Medical mall proposal is bold and visionary

Physicians' Clinic of Iowa's proposal to build a new medical mall in downtown Cedar Rapids is a bold, visionary plan that will not only benefit medical patients, but Cedar Rapids as a whole.

The medical mall will create a new model of care for patients, one that places a priority on access, convenience and coordination of care. The downtown location is ideal because of its proximity to both hospitals. In one area, patients will have a “one stop shop.”

Consolidating services also will help keep costs down as it will enable PCI to reduce duplication.

The medical mall also will play a major role in revitalizing downtown by creating a medical destination, just as Rochester is for Mayo Clinic patients and Iowa City is for the University Hospitals & Clinics. With this growth we will see jobs, shops, restaurants and other supporting services come downtown.

It's unfortunate that so much emphasis has been placed on the redirection of Second Avenue. Cedar Rapids has a history of modifying traffic patterns to accommodate changing needs, and this is no exception. A traffic redirection of two city blocks is worth the benefits this mall would bring.

Cedar Rapids was recently recognized as one of the top 10 cities in the nation for high-quality, low-cost health care. Let's build on that honor. It's time to think of the future of our city.

Dr. Kenneth W.

Anderson

Cedar Rapids