It's only a four-mile difference but Platte Valley Medical center staff said they hope their new Medical Clinic will mean big things for the Brighton community's health.

“I know it sounds weird for someone from the hospital to stand up here and tell you that we want to keep people out of the hospital, but that's the goal with these clinics and our outreach efforts into the community,” Platte Valley President Jaime Campbell said Aug. 23 at the ribbon cutting and grand opening of the hospitals newest Medical Group Clinic.

“By keeping the community healthier, it helps all of us. So whether you need this location for a flu shot or for a regular screening or an annual checkup, whatever you need this clinic for it is here to serve you. And it's here to serve you where you live and work, and that's very important for us at Platte Valley.”

The clinic, at 217 N. 50th Ave., began seeing patients in June, hosting four medical doctors and two physician assistants - all relocated from the hospital's main campus on Prairie Center Parkway.

Boris Kalikstein, vice president of Front Range operations for SCL Health, said it would have room for up to 12 medical professionals and support staff.

“We actually have a lot of room to grow,” Kalikstein said. “This will become a 12 provider practice, a mix of family medicine and internal medicine.”

The new 13,269 square-foot facility has 30 exam rooms and three procedure rooms as full lab services on site.

It's part of SCL Health's effort to move day-to-day medical care away from the Brighton hospital. The medical group has a similar clinic in Commerce City — the Reunion Family Medicine Clinic at 10569 Chambers Road — and a walk-in clinic at 1450 Dexter St. in Fort Lupton. A new Fort Lupton Medical Group clinic similar to the new Brighton clinic is on track to open early in 2023 at the Dexter St. location.

Platte Valley's OB/GYN clinics, cancer treatment clinics and radiology departments will continue to be located at the hospital's main campus at 1600 Prairie Center Parkway.

“The team here will play an important part of guiding the health of our communities so that is why we are constantly expanding our clinics and offering more care for our patients,” Kalikstein said. “It's really to make sure you have good access to care. With expanded staff and new clinic space will make that access even easier.”