BURRILLVILLE – A team of doctors set up through a collaboration between WellOne, the Burrillville Redevelopment Agency and other healthcare partners is now providing specialty care to patients in Pascoag, and has a final space to fill with one more qualified professional.
TheCharter CARE Specialty Clinic opened over the summer at 82 Main St. in Pascoag, adding a new level of convenience for village residents already benefitting from WellOne’s comprehensive services. The facility, first opened in 1909, already offered primary care, dental, behavioral health and an on site laboratory from a neighboring property at 36 Bridge Way.
The effort to add specialty care to the mix came about as part of a plan by the Burrillville Redevelopment Agency to revitalize the village, and began with talks between Town Manager Michael Wood, and Well One President and CEO Peter Bancroft.
Wood, who serves on the agency, wanted to see how the group could help the long-established health center to bring more foot traffic to the somewhat sleepy village, while also better serving the needs of WellOne’s patients.
The answer, it seems, was a new facility focused on specialty care.
“A lot of people don’t want to go to Providence,” explained Pam Nolan, development and public affairs director for WellOne.
The agency had an old structure in the village demolished, and in its place erected both 82 Main St., a building now holding medical offices plus 21 apartments on the upper levels; and 75-81 Main St., where a new brewery recently opened its doors.
WellOne, meanwhile, partnered with CharterCARE Health Partners and Cardiovascular Institute of New England to bring physician specialists in urology, gastroenterology, general and weight loss surgery on site in the new facility.
Dr. Michael Alavian, a urologist who received his medical degree from The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at The University of Vermont, signed on; along with family nurse practitioners Charles Frasier and Stephanie Pinto.
Family Nurse Practitioner Alice Mui joined the team in July.
The group held a ribbon cutting for the new center in September.
Specialty sessions are now available at the clinic five days a week, with referrals made directly by the primary care providers at WellOne. Referrals from other primary care providers are also accepted.
And the Cardiovascular Institute of New England is providing cardiology services from the same location.
“The scope and breathe of our services has been growing over the years,” said Nolan. “Our collaboration is now bringing specialty services to this area.”
Only a radiologist is needed for WellOne to serve most medical needs in Pascoag within a single block radius, and that custom-fitted space sits ready and waiting for the right practitioner.
The agency is offering to lease a 1,500-square-foot radiology space, complete with two X-ray/CT scan rooms, two consultation rooms, a changing room, a check-in window and an administrative office. The space was built with proper electrical facilities to accommodate the services, and also features shielded imaging rooms.
The office will benefit not only from a well-established patient base from neighboring WellOne, but also improvements to the village that have brought life to the downtown center, including parks, the riverwalk, restaurants and the new brewery.
Interested parties are instructed to contact Scott Gibbs of New England Economic Development Services Inc. at (401) 658-0665 or (401) 440-1742.
