Groundbreaking ceremony brings USA Health MDC back to Midtown
The 10,000 square foot, two-story building at 2505 Old Shell Rd. will bring the internal medicine providers back to the neighborhood where it began in 1982.
By Gary Mans
The saying goes that you never can go home again. One of Mobile’s iconic medical practices is proving that adage false and started the process today at a groundbreaking ceremony that will bring USA Health Mobile Diagnostic Center back to the Midtown area.
The 10,000 square foot, two-story building at 2505 Old Shell Rd. will bring the internal medicine providers back to the neighborhood where it began in 1982. The practice moved to West Mobile in 1987. The new facility is scheduled to open in the summer of 2020.
“We are thrilled that we have the chance to come back to where it all began nearly 40 years ago,” said Dr. Jimmy Walker, one of the original members in the practice. “What is even better is that through our relationship with USA Health, we are bringing back much more in terms of healthcare and expertise than we had when we were here originally. These are very exciting times.”
USA Health and MDC formed a partnership in 2017, bringing together the area’s largest group of community-based physicians and the region’s only academic medical center.
“All of us at USA Health recognized the value in partnering with highly respected community-based physicians to improve patient access to the advanced healthcare associated with academic medicine,” said Dr. John Marymont, USA vice president for medical affairs and dean of the College of Medicine. “The relationship with Dr. Walker and everyone associated with Mobile Diagnostic Center has enabled this vision to become reality and today is a demonstration of it.”
MDC will occupy the first floor of the building. Tellus Partners, LLC, is the developer for the project and Wise Construction, LLC, is the general contractor. In addition to MDC on the first floor, USA Health specialty practices will occupy the second floor, providing patients with the convenience of a single location for many of their healthcare needs.
“Returning to Midtown always has been one of our goals,” said Dr. Bob Israel, another of the original members of the USA Health MDC practice. “We were fortunate that many of the families from our original time at the Midtown location followed us to West Mobile. It is exciting that we will now be back to where it is more convenient for them.”
“One of the most important things that we can do as a health system is to increase access to healthcare near where people live,” said Owen Bailey, CEO of USA Health. “Working with community-based physician groups like Mobile Diagnostic Center is one strategy to make this happen. Through their 24 physicians and more than 30 overall providers, we are enabling people throughout the city to have easier access to high-quality healthcare that is supported by the innovative ideas generated through academic medicine.”
In addition to its current location on Airport Blvd., USA Health MDC has offices at University Commons across from the University of South Alabama.
