(October 15, 2015) – Salina Regional Health Center announced today that it has purchased the former Sunflower Bank corporate office building at the intersection of South Ohio Street and Belmont Avenue with plans to convert it to a medical office building. The facility will become the new home for COMCARE physicians and staff that currently practice at 617 East Elm Street. The COMCARE clinic at 520 S. Santa Fe will remain in its current location.

“We need physical space so we can increase the number of family physicians ourcommunity requires. This investment provides that extra room, while giving us an opportunity to modernize the clinic environment,” said Micheal Terry, president and chief executive officer of Salina Regional Health Center.

Gary Williams, MD, has been with COMCARE for more than 17 years, and co-chairs Salina Regional’s physician Network Operating Council.

“I’m excited about the opportunity this new facility presents. The additional space will greatly enhance our ability to provide increased services for primary care in Salina,” Williams
said.

The building is a three story, 19,000-square-foot facility that opened in 1987. A 20,000- square-foot addition to the building will be home to an imaging center with state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, providing services including: X-ray; magnetic resonance imaging; ultrasound; mammography; X-ray computed tomography; and nuclear medicine.

Renovation of the existing building and new construction will be underway this fall. Completion is scheduled for late 2016. The project reflects a $10 million investment by Salina Regional to meet projected primary medical care needs for the community.

Aging populations are increasing the demand for primary care physicians across the country. By 2019 the number of seniors age 65 and older is expected to grow by 20 percent in north central Kansas. A May 2014 study identified an immediate need for nine additional primary care physicians in Saline County. More primary care physicians also will be needed for future growth and to address succession plans for retiring physicians.