WILLCOX, Ariz. (KGUN) — A new healthcare clinic in Willcox is making medical care more accessible for residents in rural Cochise County, replacing a mobile unit that had served the community for years.
Chiricahua Community Health Centers opened its newest permanent clinic in Willcox earlier this week, transitioning from a mobile unit that had been providing services to the area since 2020. Dr. Jennifer Smith, an internal medicine physician who had been working out of the mobile unit, now operates from the new facility.
"In a word, it's exhilarating. It feels like freedom," Smith said.
The permanent building allows Smith to see more patients and provide expanded services, including lab work and immunizations. The mobile unit had limitations that the new clinic addresses.
"Wasn't the most private, it wasn't the most spacious, and it wasn't the most comfortable," Smith said about the mobile unit.
Smith is currently the only provider at the clinic, but she hopes that will change to better serve the community's needs. Arizona faces a statewide shortage of doctors, which often forces people in rural communities to travel long distances for medical care.
"The patients have the needs, you know, and we just need to fill it in with the staff, is really what it is. But that goes back to that primary care shortage. It's real," Smith said.
"Chiricahua is aware of the need, and it's more the funding and the staffing, and all that takes time and money," Smith said.
The transition from mobile unit to permanent clinic represents an expansion of healthcare access in Willcox, providing residents with a consistent location for medical services.
"We're bringing more services, not less; we're bringing you more. And that's a moral victory, and I think it's reassuring for people in a place that often feels sometimes forgotten," Smith said.
Chiricahua Community Health Centers plans to add pediatric services to the clinic, with a doctor scheduled to provide care once a month. The permanent facility demonstrates the organization's commitment to bringing more healthcare providers to the area.
"There is more that you can do in a clinic than you can do on a bus," Smith said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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