An urgent care facility is coming to Belfast this year.
ConvenientMD is adding a location at 20 Belmont Ave., across from Camden National Bank in Belfast near the intersection of routes 1 and 3. It will be the first urgent care center for the city.
The new location — the company’s 11th in Maine — is expected to be up and running in December, according to their website. ConvenientMD also has locations in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Urgent care centers have increased in popularity in recent years, offering an alternative to long emergency room waits or delays in getting to see primary care physicians. The centers treat minor injuries and other medical issues and also offer services like vaccinations.
Belfast is also home to Waldo County General Hospital. In the past, officials from the urgent care center have said that their facilities work in compliment to, rather than in competition with, hospital emergency rooms.
The city planning board approved the location, which is now under construction, in late April, according to Hugh Townsend, who was board chair when the site application was reviewed.
Once opened, the facility’s operating hours will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.