by Geoff Fox
Hancock area residents won’t have to travel as far to get primary health care from Meritus Health as the health system has opened a new primary care center on Pennsylvania Avenue beside Food Lion and Family Dollar.
The location was formerly a Valley Health medical location.
The ribbon cutting ceremony at the 351 North Pennsylvania Avenue site was held Friday afternoon, January 12, with hospital, county, and Chamber of Commerce officials, along with some of the doctors and nurses who will be located there.
“We’re very excited to be here,” Miranda Ramsey, Vice President Physician Services for Meritus Medical, said during a brief ceremony in the waiting room.
Ramsey said Meritus was thrilled to be starting to see patients and serving the Hancock area.
The mission for Meritus is to improve the health of their community and “we can do that by making sure we are accessible and we’re offering services where they’re needed,” she added.
The new Hancock facility will be housing primary care, cardiology, and gastroenterology with Dr. Liza Hiles, Dr. Vamshidahar Vootla, and Dr. Christopher Vaccari as the providers for each specialty.
The hours for the facility will be varied, but the center’s hours will be Monday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., and Friday 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Chief Strategy Officer Dave Lehr said the hours are reflective of the practitioners’ availability.
Dr. Hiles started on January 16, while Dr. Vootla and Dr. Vaccari will start in the coming months, according to a release from Meritus Health.
During the introductory ceremony, a number of certificates were presented. Washington County Commissioner Jeff Cline and County Administrator Michelle Gordon presented Meritus Health officials with a certificate of recognition. A certificate of Congressional Recognition came from Senator David Trone’s office, and one was presented by Washington County Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Paul Frey.
Dr. David Sovine, Superintendent of Washington County Public Schools, also thanked Meritus for coming to Hancock.
Lehr said for a town the size of Hancock, the primary care and specialty care are not common.
“It’s a really big increase in the level of access that they’re going to have without driving to a bigger city like Hagerstown,” he said.
Lehr said, for the most part, all insurances are accepted and those who are uninsured are also welcome, with over $10 million given in uncompensated care.
“We never turn anyone away because of insurance issues,” Lehr said. “If somebody needs care, come on in, we’ll take care of them.”
To be sure they can be seen, Lehr said it would be best to call ahead for an appointment as the facility isn’t set up to be an urgent care, but if someone were to come in, it’s likely they’d be seen the same day.
To schedule an appointment, you can contact 301-790-9355.
