Albany Med building EmUrgentCare clinic in Rotterdam

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Albany Medical Center is building another of its urgent care centers, this one in Rotterdam.

The EmUrgentCare clinic will occupy a 5,052-square-foot space that formerly housed a Hallmark shop in the Hannaford Plaza at 1400 Altamont Ave.

Albany Med said the facility will be staffed by 12 full-time and six per-diem employees.

Town of Rotterdam Senior Planner Peter Comenzo said all town approvals were granted and work is now underway now by BBL Construction. Albany Med said it is aiming for an April opening.

Comenzo said the Planning Commission looked at details such as handicapped parking availability and pedestrian access, but there was not much else to consider — the space is part of an existing retail plaza, and the clinic was a perfect fit.

Urgent care facilities have proliferated in recent years — more than 10,000 now operate nationwide, by some industry estimates — as care providers and insurers try to move ill and injured people away from expensive emergency room treatment whenever possible.

“It’s an interesting trend in medical care and it sounds like it’s working pretty well,” Comenzo said. “You’re not sitting in a waiting room with 50 other people.”

At its EmUrgentCare clinics, Albany Med treats minor but pressing medical problems such as sprains and fractures; colds and flu; asthma; rashes; various minor injuries; cuts; ear and throat infections; seasonal ailments; and tick or other insect bites. X-rays can be performed on-site if needed. They are open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day of the year.

Treatment is available without appointment, and starts at $175, though most insurance plans will cover much of the cost a visit.

Albany Med has affiliations with hospitals in Saratoga Springs and Hudson. The project continues Albany Med’s expansion into Schenectady County, where Ellis Medicine is based and operates three large facilities. The EmUrgentCare clinics in Glenville and Niskayuna are only 4 and 2 miles, respectively, from Ellis Hospital’s emergency room on Nott Street. Hannaford Plaza is 3.3 miles away. Counting the two clinics already operating in Schenectady County, there are eight EmUrgent Care locations. The others are in Brunswick, Colonie, Coxsackie, Glenmont, Mechanicville and Saugerties.

“Albany Med is the only academic medical center in the region, and our network continues to grow, bringing our unique programs, services and expertise closer to those we serve,” said Dr. Michael Gruenthal, senior associate dean for clinical affairs and president of the faculty group practice at Albany Med.

“We are happy to offer the quality and convenience of our ninth Albany Med EmUrgentCare facility to the people of Rotterdam and surrounding areas.”