Urgent care center opens as Doctors closes

A new urgent care center will open Monday in San Pablo that aims to meet some of the needs of patients who would have gone to Doctors Medical Center, according to the nonprofit opening the center.

Doctors Medical Center is scheduled to close Tuesday as a result of financial problems. The new center will be named Lifelong Urgent Care and will be operated by Lifelong Medical Care, a nonprofit serving residents of Alameda, Contra Costa and Marin counties.

The center will begin with five exam rooms, an observation room, and an X-ray room and will treat medical conditions that need immediate attention. The center will be open from noon to 8 p.m. each day. Patients will see some familiar faces at the new center, such as Dr. Desmond Carson, who was an emergency room physician at Doctors Medical Center. Carson will be the clinical lead at the center.

Lifelong Medical Care’s CEO Marty Lynch said in a statement:

“Lifelong Medical Care shares the deep sense of loss and concern about the closing of Doctors Medical Center and the impact it will have on our community.”

The West Contra Costa Healthcare District board of directors voted last month to close Doctors Medical Center effective Tuesday. The hospital, which primarily serves low-income or uninsured patients, has been running on an annual deficit of $18 million to $20 million, hospital officials said.