South County Hospital opens new medical building in Westerly
Westerly — South County Hospital expanded its offering in town with its recently opened South County Health Medical & Wellness Center, potentially increasing competition for patients with The Westerly Hospital and its affiliated physicians and medical services.
Based in South Kingstown, R.I., South County Hospital opened the new 32,000-square-foot office building at 268 Boston Post Road (Route 1) on May 23. The building is located in the Dunn’s Corners section of town near Wal-Mart.
Located there are more than a dozen doctors’ offices, including primary care physicians, obstetricians and gynecologists, dermatologists, orthopedic surgeons, cardiologists, podiatrists and a general surgeon, as well as diabetes management, X-ray, ultrasound and mammography services.
Martha Murphy, spokeswoman for South County Hospital, said Monday that the hospital has long had a presence in Westerly, with several affiliated physicians maintaining offices there along with the visiting nurse association affiliated with South County.
The medical center building, however, expands those services with longer hours and adds an urgent care walk-in center, she said, as well as bringing new dermatologists to the town.
The urgent care walk-in center will be open seven days per week.
“It’s making services more available more frequently,” she said. “This is an opportunity to make accessing our services easier for people in Westerly.”
For Lawrence + Memorial Healthcare, which includes Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London and The Westerly Hospital, the effect of the new South County facility has not yet been determined, said Mike O’Farrell, L+M spokesman.
“It’s too soon to tell,” he said. “We’re aware of this. But our focus is on continuing to improve everything we do in Westerly.”
He said patients have remained loyal to The Westerly Hospital through the difficult transition period leading up to the takeover by L+M in 2013, and he anticipates that will not change because of the expanded South County Hospital presence.
“We’re doing everything we can to make sure we give them a reason to continue to be loyal,” he said.
The new South County building employs 60 workers, 40 of whom were hired recently, according to a news release from South County.
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