MERIDIAN, Idaho — Plans by Saltzer Health to put new urgent care clinics across the Treasure Valley are starting to take shape.
The company formed earlier this year when Ball Ventures Ahlquist acquired Saltzer Medical Group.
Saltzer celebrated a groundbreaking at Meridian and Victory roads Wednesday afternoon for what will be a new 5,300 square-foot urgent care clinic.
BVA's CEO Tommy Ahlquist, who's also a doctor, says that clinic and others in the works will be critical for increasing access to primary and preventive care.
He says the idea is to have patients know the cost up front, come in, get help quickly, and get any medical problems taken care of before they become worse.
"Our motto is 'we're gonna put happy back into health care,' because we've taken it out,” he said. “It's just become more of a transaction and it needs to be back to what it used to be, which is a patient that needs help, a doctor or a provider that wants to give help. Let's demystify it, let's take the cost concerns out of it, make it transparent, and help patients."
Ahlquist says construction of the clinic at Meridian and Victory should be done by May.
Saltzer Health already has two locations in Nampa and is working on a 24-hour urgent care center at Ten Mile Crossing, near Ten Mile Road and Interstate 84.
Other clinics are planned for Barber Station in east Boise and the Paramount subdivision, near Chinden and Linder roads in Meridian.