Ten months after breaking ground on a new facility at the corner of Jefferson Drive and Chrysler Street in Liberty, the medical professionals and staff at Firm Foundations Healthcare Clinic celebrated the grand opening of the facility on Friday, July 1.
The new 10,990-square-foot facility has about 7,000 square feet devoted to the clinic side with the rest used for Capstone Wellness Center, which includes a gym and an 800-square-foot racquetball court. The three-person medical team includes Brandon Smith, PA-C, Mary Poston, PA-C, and Maria Sanchez, PA-C.
The new facility has ample space for Firm Foundations Healthcare Center to offer expanded services through additional exam rooms that will serve as a place for specialists to meet with patients. Cardiologist Dr. Nidal Ganim with Vital Heart and Vein of Humble has already established a patient base through working with Firm Foundations HC at its previous location on Travis Street.
“Dr. Ganim meets with patients every Thursday. Right now, he comes for half a day but wants to increase it to a full day soon,” said Brandon Smith, PA-C and one of the founders of Firm Foundations Healthcare Clinic. “We also are hoping to bring podiatry doctors and other specialists this way.”
Smith believes it is important that specialists who partner with Firm Foundations Healthcare Clinic be vested in the Liberty community.
“We wouldn’t turn anyone away that we thought would be a vital addition to our community. We have created a space for them. My prayer is that we are soon able to offer after-hours care. We are in desperate need of after-hours care in this community,” Smith said.
One of the merits of an after-hours clinic is the continuity of care, according to Smith.
“Currently I am consulting someone who had a workup done by a provider they didn’t know at another facility. If we are able to avoid that, then the continuity of care goes way up. The records are right there; the test results are right there. It makes for a better situation for our patients because I can talk to the provider they saw at the after-hours clinic,” Smith said.
In building the new FFHC facility, the clinic’s owners spared no expense to advance its capabilities by offering a 64-slice CT scanner. The scanner, as well as a new X-ray machine, are housed in a section of the clinic that includes an advanced laboratory for on-site testing.
“In the first portion of our clinic – the part used by Firm Foundations – we have 10 exam rooms and a large waiting room. One of those is used for minor surgeries or procedures. We have two triage rooms and provider offices on the back portion of the clinic,” Smith said. “In the second portion of the clinic, we have a smaller waiting rooms, three exam rooms and a reception area.”
The new gym, which has its own entrance, features Matrix workout machines such as stationary and recumbent bicycles, seated and standing ellipticals, stair climbers, machine weights, yoga balls and a racquetball court. A set of free weights will be added soon.
Gym memberships will be limited to the first 500 people who sign up. The monthly costs with a 12-month contract are $49 for singles, $69 for couples, $39 for seniors, $59 for senior couples and $99 for families. The no-contract price is $69 per month for singles.
“Capstone Wellness Center is an area where people can get themselves in better physical shape instead of just relying on pharmacology. We are more than the other gyms. It’s about quality, the cleanliness of it. We also will have an employee on duty at all times who can give them some mild direction for their workouts,” Smith said.
Andrew Sanchez-Lampson, the son of medical provider Maria Sanchez and a Liberty High School graduate, is the director of Capstone Wellness Center.
“He has a degree in kinesiology,” Smith said.
Physical therapy also will be offered in the Capstone Wellness Center through PHYSIO Physical Therapy and Wellness, which has sister sites in Dayton, Baytown, Mont Belvieu and Atascocita.
“I am excited about being able to offer physical therapy here because there are a lot of people who suffer and live with pain,” Smith said.
The new clinic and wellness center are a sizable investment of more than $2 million in the community, which was financed through First Liberty National Bank.
For more information on Firm Foundations Healthcare Center, go online to http://ffhcliberty.com/Firm_Foundation/Welcome.html or call 936-334-8800. The clinic is open Mondays through Thursdays, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Fridays, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The clinic is closed from noon to 1:30 p.m. each day for lunch.
Amd not a single real Doctor in the place. A PA is a physician assistant.