people to reserve an appointment time on their official webpage, and you can also follow their Facebook page to stay up to date on their services.
“The community really does get kind of a medical home that’s close by and yet is comprehensive and connected with Alton Memorial Hospital and the greater BJC system,” Pogue added. “Right now, 90% of what the average individual or family needs will be available right here in Godfrey.”
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