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The Cooper Green Mercy Health Services Authority (a collaboration between the UAB Health System and Jefferson County) was created in April 2020 to assist in managing Cooper Green.
Now, the program has been given the green light to start building a new medical clinic.
The construction was approved by the Board of Trustees at the University of Alabama System and is expected to begin this upcoming winter.
Due to outdated maintenance of ambulatory care, the old building (which dates back to the early 1970s) was deemed unsuitable and costly to maintain.
The new five-story building will be 207,000 square feet with an overall estimated cost of $120 million.
Previously known as Mercy Hospital, the facility was renamed to honor former Birmingham mayor Cooper Green in 1975. Once owned by Jefferson County, Cooper Green Mercy Health Services Authority is now an affiliate of the UAB Health System.
David Randall, chief strategy officer for the UAB Health System and board president and CEO of the Cooper Green Mercy Health Services Authority emphasizes the importance of building the new facility. He wants to provide “the highest-quality health care” to residents of Jefferson County, regardless of ability to pay.
The new medical building, according to Randall, will be “first-class.”
The ambulatory care facility includes primary, special and urgent care; physical, occupational and speech therapy; and pharmacy, imaging and laboratory services. Improvements to ease of access to MRI care will also be provided.
“The collaboration between the county and the UAB Health System has brought us to this pivotal moment, and we’re thrilled we will soon be able to offer our patients a truly world-class medical facility,” said Cal Market, Jefferson County Manager.
Updated construction will expand the rehabilitation suite and include a separate phlebotomy and injection clinic to handle lab tests and vaccinations. Several other professional and community services will be housed, including Cahaba Dental, the Recovery Resource Crisis Center, UAB Community Psychiatry and the UAB School of Nursing PATH clinic.
“We will blend the best of the past 50 years of service with the benefits the new facility will bring, as we look forward to the next 50 years of caring for our patients,” said Raegan Durant, M.D., medical director for Cooper Green. “Patients will also continue to see familiar faces among our staff.”
Urgent care at Cooper Green is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and clinics are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The facility will continue to operate business as usual at its current location, 1515 16th Avenue South. Call 205-930-3377 for further information or questions.
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