UR Medicine continues to expand its presence on the west side, this time in Spencerport in the Village Woods Commons, 42 Nichols Street.
Strong West Internal Medicine at Spencerport, which is currently located adjacent to Strong Urgent Care, is moving to the other end of the commons in the space formerly occupied by Wylie Chayote’s restaurant.
Wallace Johnson, M.D., Director of the UR Medicine Center for Primary Care, says the move will provide more space, an updated facility and room to add more physicians.
“This is important,” Dr. Johnson says, because, “the UR Medicine Primary Care network traditionally has been focused on the east side in places like Brighton.”
UR Medicine is now working to expand access to its primary care on the west side, he explains, evidenced not only by the expansion in Spencerport, but also in Brockport at the Strong West facility (Brockport Medical Associates) and the primary care office in LeRoy (LeRoy Medical Associates).
There are currently two doctors in Brockport and three doctors in LeRoy. “We are lucky to have one doctor in LeRoy who was born and raised in LeRoy,” Dr. Johnson says.
Additionally, UR Medicine opened Canalside Family Medicine in Greece in the summer of 2013.
With the expansion of its office in Spencerport, Strong West Internal Medicine will go from 3,800 square feet to 7,500 square feet, allowing for future expansion as a primary care office with three additional physicians, Dr. Johnson says.
The expanded office will be built around the practice of Dr. Didem Miraloglu, previously affiliated with Lakeside Hospital in Brockport. Dr. Miraloglu is currently practicing at the Strong West Internal Medicine Office in Spencerport.
Dr. Johnson says the Spencerport office will reflect UR Medicine’s new practice model.
“We are steering all our primary care offices to feature a ‘team model’ for health care,” he explains.
The change creates a “medical home” for families which will be “more appealing and comfortable for people,” Dr. Johnson says.
He says previously, family practices and internal medicine practices were housed separately, but the new model will integrate them to, “handle the full age range.”
Primary care offices are not just for people who are sick, he explains, but also to help people stay healthy.
“We are helping people prevent illness as well as taking care of chronic illnesses,” he says.
Dr. Johnson says the expanded Strong West Internal Medicine is expected to open in February or March of 2016.
“There have been a few delays, but now it looks like smooth sailing,” he says.
