NEWS

Cabarrus Family Medicine Opening Clinic in Research Campus

April 6, 2006 – Can Cabarrus Family Medicine change the health of an entire community?

With a new facility on the North Carolina Research Campus and the assistance of University of

North Carolina institutions, at least three of its doctors think so.

As a part of the Progress and Innovation Series, which is sponsored by the City of Kannapolis and Cabarrus Regional Partnership, Dari Caldwell, Dr. Jim Shepherd and Dr. Mark Robinson told a group of about 20 people Tuesday night about their future in Kannapolis.

Tuesday’s event, which was held at the Cannon Village Visitor Center, was the first of five planned programs to inform the community on the different components of the 350-acre biotechnology hub.

Through presentations by doctors, guests learned about Cabarrus Family Medicine’s growth from a single practice location in Mt. Pleasant to seven thriving locations in Cabarrus and Stanly Counties.

One of the highlights included details on the change of location for the Kannapolis office. The practice on Loop Road is moving its location directly across the street to the campus site. Caldwell said they have outgrown that space.

Barely 10,000 square feet in their present space, Caldwell said the new clinic, which will be a part of the larger L-shaped facility, will take up about 16,000 square feet. The building will be four stories tall. The first floor will house the practice’s office. Above that they will have specialty practices. The facility will also house laboratory and radiology services as well as four surgical suites.

Already a unique practice that specializes in several areas such as geriatrics, in and outpatient care and pediatrics, the facility plans to continue to provide primary care and change lives in the community in areas of research.

The practice will partner with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University to examine wellness, childhood obesity and illness prevention.

Caldwell said they hope to bring the “research of populations to the community.”

Other areas of focus will involve drug testing, sports medicine, urgent care and a beauty and wellness center that will provide laser skin treatments, hair removal peocedures, Botox injections, weight management and nutritional counseling.

As soon as they acquire the new property, Caldwell said they can start to build their new facility. She anticipates groundbreaking to be in December, but she is not sure.

“We’re anxious to get started,” she said.

By Shamona McClary, Salisbury Post