A new $30 million centrally-located health center will meet the need of thousands of uninsured people by bringing primary and specialty medical services on an income-based sliding scale.

Nonprofit health care organization PanCare of Florida, Inc. will break ground on the PanCare Regional Healthcare Center within the next 45 days. To be located on the block of 15th Street and Sherman Avenue across from the Bay County Fairgrounds, the center will create 100 new jobs during the next five years of the build out.

“It’s a huge project for Bay County and for this entire region,” said PanCare Marketing Coordinator Ashley Kelley. “It means that people have access to affordable specialty care and be able to go beyond their primary care services.”

She said, as in the name, the center will be beacon for the region, particularly for the surrounding rural communities and individuals who are uninsured or using Medicaid and Medicare.

“There’s really nothing like this in Northwest Florida,” she said.

The multi-building medical complex will have a state-of-the-art women’s health center offering gynecology and mammography services, a full-service pharmacy and a laboratory.

Other services will include physical and infusion therapy, gastroenterology, cardiology, radiology and ophthalmology. In addition to a walk-in clinic, the campus will include a building that will serve as a special needs shelter, with onsite medical providers, in the event of a natural disaster.

Kelley said the property was purchased before Hurricane Michael with plans to build the health care complex and that the organization is currently looking ahead to vamping its fundraising to fully fund the $30 million project.

Source:  Panama City News Herald