First Choice Primary Care, a non-profit community health center that provides quality healthcare to insured, uninsured and underserved individuals, announced today the purchase of the 400 Poplar building, located at the corner of Poplar Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Purchase of the building was finalized on April 1, 2019.

First Choice Primary Care will begin re-locating its current Downtown location on Walnut Street within the next six months, with plans to fully occupy the new facility on Poplar Street by the end of 2019.

“First Choice Primary Care want to be your first choice in managing your health,” said CEO Katherine McLeod. “The new Downtown location will give us additional clinical space to add more medical providers and new services. This expansion of services, as well as a prime location on the thriving Poplar Street block, will allow us to reach more people in our community who can benefit from our services. We want to offer an innovative, high quality, affordable medical home through all stages of life.”

The 400 Poplar building is a 27,969-square-foot, three-floor office building that includes on-site parking and three entrances. The building will be renovated to include a comprehensive medical clinic, behavioral health services, meeting spaces, a laboratory and an on-site, public pharmacy.  Future plans include the addition of vision and dental hygiene services. First Choice is seeking philanthropic support from local foundations to support the renovations and equipment needed for these and other potential new services that can improve the health of patients and offer services to downtown residents as well.

“First Choice works to improve local health outcomes with a community-needs focus, centered on the individuals it serves. This includes being a vibrant, viable part of the Downtown Macon community with our expansion of clinical services and a storefront, public pharmacy. We want to further explore hosting a neighborhood grocery store that sells fresh foods, which our medical staff will be able to prescribe to patients,” said McLeod. Prospect grocer tenants can contact McLeod through First Choice Primary Care at 478-254-7204.