New South Bibb clinic off Houston Avenue to fill healthcare needs

When William Brooks started practicing medicine in 1975, his practice in South Bibb County was the only medical provider between the medical center and Warner Robins. 

Now, he’s moving into a new primary care clinic just up Houston Avenue with more space and soon-to-be expanded services.

Brooks, the new clinic’s only staff physician, worked for eight years at the First Choice Primary Care off Eisenhower Parkway before being reassigned to the new Houston Avenue location.

“It’s big enough to serve the whole community,” Brooks said.

The new First Choice Primary Care on Houston Avenue has already started taking patients, adding more amenities to an area that’s been in need of resources.

County officials, headlined by U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop and Mayor Lester Miller, along with members of the chamber of commerce, held a ribbon cutting Tuesday morning to celebrate the new clinic’s opening.

Bishop highlighted $1 million for the clinic from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which has funded 1,400 community health centers and affected millions of people. 

His visit came as the Trump administration put a freeze on dispersing funds, which has since resumed — he said the federal pause was “very unfortunate” and promised to do his best to resume funding.

“This facility will be able to double the number of people that it serves,” he said.  “It will be able to double the providers that will render the medical services, which will be a great, great help for the people of this community.”

First Choice Primary Care applied for their first grant in 2020 and later acquired the property, looking to move into a more modern, spacious facility, First Choice Primary Care CEO Katherine McLeod said.

The new space will also allow them to host up to six medical providers.

“We know there are more people who need care in this neighborhood, and we want to be able to quickly see a new patient who comes to us,” McLeod said.

Bibb County Schools also announced earlier this month that Bruce Elementary, a stone’s throw away from the new clinic, would be home to a school-based health center, with First Choice as one of the partners.

District 2 commissioner Paul Bronson said additions like the new clinic address the area’s vital needs and help equalize resources in South Bibb that are available in other parts of the county.

During the ribbon cutting, Miller spoke of blight removal programs and how they have beautified the area. The county opened Cliffview Lake Park down the road in November as a space for residents to relax, fish and enjoy nature. 

All of these changes contribute to what Bronson said is the county’s “holistic” approach to addressing health issues — not just physical health, but also mental, spiritual and financial health.

“We’re just trying to tackle everything on all different avenues of approach and put a nice red bow on it and present it to the community in hopes that we do our due diligence and make sure that we utilize the resources and educate the people in the area of what’s out there,” he said.

The new clinic will eventually host mental health services, case management services and a pharmacy. McLeod said the pharmacy will be important because of the “pharmacy desert” in South Bibb.

After some of his previous staff moved on, Brooks said being revitalized with a new staff and facility lets him focus on what he does best: taking care of his longtime patients.

“I love the practice of medicine,” he said. “This is a way for me to continue to see patients.”