Lovelace Medical Group is expanding its healthcare footprint in the Albuquerque metro area with a new hybrid urgent and primary care facility in Bernalillo, scheduled to open in mid-December.
The healthcare provider held a groundbreaking ceremony last month for the new Lovelace Urgent & Primary Care facility, located at 554 Venada Plaza Drive near NM 528 and Venada Plaza, on the border of Rio Rancho.
The 8,128-square-foot facility will feature an X-ray room, lab draw station, space for IV fluid administration and a waiting room. The clinic is designed to accommodate three primary care providers and will create between 12 and 15 jobs in the community.
“We understand the limited access to primary care in New Mexico and are proud to open a location in Bernalillo to help alleviate this problem,” said Michael Kueker, Lovelace Medical Group CEO. “We think of urgent care as an extension of primary care, so coupling them together seemed like a natural fit.”
Kueker said that three primary care physicians are already prepared to begin serving patients when the facility opens. He said that while this is Lovelace’s first hybrid location in the market, it likely won’t be the last.
According to Whitney Alcantar, communications manager for Lovelace, the new facility will better serve patients in both the Rio Rancho and Bernalillo areas.
“This is an important milestone for Lovelace as we continue to create a better, more convenient health care experience for consumers,” Alcantar said. “Urgent care clinics fill an important need for individuals who need a quick, same-day appointment or have needs that don’t rise to the level of an emergency room visit.”
The Bernalillo facility is part of Lovelace’s broader strategy to increase healthcare access throughout the Albuquerque metro area. The organization has plans for another primary care site in Albuquerque and a future hybrid urgent care facility. Lovelace recently acquired six NextCare Urgent Care clinics in New Mexico, which will be rebranded under the Lovelace banner.
Lovelace operates five hospitals, 33 healthcare clinics, and seven outpatient therapy clinics across the region. The healthcare system maintains 619 inpatient beds and employs more than 3,500 people, including over 311 healthcare providers.
Construction on the new Bernalillo facility is expected to be completed in December, with the facility opening to patients shortly thereafter.