Lewiston-based Central Maine Healthcare unveiled plans March 22 to open an outpatient health center on the site of a former Best Buy store, according to a Maine Public report.
The health center, to be called the Topsham Care Center, is a mix between a hospital and an urgent care clinic and the "first-of-its-kind" in the state. The model aims to provide high quality services at a lower cost, according to Central Maine Healthcare officials.
The 44,000-square-foot facility will hold nearly 30 exam rooms and 16 infusion chairs for cancer patients, in addition to imaging services, mental health counseling and rotating specialty services that may include orthopedics and cardiology.
The Topsham Care Center will partner with academic institutions, including Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital. Central Maine Healthcare is also partnering with Shields Health Care Group in Quincy, Mass., to offer MRIs, ultrasounds and other imaging services. Scarborough, Maine-based New England Cancer Specialists will deliver infusion treatments.
"This is an entirely self-supporting medical universe," said Jeff Brickman, CEO of Central Maine Healthcare. "We can provide easily accessible care where people work, live, pray and play, so it's much more convenient. And we do it in a way that's unencumbered by the traditional hospital cost structure."
The Topsham Care Center is scheduled to open in June 2018, and is expected to create 100 new jobs.