Drumroll please: It's moving day for Southwest Mobile Health Center in Tillman's Corner



MCHD lab technician Darlene Sommer moves supplies into a new laboratory

at Southwest Mobile Health Center in Tillman's Corner on Friday, May 31.



TILLMAN'S CORNER, Ala. -- After months of renovation work, staff from the Mobile County Health Department's newest primary care clinic, the Southwest Mobile Health Center, moved into newly refurbished medical office space on Friday, May 31. Steven Murray, the clinic's administrator, said providers should be ready to see patients and other staff will be prepared to assist clients who take part in the Women, Infant and Children's (WIC) nutrition program first thing Monday, June 3.

"It's our goal to have normal business hours Monday," Murray said Friday as workers pushed carts loaded with computers and other equipment past him. He said progress at the newest clinic has been satisfying to watch unfold, as staff members from Primary Care, MIS and the physical plant came together to achieve a common goal.

Friday morning, MCHD staff members including Jack Bolen crouched under desks and cabinets as they installed phone and computer cables. Raymond Johnson, a network coordinator for the MCHD, was busy, too, ensuring that WIC staffers would have enough space for their equipment in a records room where some contractors were testing lines in and out of the building. "We're trying to get the phones to work," Johnson said, nodding at two men who busily typed on laptops nearby.

Later, movers arrived from the former WIC offices in Tillman's Corner. Elizabeth W. Smith and other staff members directed the workers on how to place dozens of chairs they carried in. Within minutes, the waiting room was transformed from an empty space to a welcoming spot complete with a flat-screen television. 

Darlene Sommer, a lab technician, was spotted carrying armloads of supplies from the back of the building where a small clinic had been open since October 2012.  She was preparing the clinic's main laboratory for patients. "We're seeing new people here," she said of the client base at Southwest. "We're seeing new people from this area who haven't been to the Health Department before."



Workers unload equipment Friday morning at the new Southwest Mobile

 Health Center in Tillman's Corner. 



The Southwest Mobile Health Center was funded by a federal grant aimed at bringing quality primary health care to underserved areas. In addition to primary care services for children and adults, plans also call for adding dental services at the center as soon as renovations to the back of the site are complete. Located at 5580 Inn Road, the health center is near the intersection of U.S. 90 and Interstate 10. Hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. Fees are based on a sliding scale and private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid are accepted.

"I think the potential for growth here is exponential as far as services go," Murray said. "This has the potential to be the next Keeler. It's already a medical home and we have the potential to be a true medical complex."