TH EXCLUSIVE: New Dubuque urgent care clinic opening Monday

A new medical clinic in Dubuque aims to provide patients with convenient and accessible care for a wide variety of health-care needs.

Grand River Medical Group’s urgent care clinic will open at 3500 Dodge St., Suite 135, next to Target, on Monday, March 1. The group announced plans to launch the clinic in October.

“I think we live in a time, and especially with the younger generation, where we want things when we want things and having the ability to walk in when it’s convenient is something that patients are expecting,” said CEO Justin Hafner. “It will be great to expand our offerings and really expand our demographic.”

The new facility spans about 2,700 square feet and includes five exam rooms. There will be four employees working every day including a doctor, nurse, X-ray technician and receptionist.

The urgent care clinic will be able to treat patients as young as 3 months old for any non-critical illness such as the flu, a common cold or a respiratory virus. Patients will also be able to meet with a doctor via telehealth services.

Kayla Hopson, chief operations officer of Grand River, said the organization hired about 10 new employees in preparation for the new clinic.

“The space is built to be able to expand should patient need and demand need that,” she said.

Grand River invested about $500,000 renovating the space, which was once a photography studio, Hopson said.

“We have completely changed the flooring, walls, structure and everything,” she said. “It’s really just improving the access and availability for not just our patients but patients of the community as well — whether they are already established or new patients just needing a place to go. We want to make sure we have those convenient options.”

Hafner said Grand River picked the location for the new clinic because of its proximity to pharmacies, shopping centers and other amenities.

“The doctors love Chick-fil-A,” he laughed. “It’s in between Hy-Vee and Target, which is probably one of the most happening intersections and shopping centers in Dubuque.”

Grand River Medical Group also plans to open a new family medicine clinic near the corner of Northwest Arterial and Pennsylvania Avenue in the summer of 2022. In addition, it is building a new dialysis facility in Richland Center, Wis.

“Honestly, the planning (for these projects) started well before COVID(-19),” Hafner said. “We had lots and lots of deliberation. COVID kind of put a bit of some brakes on it, but once we were able to get a handle on it, we continued plans. It’s a very exciting time to be a part of Grand River Medical Group.”