Doctors Express urgent-care center opens on Route 1

SAUGUS – A new walk-in urgent care center opened its doors in Saugus this morning after holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday night.Doctors Express, located next to the Kohl?s Shopping Center on Route 1 South, is the first such center to open on the North Shore, and Rick Crews, President of Doctors Express New England, said Saugus is a “great location.”?There is a lack of urgent care in the area,” said Crews. “It?s a great location being here on Route 1 because of the visibility and convenience to people of all the surrounding communities ? Urgent care allows the residents of Saugus a place to go to get high-quality care at a very low cost. They just don?t have that right now. Their only options are hospitals and emergency rooms.”Crews said urgent care can be seen as an “alternative” to an emergency room for “acute care,” and minor injuries and illnesses.?Anything non-life-threatening,” said Crews. “If you have a heart attack or a stroke or a chainsaw injury, you don?t come here ? We try to get them in and out in under an hour, we?re one-fifth the cost of an ER, we have full X-Ray and a full lab ? it really just brings a great service to the community.”Crews said Doctors Express accepts “all insurance” except for MassHealth.There are seven centers open in Massachusetts: two in Springfield and one in Braintree, Natick, Waltham and North Andover, said Crews.?In Springfield we opened up our first month with 27 patients per day,” said Crews. “We?re now seeing roughly 40 to 45 patients every day, but every center starts out at a different pace.”State Rep. Donald Wong, Selectmen Vice Chairman Steve Castinetti and selectman Debra Panetta were also on hand for the grand opening, as Business Development Manager Tom Meehan led a tour of the new facility.Meehan said the center offers full lab work, immunizations, sports physicals and acts as a “compliment” to a primary care physician.?It?s for emergencies or if you can?t get in to see a primary care physician, or it?s a Saturday and you can?t wait until Monday,” said Meehan.The Saugus location will be run by Lead Physician Dr. Kenneth DeVellis, a Melrose resident with more 30 years experience as an emergency room physician. There is also a staff of medical assistants and X-Ray technicians.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].