Neighbors Emergency Center is open for business in Port Arthur, and was feted with a ribbon cutting by area chambers of commerces Friday.

The stand-alone emergency center at 3300 FM 365, where the old Applebee’s restaurant was, opened for business on Nov. 21.

Neighbors will have a grand opening ceremony Saturday.

Chamber members on Friday were treated to a tour of the facility that offers everything typically found in a hospital emergency room setting.

Patients are first seen in the triage area, where their medical needs are assessed before they go to a patient room.

Neighbors offers CT scanning, X-rays, and more to treat patients’ medical needs.

Dr. Ali Osman, Regional Medical Director with Neighbors, said the facility expects to see between 30 and 40 patients a day.

“This gives the patient an outlet especially if they need emergency care,” Osman said.

Neighbors is much more than an urgent care facility. Physicians are board certified and nurses are highly trained, Osman said.

Patients seeking care at Neighbors will get seen quicker than at a hospital emergency room.

At the same time, the stand-alone emergency center maintains a good relationship with local hospitals for times when a patient needs to be admitted to a hospital.

“Anything that walks through that door we are prepared to take care of,” Osman said.

Neighbors employs a staff of 25 and has 10 to 12 mostly local physicians rotating through.

“We are well aware of the community and are not strangers to the medical community here,” Osman said.

Neighbors is Joint Commission Accredited, he said.

The emergency center is open seven days a week, 24-hours a day.

Neighbors has other facilities in Beaumont and Orange. ß

E-mail: sherry.koonce@panews.com

Twitter: skooncePANews