MOVE TO NEW ST. FRANCIS OFFICES BEGINS

Dr. James Bollinger is practicing in solitary splendor in St. Francis Medical Center's new Healing Arts Center.

Bollinger moved his family dentistry practice into the medical office building Monday. He is the first tenant.

He said it is kind of lonely in the new building, but he expects more tenants to move in. "Give it another week and it won't be quite so lonely," he said.

About 80 percent of the 98,000-square-foot, $12-million center initially will be occupied, said James Sexton, hospital president and chief executive officer.

The first floor of the four-story building will house the Convenient Care and Womancare areas; retail pharmacy; gift and coffee shops; deli; and radiology, lab and reception areas. Crews are still working on the first floor.

The upper floors are being rented to dentists, physicians and medical groups.

Bollinger, who has been in practice for 14 years in Cape Girardeau, said he needed space to house a growing practice. "I wanted a bigger office, and this is a really nice facility," he said. "Everything just fell into place."

With more room, Bollinger said he can treat patients more efficiently.

More tenants are getting ready to move into the building.

Cape County Regional Dialysis Center probably will start moving today from Jackson, said administrator Carrie Thorne. "We open over there on the 16th," Thorne said.

The center, which serves 37 patients, needs more room, she said. The move means the center will expand from 10 dialysis stations to 20, Thorne said.

The dialysis center opened in 1995 at Jackson and has already added on once to that building, she said.

"We need to grow more," Thorne said. "We started looking for a place because there's no way to add on in our current building."

The dialysis machines themselves will be moved Sunday, she said.

"It's hard to take things out of here when we're still doing patient care," she said. "We have to provide our patients treatment until Saturday."

Physician Associates, a group of about 18 doctors, will be up and running in the Healing Arts Center on Feb. 26, said administrator Penny Bender. The practice is now in two buildings.