An increase in volume and demand for access to specialty physicians in Mitchell County has led Phoebe Primary Care of Camilla to begin efforts of expansion, officials said. On Wednesday, a crowd gathered off U.S. Highway 19 for the groundbreaking of what will be the new facility, scheduled to open in the first half of 2017.

The new facility will allow Phoebe to see more patients and also will provide the opportunity to expand services in the future, officials said. The area gets 13,000 appointments a year, and Phoebe officials anticipates that to increase. The goal of the new primary care office, they said, is to provide a number of services, including extended-hours care and specialists to be determined.

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