Ground broken on doctors’ office
Published 10:52 pm Saturday, September 22, 2012
![IMG_0852](https://www.suffolknewsherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2012/09/IMG_0852.jpg)
From left, Jim Hartz, president of Bayview Physicians Group; Dr. Karen Jones Washington; Dr. Attiya Ismaeli-Campbell; and Mayor Linda T. Johnson break ground for a new building at the corner of Godwin Boulevard and Hillpoint Boulevard on Wednesday.
Officials broke ground Wednesday on a new medical facility slated for completion by spring.
The new 13,000-square-foot office of Suffolk Medical Associates and NowCare urgent care will be at the corner of Godwin Boulevard and Hillpoint Boulevard. The office is more than double the current space down the street.
“Suffolk has a growing population,” said Jim Hartz, president of Bayview Physicians Group. “Demand has been very strong.”
With an uptick in the economy has also come more demand for occupational health services, which the practice also provides. The building also includes a primary care practice and urgent care that will have evening and weekend hours, Hartz said.
Dr. Karen Jones Washington said she is excited to see the new building finally get started. She has been telling patients about it for more than a year, she said.
“We’re definitely outgrowing that building,” she said of the current location.
Mayor Linda T. Johnson, who helped break ground, said she remembers the days when Suffolk residents had to leave the city to get medical care.
“As we grow, we know that our medical needs grow as well,” she said. “Thank you for your commitment.”
Bayview is one of the largest physicians’ groups in Hampton Roads, composed of 170 doctors in 26 locations.
The convenience of their locations is a primary factor for Bayview, Hartz said.
“People don’t want to drive if they don’t have to,” he said.