LEWISTON – The doctors of Pediatric Associates have a philosophy that emphasizes patient care, patient choice and efficiency.

By the end of the year, they expect to have a new facility that reflects that philosophy.

Pediatric Associates is building a 48,000-square-foot facility off Mollison Way. When finished, the building will allow staff to offer care in a very focused, specific manner.

Sick children will be seen in a different wing from the children who are well; teenagers will have their own waiting area and exam rooms. There will be space for classrooms and conferences to allow the practice to expand into more educational programs.

“Our physicians are very community oriented, and we have outgrown this particular space,” said Roland Potvin, administrator of the practice. To underscore the point, he sweeps his arm around his small, cramped office on Webster Street that is spilling over with plans for the new building, family photos, office equipment and piles of paperwork. His is the only private office in the 6,000-square-foot practice, which includes five physicians and 25 support staff.

“We’ll be able to be more efficient, take care of more children and offer more than we do now,” said Dr. Linda Glass. “We work like a team. The new facility will allow us to work in synch with each other.”

The practice, which was founded in 1992, has been growing, adding about 60 new clients each month, said Potvin. The new building became financially feasible after Potvin met with representatives from the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council and local banks. The $3.2 million project will be fully taxable, since it is not aligned with either local nonprofit hospital.

Independence

Although the physicians have privileges at both St. Mary’s and Central Maine Medical Center, Potvin said the doctors wanted to remain independent. It helps keep them focused on health care and not administrative matters.

“I have to look at where we’re wasting time, not seeing patients,” said Potvin. “There’s no use in my physicians going to two sets of full-blown meetings (at the hospitals.)”

Ground breaking on the new building is expected June 21. The two-story building will be developed in two stages. The first stage is the first floor, which will offer more than 20 examination rooms, a dozen offices, separate waiting areas for sick children, well children and teens, two classrooms, a board room, locker room and lunch room. The building will be sited off Mollison Way on a new road called Jaydee Way with parking for 170 cars.

Potvin said he expects within five years, the practice will need to expand into the second floor. There is a possibility that the second floor could be used by other health-care professionals.

New hires

The practice is hiring three more people, including a social worker. It is also installing a state-of-the-art electronic filing system that will allow doctors to review and update patient files on portable computers during the exams.

Glass said she’s excited by the potential the new building represents for the practice. In particular, Potvin said it has been a goal of the staff to offer expanded services for teens around issues such as eating disorders, peer pressure, sexual diseases, weight issues and acne.

“We want to be in a facility that can better address those issues,” said Potvin, noting that teens are uncomfortable waiting to see the doctor in a lobby that features cartoon characters and toys.

“We’re looking at adolescent programs with a real common-sense approach and developing a comprehensive approach,” he said. “This community deserves these programs.”

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