Poplar Bluff has new options for specialist and urgent care with the recent opening of Community Medical Plaza and Community Urgent Care on Shelby Road.
Dr. Raghuveer Kura explained his pivotal role in establishing the combined facility. The new building houses offices as well as the urgent care clinic. His foremost desire was to bring more care to the region.
“We don’t have many services,” he stated.
Kura elaborated that some specialists such as urologists have left the area. With the new space on Shelby, he hopes to see the much-needed providers return to Poplar Bluff.
The new urgent care clinic on the south side of the building intends to relieve congestion and stress for Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center’s emergency room.
Kura stated the space will provide shorter wait times for emergent, non-life-threatening medical concerns. He asserted the staff will get patients in and out in under 70 minutes.
CUC also offers telehealth appointments to better fit patients’ schedules.
According to Kura, the CMP/CUC project has been in development since 2015. He aims for the facility to work in conjunction with PBRMC, not as a competitor.
Kura oversaw the planning, construction, and fruition of the new building.
While he needed to start a real estate company to acquire and coordinate the necessary resources, Kura emphasized that bringing more medical services to the area was always the goal.
“My intention is to bring health care to the community,” he highlighted.
According to the CUC Facebook page, staff can treat a variety of non-life-threatening medical conditions such as the flu, ear infections, sprains, cuts and urinary tract infections. CUC also boasts integrated diagnostic services and the ability to perform screenings.
The urgent care facility is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
This expansion to Butler County’s medical infrastructure has the potential to fill health care gaps and improve the availability of care for many residents, according to Kura.